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› articles by michael goldberg, dvm
Fats and Diet What are essential fatty acids? Fatty acids are oils that come from animal, vegetable and fish sources. Two broad groups of fatty acids are important to our pets. These include Omega 3 series and Omega 6 fatty acids. Fats (oils) are needed in the diet, as they serve many important functions in the health of our pets. We are now recognizing just how important these foods are. They play a role in skin health, joint health, in cardiovascular health, in kidney health and can be useful in cancer. Fatty acids in the form of Omega 3 and Omega 6 are known as essential fatty acids because animals cannot synthesize them. They must take them in the diet. Every cell in the body needs fat. The fatty acids are brought into the body and they are used in cell membranes. The cells of the body are little reservoirs of fats that the body can use as needed for different purposes. What can the fatty acids do? These fatty acids do a lot of different things in the body. In fact, it is surprising at the number of different jobs they perform. As I said earlier, the fats are in the cells of the body, so every time a cell is disrupted, these fats are released and then the fun begins. These fats turn into eicosenoids. There are good and bad types of eicosenoids. These eicosenoids can do things such as cause fevers, increase and decrease blood pressure, allow the body to bleed and also prevent bleeding. Still others will act to stop inflammation and redness (like when your dog gets itchy skin). A general way to remember all this confusion is that Omega 6's generally cause inflammation (bad eicosenoids) and Omega 3's generally act as anti-inflammatory (they stop inflammation, which are good eicosenoids). The trick is to make sure that our pets have enough of each of themŠ after all the body needs to be balanced. What if my pet doesn't get enough fatty acid? The most common problem we see when there is not enough fat in the diet, are skin problems, such as dry, lusterless hair coat, hair discoloration, dandruff, thick skin, greasy skin, smelly skin and baldness. When your pet gets a cut, there may be slow healing and as young puppies and kittens, there may be poor growth. As you might imagine, from all the functions these eicosenoids have, there are a number of more subtle changes that may also happen, things you may not recognize right away. How do I make sure there are enough of these in my pet's food? The food that we feed our pets must be of good quality and must contain the right amount of fats. Commercial, low quality (cheap) pet foods can be one source of deficiency. They may be improperly formulated, they may be old and thus the fats have gone rancid, the fats can actually leek out of the bag of food. Home preparation without the addition of the essential fats can be another way of deficiency. Cats should have animal sources of arachidonic acid (one of the omega 6 series), as they do not have an enzyme to convert other fats into this particular one. Sometimes the quality of the food is good but the pet has a problem absorbing the fat from the food. This is known as malabsorbtion. What are the sources of getting the fatty acids? The sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are found in flaxseed oil and hemp oil, canola, soybean, black current, as well as cold water fish oils. Sources for the omega 6 series can come from borage oil, evening primrose oil, black current oil, corn, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils. Remember that cats are an exception and must have a source of animal fat to give them arachidonic acid, which is in the Omega 6 series. The oils have different amounts of fatty acids so you must read labels. There are many products available to supplement your pet's diet. Fish oils such as salmon come in convenient capsules. Many of my clients give their pets flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil as well as the fish oil capsules. You can ask your health store nutrition specialist or your veterinarian about the different sources. What are the correct amounts? Karen Campbell states that diets in which 1% or more of the calories coming from linoleic acid (omega 6) and .3% coming from arachidonic acid (also omega 6) will prevent clinical signs of fatty acid deficiency in both dogs and cats. Improvements in skin, hair, and growth have been shown to occur when the levels of linoleic acid are 2-3% of the energy (calories) in the diet. Tiffany Tap cites that results of studies have shown that a ratio of Omega 6 to omega 3 in the proportions of 5:1 and 10:1 in the diet showed an increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokines (eicosenoids) compared to the inflammatory cytokines. These ratios showed an improvement in the skin conditions in the dogs that were tested. At this point there are no hard fast rules as to what is the best ratio. I would make sure that if you are supplementing a home made diet with fatty acids, that you make sure you have a source of arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acids in the diet. The important thing to remember here is that you should look at the labels and make sure that the levels of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids in the product are between 3:1 and 10:1 in ratio. Can we use these as treatment for certain conditions? Skin allergies are perhaps the most common condition that may benefit from supplements with fatty acids. Other conditions that they have been used to treat are autoimmune disease, arthritis, digestive problems, kidney disease and cancer. Human and canine studies have shown that Omega -3 fatty acids have a protective effect against arthritis and allergic skin disease. What about just adding fats from meat such as bacon grease? An increase in the intake of fat from such sources means that the energy intake is more. Of course if there is not enough fat in the diet, then adding animal fat would be OK. This energy intake, if not used, will convert to fat, if it is required then it will become a source of energy. The increase also will and definitely does increase the palatability of the food, so often those dogs with picky appetites will eat foods if you spoon a bit of fat onto it. An additional concern is the addition of excess fats to the diet may stress organs such as the pancreas. Fats are broken down by enzymes found in the stomach and the pancreas. There seems to be a correlation between overloading the dietary fat and inflammation of the pancreas, which can be a life, threatening condition and one that may become chronic. Please be aware of this. Thus far though the usual human diseases that are associated with high fat diets (cardiovascular disease) are not reported in the veterinary literature. As a general rule, if your dog is highly athletic and you have a difficult time keeping their weight up, fat may be added as a source of fuel for the active pooch. References: Campbell, Karen. Therapeutic indications for dietary lipids. Current Veterinary Therapy XI, Saunders, 1992, 36-39. Tapp, Tiffany. Nutritional Management of skin disease in small animals. Dermatology Proceedings from the Western Veterinary Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 1-5, 1998, page 25-33. Read more Articles by Michael Goldberg, DVM... |
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vancouver animal wellness hospital Michael Goldberg, DVM; Sue Hughson, DVM 105 e. broadway, vancouver, bc v5t 1w1 / phone: 604.738.4664 / fax: 604.738.4694 Hours of Operation: Monday, Thursday & Friday: 9am - 6pm, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9am - 7pm, Saturday: 9am - 5pm © Copyright 2004-2006. vancouver animal wellness hospital. All rights reserved. › Contact Us › Privacy Policy › Sitemap › Home |
