Essential Fatty Acids
Essential for Health, Essential for
Life.
Diana S. Bokhari
FAT – We love it, we hate it, we fear it, we don’t necessarily understand it. Good fat, bad fat, too much or not enough fat, which fat? It’s enough to drive anyone crazy! Today we are confused by information from different authorities about our own consumption of fat, never mind our pets. Here are some facts that everyone can use.
We never stop to realize exactly how much power fat wields over our cells and their activity in our bodies. The balance between good health and disease is determined by the kinds of fat we, and our pets, consume. In Food Your Miracle Medicine, Jean Carper writes, “The result (from eating fats) may be the dispatching of hormone-like messengers to stimulate inflammation, immune response, blood clotting, headaches, constriction of blood vessels, pain and malignant tumors. In contrast, certain fats incite cells to make chemicals that break up undesirable blood clots, fight off joint pain and frustrate (discourage) cancer cells.” So, how do you decide which fats your pets are going to eat?
Because fats are very sensitive and highly volatile, the fact that pet food companies declare that their foods contain ample fatty acids may not be enough for your pets’ optimal health. Furthermore, the sources of the fats they use are questionable as the pet food industry does not control the quality of the ingredients that they use. For example, in her book, Food Pets Die For, Ann N. Martin writes, “R.L. Wysong, DVM, states that because the entire fish is not used for most commercial pet foods, it does not contain many of the fat soluble vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids necessary for good nutrition. When the entire fish is used for commercial pet food, it is often because the fish contains a high level of mercury or other toxin making it unfit for human consumption.” She further says that “Fats can be sprayed directly on pet food or mixed with the other ingredients. Fats give off a pungent odor that entices your pet to eat the garbage. These fats are sourced from restaurant grease, which is often rancid and certainly unfit for human consumption.” Next time you order French Fries, think about where all that oil they use may very well go.
William E. M. Lands, Ph.D., a pioneering researcher on fish oils and formerly a professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago states that “if your cells are flooded with omega-6 fatty acids, the resulting oversupply of overactive prostaglandins is apt to run amok, generating disease. If you have a sufficient omega-3 fatty acids, they can check or cool down the arachidonic engine that is spewing out the disease-producing eicosanoids.” In other words, stay away from fats/oils that are highly unstable and oxidize easily such as corn oil, safflower and sunflower oils. Supplement your pets’ food with fish oil (EPA-DHA) everyday and always choose a high quality product manufactured for human consumption. Opt for companies that use third party testing as well as produce pharmaceutical grade supplements, this will ensure a better quality oil with less likelihood of mercury contamination.
Essential Fatty Acids are essential because our bodies, and the bodies of our pets, cannot produce them on their own, they need to be added into the diet on a daily basis. Omega-3, or fish oils, are especially crucial in support and aid in treatment of arthritis, atopic or allergic dermatitis, cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease. Because these good fats are so essential and are often lacking in our pets’ foods, we forget the role that they play in their moods and behavior. Often anxiety and depression occur in dogs and cats, just as in people, when the brain and nervous systems are lacking in these nutrients. If you have a nervous pet, consider supplementing them regularly.
If your pet suffers from an autoimmune disease, omega-3 is extremely beneficial. Dr. Shawn Messonnier, DVM writes in the Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats, “Many disorders are due to overproduction of eicosanoids responsible for producing inflammation. Fatty acid supplementation can be beneficial in inflammatory disorders by regulating the eicosanoid production…since processed foods have increased omega-6 fatty acids and decreased omega-3 fatty acids, supplementing the diets of all pet with omega-3 fatty acids seems warranted and will not harm your pet.”
We are what we eat, and our pets are no different…we are all more alike than we ever stop to consider. If you think healthy for yourself, take the time to consider you pet’s health too…they will love you even more for it!
-Diana S. Bokhari is the founder of Quebec’s original holistic pet center for animal wellness, and has established a network for Canada’s leaders in complementary health care for domestic pets. She can be consulted at diana@naturalanimal.ca.