− | '''Animal products are rich sources of iron''', and typically manufactured dog and cat foods include materials containing organic iron in the form of haem, such as meat meals, meat and bone meals, fish meals and blood meals. Nevertheless some mineral supplements such as ground limestone and calcium phosphate can contain high amounts of iron. Supplemental sources of iron commonly added to dog and cat foods include salts such as ferrous sulphate or fumarate. Iron can exist in two oxidation states, ferrous (Fe<sup>2+</sup>) and ferric (Fe<sup>3+</sup>), and the ferrous salts in general (especially the sulphate) have higher bio-availability. In contrast, ferric oxide has a very low bio-availability and is unsuitable as a dietary source. These differences in bio-availability are reflected in their degree of toxicity <span style="color:red">[WikiVet Link to Section 5].</span> | + | '''Animal products are rich sources of iron''', and typically manufactured dog and cat foods include materials containing organic iron in the form of haem, such as meat meals, meat and bone meals, fish meals and blood meals. Nevertheless some mineral supplements such as ground limestone and calcium phosphate can contain high amounts of iron. Supplemental sources of iron commonly added to dog and cat foods include salts such as ferrous sulphate or fumarate. Iron can exist in two oxidation states, ferrous (Fe<sup>2+</sup>) and ferric (Fe<sup>3+</sup>), and the ferrous salts in general (especially the sulphate) have higher bio-availability. In contrast, ferric oxide has a very low bio-availability and is unsuitable as a dietary source. These differences in bio-availability are reflected in their [[Iron - Nutrition#Toxicity|degree of toxicity]]. |