What are the best fats to add to a dog s diet
Fats for Dogs
Fat usually gets a bad rap, but its actually an important nutrient for dogs. Pet parents need to ensure their dogs get the right amounts and the right types of fat in their diets. This is made easier because, unlike with people, too much bad fat in a dogs diet doesnt have much of an effect on their cholesterol levels and their risk of heart attack or stroke.
Heres what you should know about the type and amount of fat dogs need.
Do Dogs Need Fats in Their Diet?
Fats are an important part of a dogs diet, but its helpful to divide fats into two types to understand their different functions.
Triglycerides
The fats most commonly found in the body and the diet are triglycerides, which are composed of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule.
In the diet, triglycerides:
In the body, triglycerides:
Store energy
Store essential fatty acids
Provide cushioning
Reduce heat loss
Transport molecules
Are structural elements in cell membranes
Help conduct nerve impulses
Fatty acids
Individual fatty acids play many roles in cell structure and function. Only small amounts of fatty acids are needed in the diet, but they are vitally important. Here are a few of their most noteworthy roles:
Omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid and arachidonic acid promote skin and coat health.
Omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) reduce inflammation.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, encourages healthy development of the nervous system and eyes.
Fatty acids can be divided into two categories: essential and nonessential.
Essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid for dogs) must be supplied by the diet because the body cant make enough of them on its own.
Nonessential fatty acids can be made by the body, but higher levels may be necessary at certain times of life. For example, DHA is added to high-quality puppy diets to promote brain and eye development.
Sources of Fats for Dogs
Triglycerides and fatty acids are part of a variety of ingredients that are commonly found in dog foods. Animal sources like chicken fat or beef fat provide a lot of triglycerides and arachidonic acid. Ingredients like fish oil, purified algal oil, and flaxseed oil add omega-3 fatty acids, while corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil contain primarily omega-6 fatty acids.
All of these (and other) ingredients can be healthy sources of fats and fatty acids when used in combination. Whats most important is that a dogs diet provides an appropriate level of overall fat (triglycerides), all essential fatty acids, and a good balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
How Much Fat Does My Dog Need?
For a dog food to be labeled nutritionally complete and balanced, the manufacturer must follow guidelines from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The AAFCO minimum crude fat level for dogs is 5% for adults and 8% for puppies. The term crude fat is used on nutrition labels to note how much total fat is included in the product. The word crude says nothing about the types of fats or their quality; it simply refers to the method used to test the products fat level.
The ideal fat content of a dogs diet will depend on many factors. Growing puppies, dogs that are pregnant or nursing, very active dogs, and dogs who need to gain weight generally need higher fat levels. Dogs that are overweight, inactive, or suffer from certain types of health conditions like pancreatitis or hyperlipidemia can benefit from low-fat diets.
Talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns about the amount or types of fat in your dogs diet.
How to Calculate How Much Fat Is in Your Dogs Food
AAFCOs nutrient guidelines are reported on a dry matter basisthat is, the percentage of the nutrients if all the water were taken out.
Dry diets contain so little water that you can look at the crude fat level on the guaranteed analysis panel on the package to get a general idea of how much fat the food contains.
But if you feed wet food, youll need to do some math:
Find the percent moisture listed in the guaranteed analysis and subtract that number from 100. This is the percent dry matter for the food.
Divide the fat percentage on the label by the percent dry matter for the food and multiply by 100. The resulting number is the fat percentage on a dry matter basis.
For example, a canned food label might list its moisture content as 82% and its crude fat as 3%. To calculate the foods fat level on a dry matter basis, your calculations would be 100-82=18 and then 3/18 x 100 = 16.7% fat
Should You Supplement Your Dogs Diet With Certain Fats?
As long as youre feeding foods that meet AAFCO guidelines, you do not need to worry about adding extra triglycerides to your dogs diet. In fact, doing so can be dangerous.
Feeding dogs high-fat foods, including fatty human foods like meat trimmings, can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called pancreatitis. And because fats contain almost three times as many calories as proteins and carbohydrates, adding extra fat to a dogs diet can lead to obesity.
On the other hand, supplementing your dogs diet with omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids can be beneficial. Veterinarians often recommend omega-3 fatty acid supplements as part of the treatment for inflammatory diseases like osteoarthritis or allergic skin disease. Omega-3 fatty acids can also play a role in the treatment of heart disease and cancer.
Salmon oil, other cold-water fish oils, algal oils, and to a lesser extent, flaxseed oil, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids for dogs. Dogs with skin problems may also benefit from omega-6 fatty acid supplementation.
Talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns about the amount or types of fat in your dogs diet.
Featured Image: iStock/O_Lypa
Which Fats Are Healthy For Dogs?
Unlike its nutritional siblings protein and fiber, fat doesnt get much good press in the pet food world. Theres an obvious reason for this feed your dog too much fatty food and you risk them becoming obese, a condition that can lead to a ton of nasty health conditions.
However, that doesnt mean you should race out of the house and stock up on fat-free dog food. Thats because not all fats are created equal and some varieties can be good for your pet indeed, some are essential to life.
Healthy fats and oils are a great energy source for active, happy pups, says Bridget Meadows, Director of Food Engineering at Ollie. It helps them to fuel their muscles and absorb important vitamins and minerals. Dogs also need fat in their diet to stay visibly healthy a dog with good fat in their diet has enough energy to play, healthy skin, and a shiny coat.
As well as that, healthy fats can aid with the following:
- Cell development
- Neurological function
- Hormone production
- Reproductive support
- Inflammation reduction
What are the good types of fat?
So which fats should parents look for in dog food to get these effects? There are two big ones.
Omega-3 fatty acids
You might already be familiar with Omega-3 fatty acids from their inclusion in human food products. They tend to make their way into dog food recipes via ingredients recognizable to parents, such as flaxseeds, fish oils and canola.
There are several different types of Omega-3s to be aware of, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Sometimes, pet food ingredients on the back of the packaging will be described as being enriched by one of these.
Omega 3 fatty acids like DHA are especially important for the development of puppies, including the growth and health of their brain and eye function, says Meadows. Added to that, Omega-3s can help with your dogs hearing and strengthen their nervous system.
At the other end of the scale, your pet runs the risk of suffering from depression, poor memory and learning ability, or declining sight and hearing if they dont have enough Omega-3s in their diet.
Omega-6 fatty acids
Despite the name, these arent doubly as good as Omega-3s the number refers to the position of the first double bond in the hydrocarbon chain. Essentially, theyre similar, but different.
For a start, Omega-6s are derived from different sources, such as animal fat, sunflower oil or coconut oil.
And while Omega-6s also contribute towards healthy brain function, they also play an important role in ensuring optimal growth, immune function and reproductive support.
Without enough Omega-6s in their diets, dogs run the possibility of suffering from unhealthy weight loss, impaired growth, hair loss, skin conditions and increased chances of infections.
How can I ensure my dogs getting enough Omega fatty acids?
No mammal is capable of synthesizing their own supply of Omega-3 or Omega-6 fatty acids, so theyre dependent on getting them from their food.
Be sure to look at the ingredient list of pet food before you serve it up to your dog and look out for the ingredients listed above.
Alternatively, puppy food that meets the AAFCOs Nutrient Profile for Growth & Maintenance should include the minimum amount of ALA, EPA and DHA as recommended by the organization.
However, theres no minimum amount required in food labeled as Adult Maintenance, although theres a maximum ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s permitted, which is 30:1.1
If youre concerned the food youre serving to your dog is lacking in Omega-3s or 6s, you can search for recipes including ingredients rich in fatty acids or ask your vet about the possibility of giving your pet dietary supplements.
