L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine appears on the labels of 53 of the 244 recipes we have read and scored (22 percent of the database), in label forms including L-Carnitine, L-carnitine.

What it is

A compound that ferries fatty acids into mitochondria to be burned, made by the dog from lysine and methionine and also eaten in meat.

Why makers use it

Added most often to weight control and senior recipes, on the logic that fat metabolism support matters most there.

What to watch for

Evidence for visible effects in healthy dogs is modest; it does no harm and signals the maker's intent for the recipe.

Highest scoring recipes that carry it

The full database, filterable by brand, format, life stage and grains, is the reviews index; the food finder answers it by the proteins a dog must avoid.

Often on the same panels

Vitamin Supplements (the Vitamin Pack), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Natural Flavor. The full dictionary is the ingredient index.