Dog Food Dilemma

[Prin]

Why is it better than canola?

[LL1]

Great site starsen,I tend to agree with most of your beliefs.

[starsen]

Here's a very unbiased version of the story on canola oil:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/canolaoil.htm (scroll down more for the very biased version)

I stay on the safe side- if they can't remove 100% of that erucic acid, I won't feed it to my dogs. Even small amounts of toxic substances are not okay as far as I'm concerned.

This is what Natura says about canola oil:

"Canola oil, although a single-source oil, is lower in the essential linoleic acids which provide a lustrous coat and soft, supple skin.

Instead of canola, Natura uses pure Sunflower Oil which is the most expensive and highest in linoleic acid of all table-quality oils."

[Prin]

Yes sunflower oil is high in omega-6, an essential fatty acid, but if you read up on omega-6's, they are so much easier to come by in any diet that there is virtually no need to consciously add it. Too much of it causes so many ailments too. Read some of the links I posted here: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=24324 They all say to limit your intake of linoleic acid.

[Kerrye]

HI
I have a rescue dog - part poodle and part who knows what- He absolutely refused to eat any type of processed dog food. If I could get him to eat even a small amount he would barf it back up. I started making his food. The vet said the homemade diet contained everything he needed. I cook carrot, beans, pasta, rice and oatmeal. I also add either beef ( lean cut roast) or chicken, turkey, chicken hearts and livers, salmon. He also likes raw fruit, raw carrots, raw red peppers and raw broccoli- Absolutely no onions. I also add a calcium supplement to his cooked food along with egg, cheese and a little olive oil. I cook enough to last 4 days and then make a new batch. It really isnt a lot of work once you get used to doing it. The ratios I use are 1/4 veggie, 1/4 grains (no corn or potatoes) and 1/2 protein.
He seems to like it. I vary the type of meat each time so he gets a variety.

[starsen]

"If they have salmon, flaxseed oil or other sources high in omega-3, then they should be ok. If they don't all you have to do is supplement with either omega-3 or flaxseed oil..."
The above is a quote from that thread.

It's not that the omega 6 fatty acids are harmful in any way, just that they need to be balanced out with some omega 3's.

Like I mentioned, The CA Natural chicken has the flaxseed. If someone wants to feed the lamb formula, they just need to supplement with fish oil or another source of omega 3 fatty acids.

For the method of feeding I'm recommending in my website, it doesn't matter, because I use a predominantly raw diet that is supplemented with fish oil and the kibble is a very small portion of their daily diet.

If I fed kibble exclusively, I'd rather add some fish oil to my dog's diet than worry about some cheap, slightly toxic export oil being used in the food.

[Prin]

Flaxseed in the food is iffy when it has been cooked at 400 degrees... If that was the only thing to counter the main fat in whatever I was feeding being too high in omega-6's then I'd supplement. You feed raw, so it's not so bad, but somebody feeding this kibble alone is better to supplement it with flaxseed oil or another source of omega 3.

[starsen]

I totally agree with you there.

[Prin]

Alright then.

[starsen]

By the way, now that I finally figured out that this is a Canadian website, I'm dying to ask, how do you all feel about canola oil?

My husband told me that people in Canada don't eat canola oil- they export it all. Is that true?
(He doesn't always give me accurate info, so correct me here if this is WAY off!)

[Prin]

We eat a lot of canola oil. It's just as advertised here as everywhere else.