Recently, low fat eating has become all the rage… one of today’s more popular human diet styles.
So, it should come as no surprise that a number of market-savvy dog food companies would take advantage of this profitable trend… and offer low fat dog food to consumers.
But are these manufacturers creating products designed to enhance your dog’s health… or are they simply trying to profit from the latest fad?
Well, for the answer, we need to keep in mind… dogs aren’t human.
So, of course, neither is their “biology”. What may be right for you… may not be so right for your dog.
Why Dietary Fat Might Be Good for Your Dog
As I’m sure you already know… saturated fats have been consistently associated with clogged arteries and heart attacks… in humans.
But not so for dogs.
Dogs consuming a relatively high fat diet rarely suffer from these dangerous conditions. The species appears to be resistant… almost immune… to coronary artery (heart) disease… and stroke1
Why?
Well, high fat diets can produce high blood cholesterol levels in dogs… just like in humans.
Cholesterol… with a Surprising Twist
That cholesterol isn’t the artery-blocking bad stuff you’ve been hearing about.
No… this is the “good” cholesterol… the “HDL” cholesterol… the kind that helps prevent the build-up of dangerous, life-choking “plaque” on the artery walls.2
And that high level of good cholesterol is what’s thought to make dogs so resistant to developing clogged arteries… atherosclerosis… the very cause of most heart attacks and strokes.3 4
So, you see…
Most dogs can easily handle a significant amount of animal fat in their food… especially when it’s the natural kind of fat associated with a quality meat ingredient.
Dietary fat can be an excellent source of energy… and the only way for your dog to receive the essential fatty acids needed to sustain life.
When Dietary Fats Can Be Bad for Your Pet
OK… so, fats should be a regular part of your dog’s diet. But there are two critical exceptions to this rule…
First, certain medical conditions may call for feeding a low fat diet… conditions like pancreatitis… or chronic obesity. High fat dog food can aggravate these health issues.
In cases like these, your dog’s veterinarian can best guide you to the right products.
Secondly… when I mention fats, I’m not talking about just any old fat ingredient. I’m not talking about fatty by-products like…
- Restaurant grease
- Beef tallow
- Industrial waste
You know, it’s no secret… the pet food industry is notorious for using some of the cheapest ingredients it can find.
An Important Message for the Pet Food Industry
To those of you “profit-first” dog food manufacturers who continue to produce such inferior products, I say…
Look. We’re not using these fats to make soap, here. No, we’re talking about feeding innocent, trusting creatures… beings most of us consider members of our own families.
And to dog food buyers (the rest of us)…
Together, we must hold the pet food industry accountable to the same standard we set for the products we feed to our own children.
We should expect all dog food companies to always act in the best interest of our pets… first… before making profits the overriding theme of their businesses.
So… What Can We Do?
We can reward those more responsible manufacturers with our dog food dollars… and reject those companies who selfishly make profit the central goal of their operations.
Our dogs trust us… and for this… they deserve nothing less.
Remember. Bad dog food sucks. Spread the word.
- National Research Council, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, 2006 Edition, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, p. 99 ↩
- McAlister et al, 1996, Canine lipoproteins and lecithin: cholesterol acyl transferase activities in dietary oil supplemented dogs, Veterinary Clinical Nutrition 3:50-56 ↩
- Bauer, JE, 1996, Comparative lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 25:49-56 ↩
- Wagner et al, 1999, Lipids and lipoproteins, The Clinical Chemistry of Laboratory Animals, 2nd edition, New York, Hemisphere Publishing, pp 181-228 ↩
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you Mike for all the hard work and effort you are putting in to better inform pet guardians. I have been fit to be tide over all the “fad” diets being created by the marketing gurus of the pet food industry. Low fat diets for dogs (special health considerations aside) lead to a chronically hungry dog who is not recieving all the nutrients they need from their food. To have a dog live in this state is cruel and counterproductive to the goal of a lean fit healthy happy dog. Our company strongly promotes species appropriate whole food diets as the healthiest way to feed our companion animals. This especially includes the chronically obese pets who naturally slim down on a whole food diet (same is true for us humans). We understand that this may be difficult for some people and so carry a few of the best quality kibble and canned foods availabel on the market. But we make no bones about it processed food is always a compromise that people may have to make because of cost or time considerations. The very best kibble will never be as good as a quality whole food diet and a ‘diet’ kibble could be past off as a bad joke except that it is causing alot of suffering for the poor animals subjected to it and even more confusion for consumers. thanks again and keep up the good work.
