Ingredient file // Vitamin or mineral
Cobalt Proteinate
A cobalt supplement without a proven dog benefit
Cobalt proteinate is cobalt bound to amino acids or protein fragments and added through a mineral premix. It supplies cobalt, but dogs need vitamin B12 itself. No dog study shows that this form of cobalt improves health.
- What it is
- A trace mineral ingredient made by binding cobalt from a soluble salt to amino acids or protein fragments.
- Made from
- Cobalt salt and protein fragments
- Main job
- Adds cobalt to a premix
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- It does not replace vitamin B12
- Not the same as
- Vitamin B12 supplement
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 63 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
2%
41 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 8 brands. 39 wet dog food, 2 dry dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 29. 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 5 priced foods, 13% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
32%
of the foods that list it are from Nulo. 8 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Mineral suppliers make proteinates for feed manufacturers that use bound forms of trace minerals. They combine a soluble cobalt salt with amino acids or protein fragments and supply the concentrate for premixes.6,8
- 01 // Source Cobalt salt A soluble cobalt salt supplies the mineral in the finished proteinate.
- 02 // Process Bind to protein The cobalt is bound to amino acids or partially broken down protein.
- 03 // Process Pack concentrate A commercial product is packed in bags for feed manufacturers, not sold as finished feed.
- 04 // Output Cobalt proteinate The concentrated ingredient is measured into a mineral premix before the finished food is made.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
10.5
% cobalt
Cobalt by dry weight in one listed product. This describes the concentrated ingredient, not the amount in finished dog food.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Supplies measured cobalt
A commercial concentrate guarantees its cobalt content, letting a manufacturer measure it into a premix. That is its manufacturing job, even though extra cobalt has no demonstrated nutritional benefit for dogs.5,8
-
02
Fits premix production
The supplier sells it in 25 kg bags for feed manufacturers. A concentrated ingredient lets them weigh small portions into mineral premixes used across batches.8
-
03
Supports chelate marketing
The proteinate name identifies a bound mineral form. Results for other chelated minerals do not show that cobalt proteinate gives dogs an absorption or health advantage.2,6
How much One supplier guarantees 10% cobalt in its concentrate but publishes no inclusion rate for finished dog food.8
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
Cobalt proteinate supplies cobalt
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A commercial cobalt proteinate label guarantees at least 10% cobalt in the concentrate. The claim correctly identifies what the ingredient supplies; it does not show that adding cobalt benefits a dog.8
-
Brands say
Chelated cobalt absorbs better than cobalt salts
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
No dog trial comparing cobalt proteinate with a cobalt salt was found. In a 12-dog zinc proteinate trial, most zinc markers were unchanged by mineral form. Zinc results cannot prove a cobalt benefit.2
-
Brands say
Extra cobalt prevents vitamin B12 deficiency
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Dogs absorb vitamin B12 before the gut region where their microbes make it from cobalt. A randomized trial in 46 dogs with low B12 used the vitamin itself to raise blood levels, not cobalt.1,4,5
-
Brands say
Extra cobalt boosts energy and blood health
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Cobalt is part of vitamin B12, but cobalt proteinate is not a B12 treatment. The 46-dog trial tested B12 supplements, while an expert feed review found no need to add cobalt for animals such as dogs.1,5
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt is a concentrated trace mineral ingredient added for cobalt, not bulk. Its role in the recipe is clear, although extra cobalt has no demonstrated nutritional benefit for dogs.5,8
-
Q02
Is it vitamin B12?
NoVitamin B12 contains cobalt, but cobalt proteinate is a different ingredient. Dogs get usable B12 from food or a B12 supplement; B12 made by their gut microbes appears too late for useful absorption.4,5
-
Q03
Does chelated mean better?
Unproven hereBinding a mineral to protein changes its form. It does not prove better results in dogs. A 12-dog zinc proteinate study cannot answer whether cobalt proteinate absorbs better or improves health.2,6
-
Q04
How much is in my dog's food?
Label won't sayThe ingredient list ranks ingredients by weight but gives no amount for each one. A supplier's cobalt percentage describes its concentrate, so it cannot tell you how much the food contains.8,9
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
- Flaxseed 54%
- Guar Gum 46%
- Carrots 44%
- Chicken 39%
- Sweet Potatoes 39%
- Peas 37%
- Turkey 34%
- Chicken Liver 32%
- Turkey Liver 29%
- Chicken Broth 24%
- Whitefish 24%
- Lamb 24%
Our read // On the bag
Read it as a premix ingredient
Cobalt proteinate near the end of an ingredient list tells you the maker added a trace mineral concentrate. It does not tell you the food supplies more usable vitamin B12. Check the food's nutritional adequacy statement, and do not pay extra for a cobalt absorption claim.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Effect of oral or injectable supplementation with cobalamin in dogs with hypocobalaminemia caused by chronic enteropathy or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- 2 Effect of Zinc Source and Exogenous Enzymes Supplementation on Zinc Status in Dogs Fed High Phytate Diets
- 3 The Pathology of Experimental Cobalt Cardiomyopathy
- 4 Review of cobalamin status and disorders of cobalamin metabolism in dogs
- 5 Scientific Opinion on the use of cobalt compounds as additives in animal nutrition
- 6 Official Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients
- 7 KeyShure Cobalt Proteinate 10% (Balchem) - Equine Nutrition Analysis
- 8 KeyShure Cobalt
- 9 Reading Labels