Yucca Schidigera Extract in dog and cat food

Is it OK for dogs and cats?

Dogs

In a study of 20 Beagles, yucca extract lowered faecal ammonia, and 500 mg per kg of food reduced stool odour on a high-protein diet, with no change in nutrient digestibility. The highest amount tested (750 mg per kg of food) raised the liver enzyme ALT, so the amount matters. This was one small study.

Cats

There is less evidence for cats. A 1997 study reported less smelly stools when yucca extract was added to cat diets, and a lab study using cat stool samples showed small changes. None of the sources here tested long-term safety in cats.

How settled this is: Depends on the amount

What yucca schidigera extract is

An extract made from the stem of Yucca schidigera, the Mojave (or Mohave) yucca. A 2006 review describes it as a plant of the deserts of the south-western United States and northern Mexico. Up to about 10% of its stem dry matter is steroidal saponins, which makes it one of the richest commercial sources of saponins. The plant also contains polyphenols such as resveratrol and yuccaols. The review reports that these are found in the bark, so they are present in commercial yucca powder but not in yucca extract obtained by mechanical extraction. The EU Catalogue of feed materials lists two yucca products: 'Mojave yucca' (the pulverised stem) and 'Yucca [schidigera] juice' (made by cutting and pressing the stems, and mainly carbohydrates).

Why it is in pet food

In pet food, the use that has been studied is reducing stool odour. In a 1997 study, a human panel judged that stools smelled better when yucca extract products were added to dog or cat diets. The authors showed that the extract may change how a mix of odour compounds is perceived, possibly by binding them. In a 2016 study of 20 adult Beagles, 500 mg of extract per kg of food reduced stool odour on a 34%-protein diet. Adding the extract lowered faecal ammonia on both the 25% and 34% protein diets, and 250 and 500 mg/kg reduced intestinal gas. In livestock and poultry, yucca products are used to reduce ammonia in the air of animal housing. In the US, Mohave yucca is on the list of natural flavouring substances permitted in human food. Yucca products have also long been used for reputed effects on arthritis. A 2006 review said folk medicine and anecdotal reports suggest whole yucca powder helps, and that further studies are warranted. Its lead author declared that he consulted for a yucca producer.

What it does in the food

It is added for its effect, not for nutrition. Dog studies tested 250–750 mg of extract per kg of food. Yucca's active compounds include steroidal saponins and polyphenols, but the bark polyphenols are not present in mechanically extracted yucca. In the 2016 Beagle study the extract did not change nutrient digestibility, stool consistency or nitrogen balance. A lab study incubated dog and cat stool samples with the extract. It tended to lower trimethylamine in the cat samples and raised enterococci in the dog samples. These were test-tube results, not feeding results.

Safety and limits

None of the sources here sets a pet-specific limit for yucca extract. The EU lists yucca stem products as feed materials. US rules allow Mohave yucca as a natural flavouring in human food, used at the minimum amount needed for its effect. Dogs: in the 2016 study of 20 Beagles, 750 mg per kg of food raised the liver enzyme ALT and mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and tended to raise cholesterol, whatever the protein level of the diet. The authors concluded that the extract may cause adverse effects at higher doses. This was one small study. Cats: the cat evidence here is a 1997 stool-odour study and a lab study with stool samples. Neither tested long-term safety.

What depends on the amount and the recipe

The amount: in one dog study, stool odour fell at 500 mg per kg of food and intestinal gas fell at 250–500 mg/kg, while the liver enzyme ALT rose at 750 mg/kg. The form: mechanically extracted yucca lacks the bark polyphenols found in yucca powder. The diet: in that study the odour benefit appeared on the higher-protein diet. The species: there is little cat-specific research among these sources.

Not the same as

• Yucca schidigera powder (Mojave yucca) — The pulverised stem, which includes bark. A 2006 review reports bark polyphenols such as resveratrol and yuccaols in yucca powder but not in mechanically extracted yucca.
• Cassava (manioc, tapioca) — A different plant, Manihot esculenta. Its roots, also called tapioca, are a starchy feed material.

Sources

1. Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials, consolidated text of 24 July 2022 (entries 7.12.1 Mojave yucca, 7.12.2 Yucca [Schidigera] juice, 4.6.1 Manioc) — Publications Office of the European Union, 2022. EU feed-material definitions of Mojave yucca (pulverised stems of Yucca schidigera) and yucca juice (cut and pressed stems, mainly carbohydrates); manioc/tapioca/cassava as roots of Manihot esculenta, with starch declared for the dried form.
2. 21 CFR 172.510 Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors (4-1-25 edition) — U.S. Government Publishing Office (Code of Federal Regulations), 2025. Mohave yucca (Yucca schidigera) is listed as a natural flavoring substance for human food, used in the minimum quantity required to produce its intended effect.
3. Cheeke PR, Piacente S, Oleszek W (2006). Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of Yucca schidigera: a review. J Inflamm 3:6 — Journal of Inflammation (via PubMed Central), 2006. Native to deserts of the south-western US and northern Mexico; up to 10% steroidal saponins in stem dry matter; resveratrol and yuccaols in the bark, present in yucca powder but not in mechanically extracted yucca; use in livestock and poultry to reduce atmospheric ammonia; folk medicine and anecdotal reports on arthritis, further studies warranted; lead author's consulting disclosure.
4. Dos Reis JS et al. (2016). Inclusion of Yucca schidigera extract in diets with different protein levels for dogs. Anim Sci J 87(8):1019-27 (PubMed abstract) — Animal Science Journal (abstract via NCBI PubMed), 2016. In 20 Beagles on 25% or 34% protein diets with 0–750 mg/kg extract: 500 mg/kg reduced faecal odour on the 34% protein diet; the extract reduced faecal ammonia regardless of protein level; 250 and 500 mg/kg reduced intestinal gas; no effect on digestibility, faecal consistency or nitrogen balance; 750 mg/kg raised ALT and MCH and tended to raise cholesterol; possible adverse effects at higher doses.
5. Lowe JA, Kershaw SJ, Taylor AJ, Linforth RS (1997). The effect of Yucca schidigera extract on canine and feline faecal volatiles occurring concurrently with faecal aroma amelioration. Res Vet Sci 63(1):67-71 (PubMed abstract) — Research in Veterinary Science (abstract via NCBI PubMed), 1997. Adding yucca extract products to dog or cat diets improved faecal aroma as judged by a human panel; possible direct alteration of aroma perception of a mixture of volatiles, possibly by binding.
6. Pinna C et al. (2017). An in vitro evaluation of the effects of a Yucca schidigera extract and chestnut tannins on composition and metabolic profiles of canine and feline faecal microbiota. Arch Anim Nutr 71(5):395-412 (PubMed abstract) — Archives of Animal Nutrition (abstract via NCBI PubMed), 2017. In lab cultures of cat faeces yucca extract tended to lower trimethylamine; in dog faecal cultures it increased enterococci; in vitro only.

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-15. Definitions are in our own words. This is a reading aid, not veterinary advice: a vet who knows your animal comes first.