As a dog owner, you should know the key ingredients to keep your pet happy, healthy, and balanced. Whether your dog is a family pet or you have a whole host of personal protection dogs, it all boils down two making sure they get two main ingredients in their diets and they are protein and fats. People who breed and have personal protection dogs for sale know the importance of fat in their diets. Wolves in the wild have a diet that is made up of nearly 50 percent fat, and your dog should follow the same model.
The Reason Why Fats are Vital to Your Dog
Unlike humans who have a varied way of getting the essential nutrients and vitamins they need, your protection dog only has three main categories: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein is the most vital part of your dog’s diet and it serves as the building blocks for their muscles, tissue, nails, skin, hair, and neurotransmitters. They are in the very makeup of your dog’s genetics.
The second most important part of your dog’s diet is fats. Fats are important to many functions in your dog’s body including being chemical messengers, they help absorb vitamins, form the membranes of the dog’s very cells, and help control hormones which play a vital role in inflammation.
The third part of your dog’s diet is carbohydrates and they provide energy for your personal protection of dogs or family pet.
Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
There are many types of fats in the body but the type of fat we refer to as dietary fat is also known as a triglyceride and the two types of triglycerides are saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats can pack tightly together while unsaturated fats stay loose. This means that saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter) and unsaturated fats are liquids.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fat is broken down into two main types: omega-6 and omega-3. Both types of fats have the power to control hormones, but each type has a very different job in controlling the hormones. The omega-6 fatty acids increase hormone levels which in turn, increases inflammation and this is an important part of the immune system response to sickness or pain. Omega-6 fatty acids also help with cell growth and blood clotting. The omega-3 fatty acids produce hormones that regulate the immune system and work in tandem with the omega-6 acids. Balance is the key to a healthy immune system and a normal kibble diet makes it difficult.
Omega-3 Fats and the Problem with Inflammation
As a reminder omega-6, fatty acids elevate inflammation levels and omega-3 fatty acids lower it. Not all inflammation that presents is a bad thing. If your protection dog gets sick or is exposed to bacteria, inflammation caused by omega-6 fatty acids brings white blood cells to the area to help fight the infection.
However, chronic inflammation is the root cause of most degenerative and inflammatory health issues in your dog. Examples of chronic inflammation include allergies, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, and cancer to name a few. So the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids must be balanced in order for the immune system to be balanced. If they’re balanced you’ll have a happier, healthier pet.
The Difference Between Wild Game and Farm-Raised Game
The primary animals that wild dogs and wolves feed on are elk, deer, and antelope and they contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids, but it is balanced out by a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids. The ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is around a 3:1 ratio. Farm-raised game on the other hand is very unbalanced. Beef, which is the main ingredient in the domesticated dog’s diet contains much lower amounts of both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in grain-fed beef is 7:1, which is double the amount found in wild game.
Comparisons Between Wild and Domesticated Game
Let’s compare deer and beef. They have a similar fat content but beef contains double the amount of saturated fats and roughly half the amount of polyunsaturated fats. Beef also contains a much higher level of omega-6 fatty acids overall and a much higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. It comes out to around a 6:3 ratio, and this is a recipe for chronic inflammation. The second comparison is pheasant and chicken. Chicken contains a lot more fat overall when compared to pheasant, and there is almost six times more omega-6 present than omega-3. This will lead to a major imbalance and chronic inflammation.
Fats to Correct an Unbalanced Diet
- Fish. This is high in omega-3 fats and lots of other proteins. Look for mackerel and sardines. You should feed 1 ouch of fish for every 1 pound of ruminant and 4oz for every 1 pound of poultry
- Phytoplankton. This is the food of the ocean and it contains the omega-3 fats that make fish high in omega-3. It helps promote brain and eye health. This can be fed with ruminants and poultry.
- Fish Oil and Flaxseed oil. Fish and flaxseed oil are not recommended as they are not natural and lack important nutrients
- Hempseed Oil. It contains minerals to help control inflammation and should be fed 2 to 3 tablespoons to every pound of food.
- Coconut Oil. This is rich in omega-6, so it won’t balance out the fat levels but is safe for your dog. You should add 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds.
Make sure to ask anyone who has personal protection dogs for sale about their diets so you can start fixing their current diet if there is a problem right away. Now that we have covered a wide range of information about essential fats, you can begin feeding these to your pet to keep them balanced, happy, and healthy.