Maria Reich
The Pet Health & Nutrition Center
My dog has been diagnosed with pancreatitis and I am looking for a quality low fat kibble, can anyone help me out? I understand that Mike has limited time suggesting food for our pets so if there is anyone to help out I would like to get my guy off i/d after reading the 2 star rating for it, thanks in advance for any help!!!!
Hi Lin… I’m planning a future article on how to feed dogs with pancreatitis (along with some suggested foods). For now, simply start with the 4 and 5-star foods (on our website) and look at the dashboard for products with below-average fat percentages. Currently, the average fat percentage in our database is 23% for canned recipes and 15% for the kibbles.
As a general rule, low fat usually means less meat content… and that can mean lower protein, too. Most of the weight-loss products fit this profile. Just be aware that when you lower fat and protein… the carb content automatically goes up. Once you choose a food, check with your vet.
Hi! Mike is right when he states that most of the weight loss foods mean a lower fat percentage. Also, most senior formulas follow the same pattern. One food that I have found that is my favorite food for weight loss and may also work for pancreatitis is Wellness CORE Reduced Fat. Desi, my Poodle/Shih-Tzu mix, had an acute case of pancreatitis (now, note that he does not have chronic pancreatitis) and he also needed to lose some weight. I put him on CORE RF and it has done a great job for him. Lin, maybe this is one you could consider. Please read Mike’s review for Wellness CORE.
My little yorkie recently went through a very rough patch of pancreatitis. The vet said that he needed a lower fat diet which I placed him on and yes he is overweight. He also has an amazing list of food allergies. My pet food vendor recently told me that it was not so much the amount of fat, but the amount of carbs that needed to be regulated. I guess what I am really asking is how much crude fat should a food contain for a dog that suffered from pancreatitis and what about those carbs? Or does neither one of those matter?
Hi Wendy… I tend to agree with your vet. Dogs being treated for pancreatitis would probably benefit more from a low fat dog food than controlling carbs. Since I am not a veterinarian I feel it would be misleading to give you an exact fat content to look for. However, I can give you a recommendation based upon the large database we maintain on commercial dog foods.
The average fat content in a kibble is about 14% on an “as fed” basis (that’s the way it’s reported on the package)… or below 15% on our website where we use “dry matter basis”. Fat content is generally much higher in canned foods (about 23% dry matter, on average).
So, try to find a 4 or 5-star kibble with a fat content below that figure (even lower would be better if you’re treating pancreatitis). Hope this helps.
Thanks Mike! I appreciate your help.
Hi Mike,
I read with interest your commets on pancreatitis dog food. I have two pancreatitis standard poodles and the most recent flareup produced a recommendation for my 6 year old pup, Rumey, of Royan Canin LF 20. Have you reviewed this food? We are considering using the Kirkland Low Fat food that you have reviewed. Is this a good choice for us?
Hi Michelle… As I understand, low fat dog foods are probably the right choice for dogs (like yours) with a history of pancreatitis. However, the main goal of my website is to review and rate dog foods and not to recommend a particular product for a specific health condition.
I wish I could help you more, but since I’m not a veterinarian, I haven’t been properly trained to provide you with the kind of sound professional advice you’re looking for.
Dr. Sagman,
I cannot tell you how happy I am that I happened on to your website. My wife and I are puppy raisers for future guide dogs so we are always looking for expert information that will help us raise the pups and increase our knowledge base (people ask us questions all the time).
In discussing canine nutrition with a friend of ours, specifically while reading your reviews, he had questions about %s of meat content in dog food and if dogs of today (domesticated and bred, quite different from Timberwolves and 15k years of time) were still as reliant on meat as the wolves may have been?
He has recently changed to one of the diet dog foods (Costco)to address a mild overweight condition of his Lab/Golden cross.
Anything you can tell us will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Kind regards,
Brion and Kim Hart and “Nura,” a 9-week old Yellow Lab FGD.
Hi Brion… Since I’m neither a veterinarian or an animal nutritionist, I’m not sure how much you can rely on my opinions. In any case, you and your friend have touched on a controversial subject.
Even with selective breeding, it seems to me it would be most difficult to completely erase a dog’s natural carnivorous bias in just 15K years (a mere blink of the eye in the context of canine evolution).
I still like to think of a dog as a natural carnivore… though a carnivore with omnivorous capabilities.
Today’s kibble is a relatively recent invention… a mechanically-influenced “bakery product” averaging over 50% carbohydrates. For a look at what many of us believe to be the real reason behind the explosion in the growth of carbohydrates in a dog’s diet, you may want to read my 2009 article, “Dog Food Carbohydrates… a Surprising Secret Revealed“.
Kibble just seems to be more an economical convenience than anything truly “natural”. In most recipes, kibble’s simply the furthest thing from a dog’s natural ancestral diet you can feed.