Phosphorus and sodium contents in commercial wet foods for dogs and cats

It has been reported that wet foods for dogs and cats have high levels of sodium and phosphorus due to their composition. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the sodium and phosphorus contents in wet pet foods, and compare it to daily requirements for both species. Twenty‐five commercial wet foods for adult animals were evaluated, 13 for dogs and 12 for cats. The analyses’ results were compared to the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF 2018) recommendations. All foods contained phosphorus and sodium amounts above minimum requirements. Three wet foods for dogs exceeded the safe upper limit for phosphorus, and four wet foods for dogs and three for cats exceeded 3.75 g of sodium/1,000 kcal metabolizable energy (ME), considered safe by FEDIAF. No studies were found at the present time evaluating whether higher sodium levels are safe for dogs and cats; however, consumption of high phosphorus diets has been associated with adverse effects on renal function parameters. Therefore, more studies are necessary to investigate the health implications of phosphorus and sodium concentrations observed in some foods evaluated in this research.