Why fat is important



Low fat, fat free, fat reduced, honestly.  We believe what we read, don't we?  Well some of us do and some of are never interested in reading and researching for ourselves.  So what is this whole fat free movement about?  It started a long time ago in humans and I see many people reaching for the "fat free" products in the grocery store.  Like many trends, once we humans catch on we move it to our dogs; but is fat free, low fat good for our dogs?  No.

Society as a whole has gone crazy with the no fat, low fat thing.  It has created many health related problems as it has with our dogs.  The number one issue that I hear from people is that their dog is always itchy, with dry skin.  This all too common and annoying problem can be helped and often alleviated with the addition of good fat into our dog's diet. 

When a food is processed, much of the nutrition is reduced.  When dog food companies take fat out of a diet they fill it with other things that our dogs don't need.  Of course not all fat is equal, much of the fat in the low grade dog foods is not good at all; this is why it is so important to find the best food that you can for your dog. 

Fat does not make us or our dogs fat.  Feeding our dogs food that they should not be eating like high carb diets and not offering them enough exercise outlet will make them fat.  Sadly many processed diets out there, made specifically for dogs are too low in good fats.  As you know I make most of Luke and Elsa's food and I do not make low fat food.  I make sure that they receive a good amount of fat by using olive oil, coconut oil, sardines and offering those little creepy fish.  I recently made some new dog cookies that are high fat for Luke and his skinniness.  He loves them and along with the added omega 3's he gets from his little daily fish, I am noticing a huge difference in him.

When considering what our dogs should eat; I like to look at the original natural diet of the wolf.  Processed foods offer little as a whole food source.  It is extremely important to switch it up, feed variety.  Look at our diet, do we eat the same bowl of food day in and day out?  Not me and I know that most don't.  If a wolf in the wild takes down a deer, they don't skim the fat off.  No, the fat is what gives them energy and the extra nutrition required to keep going.   

I have been researching fat for some time in humans and when I looked for facts about it with dogs, there is little.  The whole low fat thing in dogs is just being looked at so I have listed a couple of human related links as well. 

Dr. Becker - Mercola

Dog food adivsor

Authority Nutrition

Primal bliss nutrition

As in everything, there are exceptions.  Some dogs cannot tolerate fat for health reasons (I'm not talking about these guys).  But many dogs could be given extra fat and oils when introduced slowly.  Are you giving your dog enough fat?

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