As we embrace the New Year with our list of resolutions, hopefully, taking on a healthy lifestyle is at the top of this list. Fortunately, this is a resolution we can also apply to our four-legged companions. Getting enough exercise and eating a proper diet are just as necessary for the health of our pets. However, often times, pets have difficulty getting enough exercise; and as a pet owner, figuring out what should be included in a proper diet is often a challenge too. Talking about proper pet diet, an easily overlooked area is the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients that are necessary for our pet's overall health and can be instrumental in achieving the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
For the diet, there are generally three broad groups of pet foods that one can feed to their dog and cat. These are commercial pet foods, raw pet foods and homemade pet foods. Raw pet foods (mainly meaty materials with or without other food ingredients) are believed to be a natural way of feeding a companion animal, while the homemade pet foods prepared by cooking are another choice many pet owners opt for their pets. No matter what kind of diet is chosen, we should be certain that the diet is safe (free of food borne pathogens), provides adequate nutrition and is nutritionally complete and balanced to meet the nutrient requirements of the dog and cat. A complete and balanced diet should have all the nutrients the pets need and in an appropriate proportion according to official recommendations that are based on scientific evidence 1. Many of the leading manufacturers have full time nutritionists to ensure that the diet is nutritionally balanced and contains all of the nutrients needed by our dogs and cats.
One nutritional concern that is gaining awareness is if the pets are getting an adequate supply of the essential omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, the long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Omega-3 fatty acids are important nutrients, especially for the development of the neural system in the young puppy. The featured article by Dr. John E. Bauer "Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Promotes Optimal Neurological Development of Puppies" describes his research on this topic and provides conclusive evidence on the neuronal benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA. The National Research Council recommends that dogs and cats consume an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids (see "Are omega-3 fatty acids essential for my dog and cat?") to ensure optimal health at various life stages of development.
The total amount of omega-3 fatty acids may be just one or a combination of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), EPA and DHA. The type and amount of the omega-3 fatty acids in the pet food is largely dependent on the sources of the ingredients that provide them. The more biologically active form of omega-3 fatty acids, the long chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in pet foods come from ingredients such as fish oil, fish meals, and other fish products. While the essential omega-3 fatty acid, ALA, is from ingredients of vegetable sources, such as soybean oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, soy flour, flaxseed, flax meal, soybean meal, and canola meal, as examples. Pet owners can go to our online Pet Food Products and Food Products databases for pertinent information on the sources of omega-3 fatty acids in various food ingredients that could be incorporated into the raw and homemade diet formulations.
When you are purchasing pet foods or making the food by yourself, make certain that you are aware of where to look for and how to incorporate the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in your pet's daily diet. Keep in mind that the pets rely entirely on their owners to supply everything they need for proper growth and development and optimal health throughout life. Knowledgeable pet owners can and will make wise health and nutritional decisions for their pet and as a result own a healthy and happy pet.
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