How much fat should be in dog treats
5 Best Low-Fat Dog Treats (Pros And Cons)
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How Much Crude Fat Should Be in Dog Food?
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Fat is an essential part of your dogs nutrition at all ages. Based on the age of the dog and situation of your furry friend, however, the amount of crude fat that should be in your dogs food varies.
As a puppy, your dog will require 21g (0.7oz) of crude fat in their daily intake of food. As they get older, less is required, and only 14g (0.5oz) is needed; however, if your adult dog is pregnant or nursing, the amount of crude fat increases greatly and varies based on the size of the litter.
It is in your dogs best interest to maintain the proper amount of crude fat in their diet based on their age, stage of development, and health. By reading the information below, you will learn how much crude fat your dog requires a day and can adjust the size of the servings you feed your dog based on that information.
How Much Crude Fat Do Dogs Need?
Depending on your dogs age, health condition, and whether or not they are pregnant or lactating impacts the amount of crude fat that should be in your dogs food.
If you have a puppy that weighs approximately 12lbs (5.4kg) and will be 33lbs (1.4kg) at maturity, it is recommended that it gets 21g (0.7oz) of total fat in its diet per day.
Since most pet food labels will list the number of nutrients in a percentage, here is an easy way to transfer that number to grams or ounces.
Take the portion size in either grams or ounces and multiply it by the percentage as a decimal.
For example, if you feed your dog 1lb (454g or 16oz) of pet food, and the amount of crude fat is 5%, the math would be 0.05 x 454g = 22.7g or 0.05 x 16oz = 0.8oz.
If you have an adult dog that weighs approximately 33lbs (1.4kg), your dog is recommended to have less crude fat in their diet and only have 14g (0.5oz) per day.
However, a pregnant adult dog or nursing (lactating) adult dog is recommended to increase the amount of fat in their diet greatly. The amount of fat differs once the puppies have been born to help support the production of the milk supply.
While your dog is pregnant, they should have a daily intake of 29g (1oz) of total fat per day, and once they have given birth and are producing milk for their litter, it increases to 67g (2.4oz) per day.
These numbers are with the interpretation of the dog giving birth to a litter of 6 puppies, and it should be taken into consideration that the energy intake needed will increase or decrease based on the number of puppies born. The more puppies, the more fat needed!
Overall, the total crude fat in a dogs diet should be equal to about 5.5% of the dogs diet as too much or too little can cause issues in their health if they are otherwise healthy.
If you are looking for some suggestions on dog food, Dr. Karen Becker from Mercola Healthy Pets has made a video with a list of the best and worst dog foods here:
Why Is Crude Fat Beneficial?
Fat is an essential nutrient for your dog to help provide them with the energy they need. Fat also helps them insulate and cushion their body and getting too much or too little fat can become a health risk for your dog.
Dietary fats and fatty acids that are found in your dogs food are mainly derived from animal fats and seed oils from different types of plants such as corn oil, coconut oil, canola oil, and olive oil. This is typically where the flavor comes from that your dog loves so much.
These fats and fatty acids help your dogs cell structure and function and are needed to help keep their skin and fur coat healthy. If your puppy does not get the fat it needs during its growth and development, it could grow dry, coarse hair and develop skin lesions that could be cause for infection.
For optimal health, your pet needs a mixture of both Omega-3 fatty acids as well as Omega-6 fatty acids. If their diet is low in Omega-3 fats, they could have problems with their vision or develop a learning impairment. If their diet is low in Omega-6 fats, there could be physiologic effects on the body and impact their growth negatively.
However, there is also such a thing as too much Omega-3 or Omega-6, and if you are making your dog food from home, it is important to maintain the proper ratio. The recommended ideal ratio is 4:1 for Omega-3 and Omega-6, respectively. While Omega-3 typically comes in smaller amounts in food, Omega-6 is normally found in much higher amounts. If too much Omega-6 fatty acids are in their diet, it could lead to potential inflammation.
If you are purchasing or having your dog food homemade, it is essential that it has just enough fat in for your dogs diet and contains both Omega-3 and Omega-6. While different ingredients carry different amounts of each fatty acid, ensuring that there is not too much or too little will benefit their health.
When Is a High-Fat or Low-Fat Diet Beneficial?
Sometimes it is recommended for dogs with specific health issues or situations to decrease their fat intake or increase it.
Other than when a dog is providing milk for its litter, a high-fat diet typically does not sit well with most dogs. In a study completed with a panel of dog foods, high-fat content typically leads to issues such as inflammation of the pancreas, high blood pressure, and abnormal heart function.
On top of that, obesity was observed in the dogs, which can lead to a higher risk of your dog developing pancreatitis or hypertension. Although, your veterinarian may recommend a high-fat diet if your dog needs to participate in a lower amount of protein or carbohydrates for a specific health issue.
