It’s almost compulsory for us to react to fat negatively when it comes to dietary needs. Which may cause pet owners to look for low-fat dietary options. Like all other dietary nutrients, fat plays a vital role in your pet’s overall health. Fat provides your pup with the most amount of energy vs all other nutrients. Fats are the first thing burned for energy before proteins and carbs making it highly digestible. Certain fats also help maintain skin and coat health for your dogs as well as an appealing flavor and scent (for dogs of course) to their food.
Appropriate Fat Percentage
With the information above it’s clear that fat should always be included in your pet’s diet to maintain proper health. Around 5-15% of fat is essential to an adult dog’s diet with daily exercise. Low-fat levels can develop dry and itchy skin due to the lack of omegas as well as lethargic behavior. So be sure to check the Guaranteed Analysis for your pet’s food and treats and feed accordingly!
Why Buy Low-Fat Dog Food?
PetFlow always advises contacting a licensed board pet nutritionist and/or veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s diet. Pancreatitis seems to be the number one cause for buying low-fat dog food. Food and treats containing high-fat content are perceived to develop pancreatitis. It’s important to note that there are no specific causes for developing pancreatitis. Low-fat dog foods are perfect for pancreatic inflammation containing omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce inflammation.
Obesity and weight management is also a good cause for switching to a low-fat dog food formula. If your dog needs to drop a few pounds, temporarily switching to a low-fat diet definitely helps on top of daily exercise. A general rule of thumb to visually assess your dog’s weight is if you’re not able to see your dogs ribs and aren’t able to feel them, your dog may be overweight. An obese dog may also have no interest in physical activities. While you work on easy exercises with your pet (daily walks), a low-fat diet provides all the nutrients with less fat to burn for a dog with low activity levels.
Senior dogs and dogs with a lower activity level may benefit from a low-fat formula as well. Please consult with your veterinarian to confirm if your pet would benefit from a low-fat diet.
PetFlow’s Picks
Below is a list of our top 10 best selling low-fat dog food diets. Note that some of these formulas are prescription foods and will require a prescription from your veterinarian. For the diets that do not require a prescription, we highly advise consulting with a certified pet nutritionist before changing your pet’s daily diet even if it’s only a temporary change.
- Natural Balance Fat Dogs Low Calorie Dry Dog Food
- Evangers Low Fat Super Premium All Fresh Vegetarian Dinner Canine and Feline Canned Food
- Solid Gold Fit & Fabulous Adult Low Fat & Low Calorie with Fresh Caught Alaskan Pollock Dry Dog Food
- Annamaet Grain Free Lean Low Fat Recipe Dry Dog Food
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dry Dog Food
- Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d Low Fat Canine Digestive Care Canned Dog Food
As always if you have any questions on low-fat diets or anything pet-related, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our very friendly and informative Customer Service team at 888-316-7297 anywhere from 6am-7pm (PST).