The Animal Naturopathic Medicine Ēducātum (ANME) is where the true biological form of each animal's health is at the forefront of our discussions to support them throughout every stage of their life. The college specialises in short and professional courses in clinical naturopathic studies for animals within the subjects of biology, nutrition, herbal medicine, myotherapies, anatomy and physiology. Our passion and driving force has always been to help humans to help animals, if you share this passion too, we are here to help you to achieve your goals.
•Animal Naturopathic Medicine Ēducātum•Season 1•Episode 14
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Essential fatty acids get sold as a cure-all for pet allergies, itchy skin, arthritis, and even heart health, but the real story is more practical and more specific. Host Leslie takes a clear-eyed look at omega-3 and omega-6 for dogs and cats, why carnivores need help getting the right fats, and how the “right product” can still fail if the foundation diet is working against you.
Most commercial diets, even expensive ones, skew heavily towards omega-6 thanks to grain and legume ingredients. Adding fish oil can be supportive, but it cannot fully undo a poor, high-carbohydrate diet that strains a carnivore’s digestion. Omega-3 fats are light and heat sensitive, prone to oxidation, and can go rancid, especially after processing or long shelf storage. Leslie shares what we should look for when buying omega supplements, why pet owners may wish to avoid linoleic acid heavy blends, why alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) matters, and why cold-pressed oils and refrigeration are non-negotiable.
If you want a calmer skin barrier, a shinier coat, and a nutrition plan that fits a biological carnivore, this gives you a grounded way to choose. Subscribe, share with a fellow pet owner, and leave a review if you learnt something new about EFA's.
Welcome to the Animal Naturopathic Medicine Educatum podcast, specializing in canine, feline, and equine animal health from a biological perspective. In today's discussion, we will review key points when considering essential amigas that will benefit the diet of a carnivore. Essential fatty acids slash amygas have become very popular nutritional supplements for pets. They are advertised to help with a variety of conditions such as allergies, skin conditions, kidney function, heart disease and arthritis. As a result, many veterinarians recommend owners use essential fatty acids to treat or prevent disease. But are all amiga blends we see on the shelf the same? And how do you pick the best amiga products for the carnivore diet?
So let's remember EFAs are the fatty acids that a carnivore species requires extra help to create within their body. So obtaining these from appropriate food sources is a must. The balancing act of omega 3 and 6 is the main focus for a carnivore, as both omega types are needed for optimum health, but each works differently in the body.
Without sufficient amounts of omega-3 and omega-6, we can often see symptoms that indicate deficiencies of the EFAs within our pets, and these will include things like a dry, dull and brittle coat, inflamed or itchy skin, allergies or immune system dysfunctions, you know, especially autoimmune conditions and related inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, stiffness in joints, and irritable bowel disease. It could be reoccurring yeast infections or proposed visual impairment, and also increased levels of triglycerides in the blood.
Majority of commercial pet foods, no matter how expensive or not, the product will contain far more omega-6s. So that's your plant life. It's a plant life product. Far more of the omega-6s than the omega-3s. So remembering grain and legume-based food types are all going to be higher in the omega-6 fatty acids, which will lead to an imbalance in the pet's diet. For most pets, eating a daily omega-6 commercial kibble diet, an additional daily dose of omega-3 in the form of perhaps a fish oil mixed into the pet's food would be helpful with continual use over time. But unfortunately, it will not be able to fully rectify the issues of a poor diet causing EFA deficiency utilized by the digestive tract due to the strain of a high carbohydrate diet instead of a biological carnivore diet.
While you might see recommendations of omega-3 advertised in commercial pet food, you should be suspicious as omega-3s are difficult to preserve in packaged foods and can go rancid quite easily. Which begs the question just how stable are the EFAs within the commercial pet food and especially if the food in question has gone through any heat, steamed or extruded cooking processes. Most pet products try to add in the omega-3s in the final processing stage of the product. But unfortunately, because omegas are also light and heat sensitive and are also prone to oxidization when they are isolated from their original form, their molecule structure is weakened, hence why they do not survive all the way to the final shelf product.
In addition to the amount, a correct balance of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is just as important. It is known that too much of the omega-6 linolic acid can actually cause inflammation in the skin, which generally exasperates inflammation occurring within the digestive tract. This is why it is best to avoid amiga blends that are linolic based and opt for sources that have low amounts so that they are not oversupplemented, which can unfortunately happen with these prepared amiga supplements that rely on linolic acid to try and boost the amiga numbers. Instead, look for oils that have alpha linolic acid, so capital A, capital L, capital A for alpha linolic acid, or at least higher percentages of it, as this amiga has anti-inflammatory properties and a healthier choice when purchasing an amiga oil product. Although some sources have both omega-3 and omega-6, it is important to feed foods that have these omegas naturally occurring to ensure a good balance of both nutrients and to eliminate the oxidization of omegas due to the molecules not being removed from their original state.
All sources of oil-based EFAs tend to be unstable, meaning they oxidize and break down easily over time in the presence of heat, light and oxygen, causing the oils to go rancid quickly, especially if not stored correctly. Therefore, due to their bioactivity, they are best stored in a refrigerator. So that you do not waste your money, try to purchase cold pressed or manually pressed products. Also try to choose organic or sustainably farmed oils to reduce possible contaminants. It could be easier to obtain these relevant nutrients from the natural source as the fatty acids are protected by the outer molecules within the fresh food source, perhaps such as feeding actual fish, like even sardines instead of an oil. But if the food source cannot be obtained, then of course the oils are still going to be a beneficial product regardless.
It is a good idea to supplement vitamin E or incorporate vitamin E rich foods to a pet's diet to help keep the fatty acids from turning rancid. Vitamin E adds to the absorption and activity of the fatty acids within the body. I will also note that essential fatty acid supplementation in the form of oils may decrease the amount or effectiveness of antihistamines or corticosteroids that a pet may be taking. So please check what medications the pet may be currently on as omega oils will be contraindicative to these.
In conclusion, there is no doubt essential fatty acids are an important factor for the overall health of pets, either as a regular part of a biological diet or as a supplement. And to finish this one, I will state an obvious carnivore perspective, and that is raw red meat happens to be the most natural, perfect ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, providing a natural way to alleviate or prevent skin and other conditions, as per the examples listed above, stating the common signs where we looked at the EFA deficiencies.
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