February 24th, 2010
Let’s not mince words. Fats make food taste better. It’s true for us. It’s true for our dogs. Aside from palatability, though, dietary fats (known as lipids) do many good things inside the body, including:
- Preventing heat and moisture loss
- Protecting major organs
- Supplying essential fatty acids (EFAs)
- Carrying fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)
- Insulating nerve fibers
- Helping to transmit nerve impulses
- Contributing structural components to cell membranes
- Transporting other nutrients across these membranes
Fats (solid form at room temperature) and oils (liquid form at room temperature) get a lot of bad press, but they provide the most concentrated source of food energy. In fact, they’re nearly three times as dense energy-wise as carbohydrates or proteins. Most fats are also more digestible.
Fat Digestion
What’s a little freaky about fats is that they don’t get broken down for digestion the way other nutrients do. Instead, they’re elongated and desaturated (loss of hydrogen atoms) inside the body.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) might be the most “famous” of all the kinds of dietary fats. These are the OMEGAs you hear about. They’re called “essential” because in most cases the body cannot synthesize them.
- Omega 3 fatty acids (from alpha-linolenic acid)
- Omega 6 fatty acids (from linoleic acid and arachidonic acid)
- Omega 9 fatty acids (from oleic acid)
Vegetable oils can provide Omega 6s, but certain Omega 3s can only be found in animal fats.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Omega 3s, in particular, produce a lower immunological response than Omega 6s and Omega 9s, so when veterinarians are concerned with controlling internal inflammation, they may recommend re-balancing EFA ratios and supplementing a pet’s diet with additional Omega 3s.
Be sure to alert your pet’s doctor if you supplement Omega 3s because they act as a blood thinner, which is important if surgery (emergency or otherwise) is needed.
Low-Fat Dog Food
The veterinary profession estimates that about 40% of dogs are overweight or obese. Dog foods designed to help pets trim down typically do so by lowering fat content in the food.
Regular dry dog foods often have at least 15-22% fat content. Lower-calorie, lower-fat dog foods designed for weight loss usually drop that down to 9-12%.
Super Low-Fat Dog Food
There are, however, some canine medical conditions that require diets with fat content below 6%.
Twitter friends probably know Debbie Jacobs (@fearfuldogs) and her great online resource Fearfuldogs.com as well as her Fearful Dogs blog. Well, Debbie’s newest canine pal — Annie, the cocker spaniel — suffers from Corneal Dystrophy. And, her veterinarian recommends a very low-fat diet because for some dogs in the early stages, a dietary change can reverse the condition.
I also have a local dog training and dog blogging friend whose sweet Lab has suffered several bouts of pancreatitis. We went through that in 2009 with my big boy Ginko, so I know the worry.
So, in both of their honor, I did some research with help from Anthony Holloway, CEO of K9Cuisine.com.
I’m happy to post these options for super low-fat dog foods.
We found out quickly that it is MUCH easier to find low-low fat content in canned food than it is to find it in dry food. The reason? Palatability becomes a real issue with dry foods with super low fat content.
The bonus item in our search, however, is that many of these ultra-low-fat canned foods are also GRAIN FREE, which is important for dogs that have allergies and other bad outcomes from grain in their diets.
When you’re looking around and shopping on the K9Cuisine.com site, click on the Analysis Tab and look for the fat content listing.
But, like I said, we did some of that work for you. Here are some options, if you’re looking to feed a super low-fat food to your dog to help address specific medical concerns.
6% Fat Content
Canidae – Grain Free – All Life Stages – Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish
Addiction – Turkey with Cranberries & Apples
Addiction – Hunter’s Venison Stew
Addiction – Black Forest Rabbit & Blueberries
Addiction – Herbed Duck Confit & Sweet Potatoes
Addiction – Safari Buffalo Meatloaf
Wellness Core – Salmon, Whitefish & Herring Formula
4.5% Fat Content
Wenaewe – Organic Country Style Beef
Wenaewe – Organic Stew with Liver
4.0% Fat Content
GO! Natural – Chicken & Vegetable
2.0% Fat Content
Addiction – New Zealand Venison & Apple
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Tags: corneal dystrophy, dog, dog food, dog nutrition, fats, low-fat dog food, nutrition, pancreatitis
Posted in Dog Food Basics, K9 Nutrition | 7 Comments »
7 Responses to “Fat: Dog Food Basics”
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A professional writer based in Colorado, Roxanne Hawn doesn't just love dogs. She deep-down requires them in life. Something inside her genes, perhaps? That's why it's such a joy to write about all things canine. Roxanne began writing about pets in 1995, when she worked for the American Animal Hospital Association and later for the American Humane Association. During this period in her career, Roxanne served on the board of directors for the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (a coalition of animal welfare groups). Roxanne also volunteered for many years at an animal shelter, where she witnessed firsthand what happens when the human-animal bond breaks or never forms.
Great post, Roxanne, and easy for dog owners to understand and digest (pun intended!) I have a Doxie that would eat all day long if we let her and she really needs to be put on a low fat diet.
I’m going to alert our canine nutritionist to your post. She’s helped us create a homemade diet that will work for our chronic pancreatitis and grain-intolerant dog. She thought that there were no grain-free or even low-grain commercial alternatives. Obviously, she didn’t know about the products that you highlighted here!
I wonder if there are any veterinary sites that could be alerted to your post. Regular vets are also stymied by dogs like mine.
She needs to find out about K9Cuisine.com.
In any case, this is a great post!
Thanks, KB. I hope some of these options help you with K’s unique needs. Some day, I would love to interview your nutritionist for the blog.
Thanks so much for this Roxanne. I would like to be able to lower the fat content from the 6-7% I have been giving Annie and am thrilled to find foods that are not prescription diets.
On a side note, I used to work as a river guide in New Zealand and carried a trap down the river with us to catch eels for one night’s dinner. Got a kick out of seeing the unagi & seaweed food for dogs.
I’m happy to help. I forget about your “other” life in the travel industry. That’s a hoot about the unagi.
What I like about these options is that @k9cuisine screens the food sold for all kinds of things you do NOT want in your pet food. I love that these have no byproduct and no grain (for dogs that cannot have grains).
Thanks for this information. From other research I have done, I think you have neglected to factor in the mositure content of the food you highlighted. To compare the % fat in moist and dry dog food you would have to factor in the moisture content. I believe the correct calculation would require that you subtract the % moisture from 100, then divide the % fat by the above result. E.g. if the % moisture is 75% and the % fat is 5%, subtract 75 from 100 = 25. Then divide 5 (the fat) by 25 and multiply by 100 (to get a %) and you would have a 25% fat content. A very different result and can make the world of difference to a dog with pancreatitis.
I hope this is helpful to other readers.
Thanks
I will check into that, Orelle. Thanks for letting me know.