I emailed Wellness a few days ago asking if they would consider removing Menadione from their foods, here is the reply I got:
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Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. Since launching NGW dry dog this past fall, we have heard some feedback surrounding our use of Vitamin K (Menadione). Some of the feedback was from people who were simply curious, and some of it was negative, questioning our use of Vitamin k. We listened to all feedback, re-evaluated the ingredient, and have decided to remove Vitamin K from all dry dog diets. Below is some background into this important decision.
Why did we add Vitamin K in the first place?
The intent of adding Vitamin K to Wellness was to present the most robust nutrition available to the dog. The nutritional functions of Vitamin K are proper blood clotting and for building strong bones. We know that bacteria in the dog#%92s gut synthesize their own Vitamin K, but our concern was whether or not they produced enough. Diminished capacity for bacterial synthesis of Vitamin K can be inhibited during times of stress or illness. The NRC (National Research Council) has suggested that it might recommend supplemental Vitamin K as part of a standard diet, and Wellness wants to be on the forefront of nutrition and stay current with research.
Why did we decide to remove Vitamin K?
Before making any decisions, we first spoke to all nutritional experts at our disposal. As it turns out, all nutritionists unanimously agreed that, although a dog will have diminished capacity to produce adequate Vitamin K (especially when on antibiotics), a dog will produce enough on their own when healthy. Wellness is a healthy diet, supporting overall wellbeing. A dog being fed our diets is less likely to need antibiotics. Once the NRC publishes their research findings, we will better understand their suggestion; however, for now we are fully confident that the removal of Vitamin K for these diets is the right way to go.
When will Vitamin K be removed?
We will remove Vitamin K from our nutritional premix sometime in the 4th quarter. Upon the next printing of bags, it will no longer appear on the ingredient panels.