Ingredient file // Vitamin or mineral
Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide
Printed as “Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide” on some labels. Same ingredient.
A trace iodine source with a real job
Ethylenediamine dihydriodide is a manufactured iodine salt added to mineral blends. It supplies iodine for thyroid hormone production. Its presence on a label does not show how much iodine the finished food contains.
- What it is
- A manufactured iodine salt used in feed mineral blends to supply dietary iodine.
- Made from
- Ethylenediamine and hydroiodic acid
- Main job
- Supplies dietary iodine
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Excess iodine from the whole diet
- Not the same as
- Iodized salt
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 108 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
1%
24 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 3 brands. 22 dry dog food, 2 wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 39.5. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.
Above the salt
Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 100% of foods.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 17 priced foods, 7% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
83%
of the foods that list it are from Nulo. 3 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Chemical producers manufacture this salt for feed mineral blends. One documented route reacts ethylenediamine with hydroiodic acid in water. Suppliers offer the resulting ingredient as dry crystals, powder or granules.7,8
- 01 // Source Chemical inputs Ethylenediamine and hydroiodic acid are the starting materials in a documented production route.
- 02 // Process Reaction in water Aqueous solutions of the starting materials react to form the iodine salt.
- 03 // Output Crystalline EDDI A supplier offers white or off-white crystals, powder or granules for use in pet food.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
80
% iodine
About four-fifths of the dry ingredient is iodine, so a recipe needs only a trace to change its iodine level.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Supplies required iodine
Manufacturers add EDDI to help a finished food meet its iodine target. Dogs need iodine to make thyroid hormones, but the ingredient list does not disclose the finished level.3,5,9
-
02
Delivers a trace dose
At about 80% iodine, a small amount contributes measurable iodine without adding meaningful protein, fat or starch. Other ingredients must be counted when setting that amount.4,6
-
03
Fits bulk mineral blending
A supplier sells dry EDDI for pet food and cattle feed. FDA also documents its use in mineral mixtures, a way to distribute a trace ingredient through production batches.5,7
How much At 80% iodine, meeting the 1 mg/kg dry-food minimum would take about 1.25 mg EDDI/kg if no other ingredient supplied iodine.4,6
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
EDDI supplies iodine dogs need
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Feedtables lists 800,000 mg iodine per kg of dry EDDI, and FDA recognizes its nutritional use. It supplies iodine, but its place on the ingredient list does not reveal the finished food's iodine level.4,5,9
-
Brands say
EDDI prevents iodine deficiency hypothyroidism
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Two single-dog reports describe recovery after dietary iodine was restored; one dog's thyroid tests normalized after 31 days. Neither report tested EDDI or showed that an already adequate diet needs extra iodine.2,3,5
-
Vets say
Too much dietary iodine disrupts thyroid function
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a controlled study of 18 puppies, iodine-rich diets raised TSH, lowered T4 and enlarged thyroids. The study used potassium iodide, so it supports a total iodine concern; it did not test EDDI at normal recipe amounts.1
-
Owners say
Extra iodine speeds a healthy dog's metabolism
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The 18-puppy study found worse thyroid measures with high iodine intake. The case reports show improvement after correcting deficiency, not after raising iodine above an adequate intake. No metabolic boost was demonstrated.1,2,3
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt has a specific mineral job: supplying iodine. Feedtables lists no crude protein, fat or starch for this ingredient. Its iodine concentration is high enough that a recipe uses only a trace.4,5
-
Q02
Does the name mean too much iodine?
NoThe ingredient list says EDDI was added, not how much iodine the finished food contains. If your dog needs a controlled iodine intake, ask the manufacturer for the food's measured total iodine.6,9
-
Q03
Why is it near the end?
By designIngredients appear in order of weight. A concentrated iodine source belongs in a small amount, so a low position among minerals is expected. Its list position cannot tell you the finished iodine concentration.4,9
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Turkey Meal 63%
- Sweet Potatoes 63%
- Chickpeas 58%
- Natural Flavor 54%
- Flaxseed 54%
- Chicken Fat 54%
- Turkey 46%
- Brown Rice 38%
- Lentils 38%
- Peas 33%
- Salmon Meal 33%
- Ground Miscanthus Grass 29%
Our read // On the bag
Read it as iodine, then check the diet
A low position among the minerals fits this concentrated ingredient. Check the bag's nutritional adequacy statement for your dog's life stage. The ingredient list cannot tell you the iodine dose. If your dog has thyroid disease or takes an iodine supplement, ask the manufacturer for measured total iodine.
On labels as
Other names for this
Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.
Sources
What we read
Checked September 1, 2026.
- 1 Morphologic Changes in the Thyroid Glands of Puppies Fed a High-Iodine Commercial Diet
- 2 Case Report: Technetium-99m Pertechnetate Scintigraphy Findings in a Dog With Iodine Deficiency-Induced Goitrous Hypothyroidism
- 3 Case Report: Diet-associated iodine-deficiency goitrous hypothyroidism in a dog: a longitudinal clinical, endocrine, and ultrasonographic evaluation
- 4 Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide
- 5 Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 651.100 Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide (EDDI)
- 6 AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles
- 7 Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide (EDDI)
- 8 Process for making halogen salts
- 9 Reading Labels