Essential Fatty Acids For Dogs & Cats
We hear and see the term Fatty acids on a regular basis but few people actually understand the issues surrounding these terms let alone how they impact on your dog or cat. . Fats are broken down into two main groups: mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated. Fatty acids are specific types of polyunsaturated fats.
The two main groups of fatty acids are the omega-3′s and the omega-6′s. The third primary group is the Omega-9′s.
What is an Essential Fatty Acid? These are Fatty acids which need to be sourced from the diet. They cannot be made in the body. The term 'Essential' simply means that the body cannot do without it. Some species of animals have different essential fatty acid requirements. The cat for example requires 'arachindonic' acid but the dog does not!
Types of Essential Fatty Acids
The following gives examples of the different types of Types of Essential Fatty Acids and the type of foods they may be found in.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), found in flaxseed oil and to a lesser extent, canola, soy, and walnut oils.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in cold water fish and their oil.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in cold water fish and their oil.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids:
Linoleic acid (LA), found in corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil, whole grains, body fat of poultry (chicken, turkey, duck etc.).
Arachidonic acid (AA), found in the body fat of poultry, lean meat, egg yolks and some fish oils.
Gamma linolenic acid (GLA), found in black currant seed oil, borage oil and evening primrose oil.
Dihomogamma linolenic acid (DGLA), found in organ meats like spleen, kidney and adrenals and metabolized from GLA.
Warning - although Essential acids can be found in food, they quickly go bad if exposed to heat, light or oxygen.
Health benefits of feeding your dog fatty acids?
If we look again at the type of fatty acids and what foods they come from we can see, that as a rule, Omega 6 fatty acids is the most consumed. so much so, that the lack of Omega 3 fatty acid consumption could present a problem.
Drastic health improvements can be observed with the correct relationship between Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to skin and coat, cardiovascular health, fight inflammatory diseases, retard development of certain cancer cells, inhibit progression of kidney disease, enhance the immune system, reduce the symptoms of allergic dermatitis and reduce joint stiffness, which is especially beneficial for older dogs. As stated, Fatty acids in foods are subject to degradation. Overcooking can destroy fatty acids. Improper storage or a suboptimal amount of antioxidants in dry food may result in rancidity and a subsequent deficiency in fatty acids.
Given that Omega 6 is generally consumed at much greater proportions than Omega 3 then it is better to supplement with a high quality properly prepared Omega 3 oil.