International Omega-3 Learning and Education Consortium for Health and Medicine

There are two types of fatty acids that are essential to us and our companion animals. They are the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Essential means they cannot be made within the pet's own body and must be supplied in the food they eat. The first type of essential fatty acids is called the omega-6 fatty acids and this usually refers to linoleic acid (LA). Both dogs and cats need this fatty acid for normal health but the cat requires the omega-6 elongation product arachidonic acid. Therefore, the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid (AA), is essential to cats since they cannot convert much of the LA to AA. The second type of essential fatty acids is called omega-3 fatty acids and this would be alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). As with the omega-6 fatty acids, since cats do not have sufficient ability to form their own longer chain essential fatty acids from the basic forms (LA and ALA), they need to consume the long chain omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20 carbon) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22 carbon), in order to obtain the nutritional and health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. (Omega-3 fatty acid structures).

Although omega-3 fatty acids are not traditionally recognized as essential for dogs and cats, strong evidence has emerged from past and ongoing research that suggests that these pets, as well as humans, can benefit greatly by incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into their daily diet. With the right type and amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, the potential of omega-3 fatty acids contributing to the health of our dogs and cats is very promising. The appropriate amount (discussed in the following paragraph) of omega-3s in the diet benefits neural development during puppy and kitten growth, the immune system, pregnancy and lactation, and skin and fur health. When purchasing pet foods, one should carefully examine the nutrient label to make certain that the omega-3 fatty acid species are clearly stated with creditable ingredient sources, such as fish and fish oil, which are rich in EPA and DHA. Dietary DHA is critical for optimal neural development in puppies and kittens because DHA synthesis in their bodies is limited. Many diets claim to have omega-3 fatty acid but the source is primarily ALA (from vegetable oils), these diets may not offer the benefits of diets containing DHA since ALA is poorly converted to DHA in the body of young and perhaps elderly dogs and cats. Please refer to the Pet food products as well as the pet food manufacturers' website for more detailed information on these food products.

According to the Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats from the National Research Council ¹, the current dietary recommendations for the amount of essential fatty acids are based on the developmental stages of the dogs and cats. For growing dogs, the recommended allowance (RA) for LA is 1.3% of dry matter (DM) of the food, while the RA for ALA is 0.08% of DM. The estimated adequate intake (AI) for DHA and EPA in these growing dogs is about 0.03% for each fatty acid based on DM, while the AI for AA is in the range of 0.03 to 0.05% of DM. For adult dogs, the RA for LA is 1.1% of DM, while the RA for ALA is 0.044% of DM. The recommended AI for long-chain omega-3s (EPA + DHA) for adult dogs is 0.11 g per 1,000 kcal, while the safe upper limit is approximately 2.8 g per 1,000 kcal. During gestation and lactation, the RA for LA is 1.3% DM and that of ALA is 0.08% DM. Modest amounts of AA and DHA (about 0.05 to 0.10% DM) is considered sufficient during this stage of development.

The recommended dietary intakes for cats from the National Research Council are as follows. During growth, the RA for LA is 0.55% DM, while that for AA is 0.02% DM. Though there are no current recommendations for ALA and DHA intakes for cats, estimated amounts of 0.02 - 0.03% DM (i.e., 200 to 300 mg/kg dry diet) for ALA and 0.01 - 0.02% DM for DHA are presumably adequate for growing kittens. For adult cats, the RA for linoleic acid is 0.55% DM, while that for AA is 0.006% DM. For now, there are no data that indicate that ALA and long-chain omega-3s are required for adult cat maintenance. Therefore, the AI is set at 0.01% DM for (EPA + DHA) at the moment. For gestation and lactation, the RA for LA is 0.55% DM, while that for AA is 0.02% DM. Small amounts of DHA (0.01 - 0.03% DM) are presumably adequate in providing the benefits of fatty acid at the moment.

The special pet foods formulated with enhanced omega-3 presence typically have 0.1% to 2% lipids as omega-3s. The minimum analyzed quantity is on the label of these pet food packages. The quality of the omega-3s is largely dependent on the sources of the ingredients that provide them. Therefore, special attention should be paid on this issue for a quality product (Pet food products).

Table 1. Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats from the National Research Council (2006).

Recommendations	Dog	Cat
Growing animals
Recommended allowance (RA) for LA (% DM)	1.3	0.55
Recommended allowance (RA) for ALA (% DM)	0.08	0.02 - 0.03 (estimated amount)
Recommended allowance (RA) for AA (% DM)	-	0.02
Adequate intake (AI) for EPA (% DM)	0.03	-
Adequate intake (AI) for DHA (% DM)	0.03	0.01 - 0.02 (estimated amount)
Adequate intake (AI) for AA (% DM)	0.03 - 0.05	-
Adult animals
Recommended allowance (RA) for LA (% DM)	1.1	0.55
Recommended allowance (RA) for AA (% DM)	-	0.006
Recommended allowance (RA) for ALA (% DM)	0.044	-
Adequate intake (AI) for DHA + EPA (g/1000 kcal)	0.11	0.01
Safe upper limit for DHA + EPA (g/1000 kcal)	2.8	-
Gestation and lactation
Recommended allowance (RA) for LA (% DM)	1.3	0.55
Recommended allowance (RA) for AA (% DM)	-	0.02
Recommended allowance (RA) for ALA (% DM)	0.08	-
Sufficient amounts of AA (% DM)	0.05 - 0.1	-
Sufficient amounts of DHA (% DM)	0.05 - 0.1	0.01 - 0.03

References