Is Chia Good For Your Dog or
Cat?
Fats are an important component of dog and cat diets.
They provide a good source of energy, and supply
essential fatty acids needed for proper growth and
maintenance. Dietary fats also improve food palatability
and texture.
There are similarities in lipid (fat) metabolism among
dogs, cats and humans, however differences do exist.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats can tolerate high dietary
fat concentrations, with cats being very unique
regarding their fatty acid metabolism. Unlike humans, a
decrease in linoleic acid (LA) in dogs and cats is not
recommended, in fact higher amounts of LA are considered
not only safe, but efficacious.
Digestibilities of crude fat are generally high. For
dogs it varies from 85 to 95 percent, for cats as high
as 99 percent has been recorded. In fact, higher fat
diets appear to more palatable for cats, than low-fat
diets. Fats in general, and in particular LA or alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA), have been shown to improve the skin and hair
coat of dogs.
The recommended fat intake of fat for dogs is 5% of dry
matter (DM), however to support growth and reproduction
8% is recommended. In general 1% linoleic acid intake is
recommended. For cats a fat intake of 9% of DM is
recommended for all life stages.
In terms of essential fatty acids (EFAs), the
requirement for omega-6 in the form of LA is key for
both dogs and cats. Under some conditions minimal
amounts of arachidonic acid (AA) must be provided,
however in general, dogs and cats can synthesize
sufficient amounts of AA from LA. This is true for dogs
at all times, however for cats during pregnancy and
neonatal growth and development, AA needs to be
provided.
Conversion of ALA to EPA occurs in dogs and cats, but
conversion to DHA is limited. For adults the conversion
may be sufficient, since the amount needed is small.
However during growth, reproduction and lactation
supplementation appears necessary.
Requirements for
Dogs
Growth - adequate intake for LA is 1.18 % of
DM and for ALA is 0.07 % DM, however it has been
suggested that with a 10% safety margin these values be
raised to 1.3 and 0.08, respectively. If however no long
chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are included in the diet, the
requirements may be greater.
Adult Maintenance - recommended total dietary fat
for adult dogs is 5.5 % DM for a 4000 kcal/kg DM diet.
LA should be included at 1.1 % DM, with ALA included at
0.044 % DM. No specific recommendation for long-chain
omega-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been
identified.
Gestation and Lactation - total dietary fat
needed to support these stages of animal life are
greater than for maintenance. The LA requirement is 1.3
% DM, and ALA is 0.08 % DM.
Requirements for
Cats
Growth - total fat intake is 9% DM for growth,
with LA requirement being 1.3% DM and ALA estimated to
be 0.02 - 0.03% of DM.
Adult Maintenance - the requirement for LA is
lower than dogs because unlike dogs, very little LA is
used for long chain PUFA synthesis in cats. A safe upper
limit for LA is 13.8 g per 1000 calorie of diet. No
metabolic requirement for ALA has been identified in
felines, nor has one for long-chain omega-3 PUFAs.
Gestation and Lactation - total fat intakes are
the same as for maintenance, however absolute intakes
will be greater because of increased energy needs
overall. The LA requirement is 0.55% of DM for a 4000
cal/kg diet, with AA set at 0.02% DM. For ALA 0.02% DM
has been estimated because of limited omega-3 long chain
PUFA synthesis.
How much chia
should I feed to meet ALA requirements?
Chia contains on average 18 g of ALA per 100 g of
seed, or 0.18 g ALA per g of seed. Thus, as an example,
the calculation for dog growth is:
0.07% per 100g DM = 0.0007g/100g DM, thus 0.0007/0.18 =
0.39 g/100g of DM
Chia Amounts for Dogs
Growth - 0.39 g/100 g DM or 1.77 g/lb DM
Adult Maintenance - 0.24 g/100g DM or 1.09 g/lb DM
Gestation and Lactation - 0.45 g/100g DM or 2.04 g/lb DM
Chia Amounts for Cats
Growth - 0.17 g/ 100g DM or 0.78 g/lb DM
Adult Maintenance - does not appear to be required
Gestation and Lactation - 0.11 g/100 g DM or 0.50 g/lb
DM
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