Low-fat diets may be beneficial when your veterinarian notices that your dog has a history of pancreatitis or high levels of fat in their blood. If your pet has a serious health issue, your vet can provide them with a Therapeutic Diet, which is made specifically to help treat diseases your pet may have.
It is always recommended to consult a veterinarian before you change the amount of fat in your dogs diet as it could greatly impact their health.
Conclusion
Fat is an important nutrient for your dogs health from when they are a puppy all the way to when they may have puppies of their own. As they age, reach different milestones, and potentially experience health issues, different amounts of fat are recommended in their daily diet. By ensuring the right amount of fat and fatty acids are incorporated into their food and diet can be beneficial to their health.
If you are concerned about the amount of fat your dog is eating, consulting a veterinarian to get their advice and comparing that to the nutrition facts on your dogs food label is a great way to make sure they get the right amount. By keeping track of the amount of fat in their food, you can prevent many health issues and make certain your dog grows healthy and strong.
Sources
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Calculating a Dog Food Diets Protein, Fat, Carbs, and Fiber
[Updated July 19, 2017]
It is not easy to figure out how much fat and other nutrients are really in the food you feed, whether its kibble, canned food, or a home-prepared raw or cooked diet. Here are some tips that can help.
Methods of Nutrition Measurement
There are three different ways of measuring amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber in foods:
1.Percentage of dry matter
2.Percentage of calories (does not apply to fiber)
3.Grams per 1,000 calories
Dry matter percentages are easiest to use for commercial foods. Grams per 1,000 calories or percentage of calories are simpler ways to measure nutrients in a homemade diet.
When Feeding Your Dog Commercial Foods:
Pet food labels give you some, but not all, of the information you need in order to really know the nutritional composition of your dogs diet.
-The percentages of protein, fat, and fiber shown on dog food labels are guaranteed minimums and maximums, NOT actual amounts. The real amount of fat in particular may be much higher than what is shown on the label of some canned and raw diets. If your dog needs a low-fat diet, look for products that are lower in calories than similar foods.
For more accurate information, contact the company that makes the food youre interested in and ask them for a nutritional analysis showing the actual amount of protein, fat, fiber, ash, and moisture, as well as the number of calories in the food. Editors note: Some pet food makers (particularly small companies) may not have a complete nutritional analysis of their products. In our opinion, this reflects a lack of adequate research and investment in the product. When feeding a special needs dog, wed look to a company who has this current information on hand.
-The percentage of carbohydrates is not included on most labels or nutritional analyses. To calculate the percentage of carbohydrates in a commercial diet, subtract the percentages of protein, fat, moisture, crude fiber (an indigestible part of carbohydrates), and ash from 100. This percentage may be shown as nitgrogen-free extract (NFE) on a nutritional analysis.
-Total dietary fiber is likely much higher than the crude fiber shown on the label. If dietary (soluble plus insoluble) fiber is not shown on a complete nutritional analysis, there is no way to calculate it.
When Feeding Fresh Foods:
When feeding a home-prepared diet comprised of fresh food ingredients, it can be a bit more challenging to calculate some of the nutrient values that youd like to know when feeding a diabetic dog.
-To calculate the caloric content of the food, look up the ingredients or enter a recipe on NutritionData.com. The number of calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrates, along with the total calories, are given in the calorie information section, and the calorie percentages are shown in the caloric ratio pyramid.
-To calculate the grams of protein, fat, etc., per 1,000 calories, divide grams of any nutrient by total number of calories, then multiply by 1,000 to get grams per 1,000 kcal. For example, raw skinless chicken breast contains 6.5 grams of protein, 0.3 grams of fat, and 30.8 calories per ounce:
6.5 30.8 x 1,000 = 211 grams of protein per 1,000 kcal
0.3 30.8 x 1,000 = 9.7 grams of fat per 1,000 kcal (GFK)
As Fed versus Dry Matter
The percentages of protein, fat, etc., shown on a pet food label are expressed as fed meaning, as the food is delivered in its package. Some percentage of the food is comprised of moisture (water), which of course contains no protein, fat, fiber, or other nutrients. Kibble generally contains about 10 percent moisture; wet foods (canned, frozen, or fresh) contain as much as 80 percent or more moisture.
So, think about it: When a label says that a food contains (for example) 4 percent fat, in order to really understand how much fat you are about to feed your dog, you also have to know how much moisture is in the food. What you really want to know is how much fat (in this example) is in the food part of the food the dry matter. Any serious discussion of nutrition, or comparison of dry and wet diets, then, requires the conversion of the nutrient values from as fed to dry matter. Dont worry; it sounds technical, but its easy to do.
-To calculate dry matter (DM) percentages, first determine the amount of dry matter by subtracting the percentage of moisture from 100. Then divide the as fed percentage by the amount of dry matter to get the dry matter percentage. For example, if a canned food has 75 percent moisture and 4 percent fat:
