Pet World Insider Article: Dog Food Ingredients A to Z: Pantothenic Acid by SlimDoggy.com

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Given the season, we considered doing Peppermint Candy Canes for the “P” of our ingredient series, but you don’t find too much peppermint in dog food, and candy canes certainly aren’t good for them, so we went with Pantothenic Acid instead.

What is Pantothenic Acid?

Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble vitamin and, for many animals, an essential nutrient. Animals require pantothenic acid to synthesize and metabolize proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Common names for Pantothenic Acid

The most common name variations include Vitamin B-5 and Pantothenate and Calcium pantothenate.

Why is Pantothenic Acid included in dog food?

Pantothenic acid assists in vitamin metabolism and helps in the conversation of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy for the body.

Is Pantothenic Acid a commonly used ingredient in dog food?

Pantothenic acid is a very widely used dog food ingredient. We found it in near 80% of dog foods.

Common benefits or risks of Pantothenic Acid

Pantothenic acid helps the body metabolize macro nutrients. It also can enhance stamina, and is involved in the production of neurotransmitters. Pantothenic acid may help prevent and treat depression and anxiety and is useful for normal function of the intestinal tract.

Pantothenic acid deficiency causes fatigue, nausea, and can cause headaches in people.

There are no known specific disease conditions related to Pantothenic acid in pets.

Miscellaneous facts about Pantothenic Acid

Sources of pantothenic acid include beef, brewer’s yeast, eggs, vegetables, organ meats (especially liver and heart), rice and wheat bran, mushroom, saltwater fish, and whole wheat.

Pantothenic acid, vitamin B5, is known as the anti-stress vitamin since it is involved in the production of adrenal hormones and antibodies produced by the body’s white blood cells.