Vegetable Oil
Unspecified oil pressed from one or more plant sources. Because the label does not name which plant, the fatty acid profile can't be determined — omega-6 to omega-3 ratios across candidate oils range from roughly 13:1 for olive to 50:1 for corn. Omega-6 rich oils are precursors to pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, and a preliminary study of 459 dogs found vegetable oil supplementation significantly more common in dogs diagnosed with adverse food reactions than in dogs with other skin conditions.
What it's doing there
Fat / energy source.
The concern
The unnamed source makes the omega-6 load impossible to assess. An association with adverse food reactions has been observed in dogs, though causality is not established.
How sure are we
Low. There is thin published information about this ingredient. Treat anything on this page — including our own rating — with more skepticism than usual.
Note: Vegetable oil supplementation was significantly more frequent in dogs with adverse food reactions (29.3% vs 10.1%), though causality is unestablished.
How this affects a score
In any product containing it, this ingredient lowers Ingredient Quality, costs points under Transparency, lowers Evidence Confidence. See the full formula →
Products containing Vegetable Oil
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This application is intended for educational purposes only. Scores are generated using publicly available product information and are not veterinary advice. We are not veterinarians. Always consult your veterinarian regarding medical decisions.
A high score does not mean a product is right for your pet, and a low score does not mean it is dangerous. An individual animal can react to an ingredient that scores well here, and a product with a mediocre score may be exactly what your vet recommends.
The score reads ingredients one at a time. It cannot account for how ingredients interact with each other, with other products you use, or with your pet's medications and conditions. Two ingredients that are each fine on their own may not be fine together. A score is a starting point for questions, not a substitute for professional judgment.