Dog food fats tend to get a bad rap, as there are a lot of misconceptions about them. Dietary fats are essential to your dog’s health, but too much can be harmful. Fats are one of the six basic nutrients dogs require in their diet. The others are water, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.
Fats fuel your dog’s energy levels, help their food taste good, and contribute to cell function and development. However, there is a difference between good fats and bad fats. This is likely where the misconceptions about fat in dog food get started.
The amount of fat dogs require in their dog food depends on several factors. These include your dog’s age, breed, overall health, and activity level. Too much fat can lead to weight gain, pancreatitis, and poor long-term health.
This article will help you better understand the types and amounts of fats your dog needs and the best sources for them.
How Much Fat Do Dogs Need?
To understand the fat requirements in a dog’s diet, it’s important to understand how dogs digest food, as it’s fascinating. Digestion starts in the mouth as saliva is secreted, and your dog begins to break the food down. As it travels through the esophagus and down to the stomach, acid and enzymes continue breaking food down. Amazingly, a dog’s stomach acid is 100 times stronger than a human’s. Food remains in a dog’s stomach (four to eight hours) longer than in a human.
The food continues through the small and large intestines, where water is absorbed. It takes about four hours for puppies or smaller dogs to digest food compared to larger dogs at nine hours. So, what does digestion have to do with fat in dog food? Everything.
Dogs eating the wrong type or amount of fats can suffer many issues. It takes a dog’s body a lot longer to digest low-quality, highly processed food versus meals made with real, quality ingredients. Dietary fats are also essential to dogs, as recognized by the Association of American Feed Controls (AAFCO) and the National Research Council (NRC).
According to AAFCO, dogs need an average of five percent fat, five percent for adult dogs and eight percent for puppies.
Healthy Sources of Fat for Dogs
Unlike people, bad fat in a dog’s diet will not affect their cholesterol levels or increase their heart attack or stroke risk. It is helpful to understand the types of fats your dog needs.
Many pet parents don’t know that fats are among the most fragile nutrients in dog food. So, while there are good and bad fats, there are also rancid fats (fats that have degraded). And people wonder why reading a dog food label can be confusing!
Healthy fat sources for dogs include triglycerides, which provide energy, help food taste good, and help your dog absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Dogs also need small amounts of fatty acids, including Omega-3’s, Omega-6’s, and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is also an Omega-3.
Fatty acids are further broken down as essential fatty acids–from diet since the body can’t make its own–and nonessential fatty acids. The body makes nonessential fatty acids, but dogs may sometimes need more, such as during puppyhood.
According to the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements for Dogs and Cats, “Other sources of dietary fats in dog and cat diets that may sometimes be overlooked include eggs, muscle, and offal that comprise many typical ingredients used in pet food manufacture.”
They say ingredients like lamb meal and poultry by-product meal contribute to a finished product as a source of dietary fats. Therefore, the right food with the best ingredients makes a huge difference to your dog’s gut, digestion, and overall well-being.
Common Myths About Fats in Dog Food
There are several misconceptions and myths about dog food fats that need debunking. Here are some of the most common ones:
Myth: Low-fat diets are healthier and better for dogs.
Fact: While low-fat diets are ideal for some dogs, other canines need higher amounts of fat in their diets. For these dogs, a low-fat diet can deprive them of much-needed calories. Dogs who do not need a low-fat diet can suffer from nutritional deficiencies and health issues. Always talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist before many dietary fat adjustments.
Myth: Fat causes pancreatitis in dogs.
Fact: High-fat diets can contribute to pancreatitis in dogs predisposed to this concern. However, most cases of pancreatitis in dogs are caused by a sudden change in diet related to fatty foods, too many table scraps, etc. Emergency veterinarians are often deluged with pancreatitis cases over the holidays because dogs eat fatty foods, table scraps, etc.
Myth: Dogs cannot digest fats properly.
Fact: Dogs generally have no issues digesting fats when fed properly and in the right amounts. Issues happen when dogs are fed sudden, excessive, or inappropriate amounts of fatty foods.
Myth: Fat is simply ‘empty calories’ in dog food.
Fact: Dogs need fat to grow and thrive. Fat plays a vital role in body organ function and hormone production and contributes to healthy skin and coat.
Myth: Grain-free diets have less fat.
Fact: Inferior grain-free diets often replace grains with higher-fat ingredients. Look at the full nutritional panel and read the dog food label to understand the ingredients.
Fats in Elevate Pet Provisions Air-Dried Dog Food
Elevate Pet Provisions currently offers two human-grade, air-dried premium dog food selections (with more to come).
The regular formula is carefully formulated to meet AAFCO standards for all life stages and exceed minimum nutrient requirements to support growing dogs and active breeds.
The 21% fat level, sourced from premium ingredients like cod liver oil, provides essential healthy fats and omega-3s vital for your dog's overall health and vitality. Elevate also uses 100% human-grade ingredients, including lean, USA-sourced, grass-fed beef for superior protein macros.
This results in a healthy fat-to-protein ratio of 52.5%, as determined by the unbiased experts at DogFoodAdvisor.com, indicating a perfect balance of these essential nutrients.
For a lower-fat option, we recommend our Sensitive Stomach recipe with 3% less fat. Stay tuned for new low-fat options with different protein sources coming soon.
Bottom line: Fat is an essential nutrient that should be included in a balanced diet for dogs. Overfeeding any nutrient, including fat, can lead to weight gain and health issues in dogs. It’s best to focus on the balance and quality of fat rather than worrying about fats in general.
