Finding the best dog food can be tricky. There are so many brands out there vying for your attention, it’s hard to know which one is best. This is made harder by different dogs having different requirements from their food. Small dogs need more nutrient dense food than large dogs. Some breeds are prone to allergies. Others require specialised diets due to illness. Obese dogs or dogs with pancreatitis will require a low fat dog food. However, fat is an essential part of a dog’s diet, so how do you find one that still gives your dog everything that it needs?
Fat is an important component of a dog’s diet, even more so than for humans. Dogs are not sensitive to saturated fat in the way that we are. They generally don’t develop heart disease or stroke risks by consuming it regularly. Unless your dog has pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas, which is irritated further by fatty foods - or your vet has recommended it as a weight control measure or for another ailment, there is no reason that your dog should be put on a low fat diet. However, if it does need such a diet, there are a few things you should know to help you choose the best low fat dog food for your pet.
Fat is an important component of a dog’s diet, even more so than for humans. Dogs are not sensitive to saturated fat in the way that we are. They generally don’t develop heart disease or stroke risks by consuming it regularly. Unless your dog has pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas, which is irritated further by fatty foods - or your vet has recommended it as a weight control measure or for another ailment, there is no reason that your dog should be put on a low fat diet. However, if it does need such a diet, there are a few things you should know to help you choose the best low fat dog food for your pet.
When trying to discover if the dog food you’re looking at is low fat, you have to consider whether it’s dry food, wet food or raw food. As a rough guide, for dry food, anything under 10% fat is considered to be low fat. Above 15% fat in dry food is high fat. Anything in between is moderate fat. For wet food, low fat is below 16% and high fat is above 22% and for raw food, low fat is below 20% and high fat is above 30%. This should give you an idea of whether the food you’re buying is considered low in fat or not.
Once you find a low fat dog food that you like the look of, transition slowly onto it. You shouldn’t drastically cut the amount of fat your dog is eating overnight.
The problem with low fat dog food is that most of the fat comes from the meat in it. So to reduce the fat, dog food chefs reduce the amount of meat. This causes a reduction in protein as well as fat and the dog food becomes high carb as a result. For smaller dogs who only eat small amounts of food at a time, this can be a problem because the carbohydrates are mostly filler, so your little dog will get full quickly, but won’t actually get all of the nutrition that it needs. This is true even more so for Toy breeds, like Shih Tzus, chihuahuas and terriers, as they tend to have a low body fat composition and high metabolism. This means that they require a lot of fat in their diet to keep them going.
Once you find a low fat dog food that you like the look of, transition slowly onto it. You shouldn’t drastically cut the amount of fat your dog is eating overnight.
The problem with low fat dog food is that most of the fat comes from the meat in it. So to reduce the fat, dog food chefs reduce the amount of meat. This causes a reduction in protein as well as fat and the dog food becomes high carb as a result. For smaller dogs who only eat small amounts of food at a time, this can be a problem because the carbohydrates are mostly filler, so your little dog will get full quickly, but won’t actually get all of the nutrition that it needs. This is true even more so for Toy breeds, like Shih Tzus, chihuahuas and terriers, as they tend to have a low body fat composition and high metabolism. This means that they require a lot of fat in their diet to keep them going.
If you decide that the low fat dog foods out there all look just a bit too suspect for your liking, you can make your own at home. You should feed your dog half of its diet as carbohydrates and the other half as low fat meats, dairy and eggs. The carbohydrates you use should be high in starch, such as oats, quinoa, barley, potatoes and pumpkin, etc. You can supplement with other, non-starchy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, but these don’t have enough calories to make up the main bulk of the food. For the meats, low fat meat for dogs is the same as it is for us. Game, such as venison or rabbit, is low fat, as is turkey. Lamb and pork are considered high fat meats. You can still give these to your dog as long as you cook them first to remove most of the fat along with chicken that’s had the skin removed. Don’t forget to add some bones for calcium.
If you’re trying to keep a low fat diet for your dog, you should also be looking for low fat treats. Snacks and treats are important in smaller dogs and especially Toy breeds due to their fast metabolism burning through their food quickly. To avoid hypoglycemia, your dog should have a few snacks in between its meals as well. Fruits are a great low fat snack, such as bananas or apples. Fresh and dried vegetables are also a good choice like carrots or dehydrated slices of sweet potato. Dried, low fat meats can be a great treat for you dog, as long as it can chew and digest it properly.
In the end, it really comes down to what works best for your dog and you. Some trial and error is allowed when looking for the best low fat dog food to feed your pup. Try out the best option and see how your dog responds. If it shows signs of pancreatitis, such as diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite of low energy, or weight gain, make some adjustments and watch the results. Each dog is individual, just like people, and will respond to things differently. Remember that small, frequent meals will be best for small dogs with a few treats in between.
If you’re trying to keep a low fat diet for your dog, you should also be looking for low fat treats. Snacks and treats are important in smaller dogs and especially Toy breeds due to their fast metabolism burning through their food quickly. To avoid hypoglycemia, your dog should have a few snacks in between its meals as well. Fruits are a great low fat snack, such as bananas or apples. Fresh and dried vegetables are also a good choice like carrots or dehydrated slices of sweet potato. Dried, low fat meats can be a great treat for you dog, as long as it can chew and digest it properly.
In the end, it really comes down to what works best for your dog and you. Some trial and error is allowed when looking for the best low fat dog food to feed your pup. Try out the best option and see how your dog responds. If it shows signs of pancreatitis, such as diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite of low energy, or weight gain, make some adjustments and watch the results. Each dog is individual, just like people, and will respond to things differently. Remember that small, frequent meals will be best for small dogs with a few treats in between.