FAT, CARBOHYDRATES AND FATTY ACIDS
IN YOUR DOGS DIET
There are many differences between the dog and human in the way they use different forms of carbohydrates from starch, sugar or animal fat. Sugar forms of lactose, dextrose or glucose are all different as dietary sources of carbohydrates and these, depending on the form, can be either stored or used as an instant energy supply by a human but not a dog. Also, we know how a human stores carbohydrates from some starch sources better than sugar sources for future energy requirements. This is why many athletes "carbohydrate stack" with a pasta dinner for an upcoming athletic event. Dogs can not "carbohydrate stack." There are humans that require a "low fat diet" and because of the way a human uses dietary fat many people assume that their dog would do well on a "low fat diet" for the same reasons - a mistake. 1) Only the human can store dietary carbohydrates for later conversion into energy. 2) Canines turn all dietary carbohydrates, from ANY source including animal fat, into instant energy and none is stored in the body for energy requirements that develop later. 3) For humans we know that SOME FORMS of sugar carbohydrates can be assimilated but for all breeds of dogs all forms of sugar carbohydrates have been found to be detrimental (the ONLY exception being the form of lactose found in the milk of a lactating bitch for her puppy. Please Note; this form of lactose is not the same as a synthetic lactose from sugar beet or sugar cane or even the lactose found in the milk of other species of mammals). Knowing these facts shows us why we should NOT use the dietary rules about dietary fat and carbohydrates that apply to humans when deciding what to feed a dog.
Sugar carbohydrates of lactose, glucose and dextrose as well as carbohydrates found in animal fat, vegetable and grain sources (soy bean, beet pulp, wheat, rice, potatoes or corn) are all different. These differences are important when considering the dietary carbohydrates you should be feeding your dog. One study cited in the NRC publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs shows that the digestible fat from one source provides 2.25 times the metabolizable energy concentration of digestible carbohydrate than from a second source for a single breed of dog. Another study cited showed how different breeds of dog need different amounts of carbohydrates or different carbohydrate to protein ratios in their diets. Therefore, if your dog is requiring a high carbohydrate or low carbohydrate diet due to breed requirements or lifestyle, you need to provide a diet with the correct carbohydrates (the proper amount and from the proper source) for the specific animal you are feeding.
Since different breeds react in different ways to a single dietary carbohydrate source there are foods that can be assimilated by some breeds and cause trouble for other breeds. Corn was put into many commercial dog foods because a manufacturer did their research using a breed that could assimilate corn. When the food was brought to market many dogs had a negative reaction and the word went out that "corn is bad for dogs." The fact is that corn is good for some and bad for others. One of the biggest problems a dog owner faces today is that someone who has had an experience (positive or negative) by feeding one breed tells all dog owners that they should or should not feed (X) because of the experience they had. We must remember that what they experienced was related to the nutritional morphologies of their one breed. Because the different breeds have different nutritional needs each breed's digestive and glandular system can react in different ways to any single food source. It is important to look at the needs of the breed you are feeding and THEN choose the diet you will be feeding.
When you are considering which food source of carbohydrates contains the proper form for your individual canine companion, you should first consider the type of food sources that were in the native environment for the breed you are feeding. Also remember to eliminate those sources that would have been foreign to that breed's native environment. A dog breed from Ireland, where potatoes or flax were common dietary sources of carbohydrates, would not have been exposed to rice. A dog breed from China could have been exposed to several different types of rice that were grown as common sources of dietary carbohydrates in its environment but not potato. A dog breed from a mountain environment, where both vegetable and grain crops are scarce, could have a different need for its carbohydrate source as well and some mountain breeds of dogs may not utilize potato or rice carbohydrate any better than a sugar, but best use the animal fat form of carbohydrate.
