This is our series on the ingredients in Wild Earth’s Clean Protein dog food called ‘Ingredients With A Purpose’. We understand there are A LOT of options when it comes to what you feed your dog. We also understand you want to feed them the best food possible and labels can be confusing. The goal of this series is to give you insight into the role each ingredient plays in our food and the components that make a complete dog diet. We’ve broken the articles down into the components that make a healthy dog diet: Protein, Fats & Carbohydrates, Fibers, Vitamins & Minerals, Essential Fatty Acids, Superfoods, Amino Acids, Prebiotics & Probiotics.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids are just one of the key ingredients that help to keep your dog healthy. You may have heard the term essential fatty acids but what does it actually mean for the health of your dog? In this article, you will learn about the importance of fatty acids for your dog and how Wild Earth Dog Food utilizes these fatty acids to provide dogs with the complete nutrition they need.
What Are Essential Fatty Acids?
Essential fatty acids are fatty acids that cannot be naturally created by your dog's body but are also required for proper nutrition and overall health. Since essential fatty acids don't occur naturally, they have to be acquired through your dog's diet or additional supplementation.
Dogs have specific nutritional requirements compared to humans but both species rely on essential fatty acids for a wide variety of different functions. For this reason, it is vital that you feed your dog a daily dog food that provides them with the correct ratio of essential fatty acids.
The two types of fatty acids that are deemed essential for both dogs, as well as humans, are Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) and Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Omega-3 Fatty Acid). Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Omega-6 Fatty Acids are both polyunsaturated fats, meaning they have more than one double bond in their chemical structure. They are both referred to as "essential" because your dog's body isn't able to create them on its own and they are necessary for the overall health and wellness of your dog.
It is vital that your dog's food contains both of these essential fatty acids in order to give your dog the complete nutrition that they need. Learn about how we utilize Omega-3, Omega-6, and other beneficial ingredients on our ingredients page.
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What Are The Benefits of Fatty Acids For Dogs?
Essential fatty acids have many different health benefits for dogs. They help to maintain healthy skin and coat, support cognitive function, promote joint health, provide your dog with essential energy, and much more. Essential fatty acids can have a positive impact on a wide range of different bodily functions such as the immune system, your dog's skin, cognitive performance, and more.
Below are a few of the most commonly known benefits of essential fatty acids for your dog.
Promote Healthy Skin and Coat
The essential fatty acids found in Wild Earth Dog Food and Supplements are necessary for helping your dog maintain a healthy coat and skin. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are known to help keep your dog's skin and coat moisturized, promote healthy hair growth, and help to prevent dry and itch skin. Essential fatty acids can also help to alleviate more serious skin conditions for your dog such as hot spots, balding patches, eczema, and other skin irritations.
Some breeds of dogs are more susceptible to skin and coat allergies and issues but skin issues could also be caused by environmental allergies or food allergies. If your dog is constantly scratching, has dry or flaky skin, or has another form of skin irritation then it might mean your dog isn't receiving enough essential fatty acids in its current diet. This could also be a sign that your dog has skin allergies.
Improve Joint Health
Essential fatty acids are a vital component to maintaining strong and healthy joints for dogs. Just as essential fatty acids are important for humans, they are essential for dogs to help keep their joints moving and flexible. When a dog's joints don't have the essential fatty acids they need, it can lead to problems such as arthritis and joint degeneration down the road.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 can help to support your dog's joint movement, flexibility, strength, and can even help to alleviate inflammation and help to increase the rate at which joint injuries heal.
If your dog is suffering from joint pain, you may want to consider adding essential fatty acids supplements to their diet. Speak with your veterinarian about the best dosage and type of essential fatty acids supplement for your furry friend. This could be switching to healthier dog food that will provide them with daily essential fatty acids or choosing to purchase a Hip & Joint Daily Supplement to add additional benefits.
Adding essential fatty acids to your pup's diet will help keep their joints healthy and keep your dog moving well into their golden years!
Improve and Support Brain Function
Essential fatty acids contain compounds that are necessary for brain development such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Both DHA and EPA have been proven to help support cognitive function in dogs and there has been a connection between boosting puppy trainability with essential fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids have shown benefits in brain function for puppies, adult dogs, as well as senior dogs. A diet rich in essential fatty acids can help to support your dog's attention, trainability, memory, and can help to improve the signs of cognitive decline in senior dogs.
How Our Dog Food Utilizes Essential Fatty Acids
Wild Earth utilizes essential fatty acids in our Clean Protein Dog Food as well as in our Dog Daily Supplements. Our sustainable ingredient choices help to provide the complete nutrition that your dog needs and the health benefits that you will be able to see.
Our dog food contains Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Marine Microalgae to provide your pup with the two essential fatty acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6. But these ingredients also provide a richer source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) compared to other dog foods on the market. The combination of these ingredients as well as all of the other essential minerals and vitamins we utilize will help to alleviate allergies, support brain function, joint health, and much more to help your dog thrive.
