Blended excerpts from various sections of Potential Within Your DOG'S HEALTH
Authored by Franco Cavaleri ISBN 0-978-0-9731701-1-5
Original post: November 2, 2010
This article is composed of multiple excerpts to result in tone and content shifts and reference numbering that may be out of order.
The label of common pet foods display impressive lists of nutrients that have been added to support your pet’s health.
However, processing and shelf storage eventually take their toll to diminish the activity of these nutrients and changing their form. Is our dog able to absorb and use this essential nutrition?
Manufacturers of dry processed feeds may compensate for the damage done to these fats by adding polyunsaturated, essential, and non-essential Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids back into their products to fortify them. We often see these additions on the label as ALA, EPA, DHA (Omega-3 fats), or linoleic acid (Omega-6 fat). This is a good marketing story, however, no matter what kind of preservatives they add to keep these fats intact, the long-term survival of the delicate structures is not possible.
Studies done to show the value of these new fatty acid additives (DHA is one of the more common ones) are conducted using foods fresh off the manufacturing line. Shelf storage, oxygen-permeable bags, and open bags at home allow oxygen in, and it will degrade the fatty acids. And if the fortified fatty acid does make it to body cells intact, the other nutrients it requires in order to complete its cellular activity are also likely missing or in limited supply in the food.
The cells’ processing of essential and other fatty acids like DHA depends on a multitude of other, codependent nutrients, including vitamin and mineral cofactors. If these cofactors are not available, the cells cannot handle the fatty acids. Having the right balance and proportions of these codependent elements is critical.
Ensuring your dog gets nourishment that is nutrient dense, with good bioavailability and the right mix of nutrients can be a challenge.
Many pet owners fall into a dog-food rut, convinced their pet is “picky” about its food. This can lead to undernourishment, particularly if the food is highly damaged during processing. Imagine eating the same dry, boxed cereal or canned item for every meal of your day. You know it’s not possible to live a full life, free of disease if you’re eating the same heavily processed food day after day. Yet most of us readily serve a steady diet of the same dry or canned processed food to our dogs without a second thought….
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