It has been established how each breed can have different pancreatic responses to a single complex carbohydrate source in their diet and breed specific testing shows us why a breed that uses the complex carbohydrates from potato well but not the complex carbohydrates from rice, when fed rice can develop pancreatic problems because of this one factor. And why a breed that uses the complex carbohydrates from rice well but not the complex carbohydrates from potato, when fed potato can develop pancreatic problems. As I show on the breed specific nutritional pages at my web site we do not change an animals glandular system to correctly use a "foreign food source" any faster than we change their coat from a double coat to a single coat by taking them to a different environment. Overworking an animal's pancreas by feeding the animal a "foreign source of dietary carbohydrates" can cause irreversible problems. Using a dietary source that your breed can assimilate IS IMPORTANT and I suggest you visit the breed specific nutritional information pages at my web site and view the page which provides specific nutritional information for the breed you are feeding.
Animal fat is one of the most common carbohydrate sources found in commercial dog food and because a food contains animal fat, it is often assumed it is providing dietary fatty acids. Normally this is not so since animal fat in dog food is exposed to extremely high temperatures during processing procedures. The high temperature can eliminate the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the rendered fat. In some cases manufacturers use separate food sources to provide fat carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fatty acids in their foods. Some commercial dog food manufacturers use grain or vegetable oils that have been cold pressed or processed to retain the needed polyunsaturated fatty acids to supplement their food. These cold pressed grain and vegetable oils still contain the fatty acids known as the alpha-linolenate family. There are three fatty acids that make up the entire alpha-linolenate family; oleic acid, linolenic acid, and linoleic acid. With the 6 breeds that produce skin oil the requirement for the oleic acid part of the alpha-linolenate family is higher than with the breeds that do not produce skin oils. However, it is essential for all dogs to receive all three of these fatty acids to produce the arachidonic acids all dogs require. However we must examine the dietary source and match the balance in the dietary source of the fatty acids we are feeding to the needs of the breed we are feeding since not all dietary sources contain the same balance of the alpha-linolenate family of fatty acids (see chart below). Since the alpha-linolenate family of fatty acids are a complete nutritional team they should be listed on labels in the same way that manufacturers should list the amino acid content of their food's protein. Manufacturers who list all three on the label would provide you with a more accurate statement of the package contents.
In processed dog foods animal fat should be considered only as a source of dietary carbohydrates. After the rendering process, it contains very little of the alpha-linolenate fatty acids. A complete diet for most breeds of dog should contain both animal fat and a source containing the alpha-linolenate family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Do not assume fatty acids are present just because the dog food label has fat listed. The finished product may or may not have any fatty acids. Commercial food manufacturers may add animal fat just for its carbohydrate content or to make it more palatable for most canines.
Also do not assume that the product contains all three of the fatty acids of the alpha-linolenate family if the label only lists just one. i.e. Linoleic acid can be purchased separately as a synthetic raw material for dog food and many dog foods are sold with just this one fatty acid in the food so they can claim the food contains fatty acids. Without all three of the alpha-linolenate fatty acids present there is no bio-nutritive value of ANY single fatty acid in the food.
Table F-1: The following table shows relative comparisons for some common commercial dog food fat and fatty acid sources.
Fat, carbohydrates and fatty acids are ALL important and ALL must be provided in your dog's diet. But remember: you must use a source of fat, carbohydrates and fatty acids that can be assimilated and give the proper bio-nutritive values to the breed of dog you are feeding.
An indicator that your dog is rejecting food carbohydrates from sugar, grains, vegetables or animal fat in the food is persistent diarrhea. The indicator that your dog is not assimilating the fatty acids is a loss of coat shine or a loss in the skin's elasticity. Therefore, it is easy for the dog owner to see if there is a dietary carbohydrate or fatty acid nutritional problem. Conversely, it is also easy to see when the diet is supplying the proper sources and amounts of these important nutrients.
Food source:
Rendered Chicken fat
Rendered Beef fat
Rendered Pork fat
Cold pressed Linseed oil
Cold pressed Wheat germ oil
Cold pressed Soy bean oil
This article was written by The Animal Advocate
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