natural balance dog food side effects

Is Canola Oil in Dog Food Safe or Not?

The debate on the use and safety of canola oil in dogs is one topic that is riddled with controversies, overblown negative publicities, and misconceptions. Is it safe or not?

What is canola oil?

Canola oil refers to a vegetable oil harvested from the seeds of genetically modified rapeseed cultivars Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, or Brassica juncea characterized by low (less than 2% erucic acid). All these cultivars are members of genus Brassica, in the familyBrassicaceae (cabbage, crucifers, or mustard family).

In the US, besides the low erucic acid, canola is supposed to be low in glucosinolates is defined as

Seeds of the genus Brassica from which the oil shall contain less than 2 percent erucic acid in its fatty acid profile, and the solid component shall contain less than 30.0 micromoles of any one or any mixture of 3-butenyl glucosinolate, 4-pentenyl glucosinolate, 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl, or 2-hydroxy-4-pentenyl glucosinolate, per gram of air-dried, oil-free solid. Before the removal of dockage, the seed shall contain no more than 10.0 percent of other grains for which standards have been established under the United States Grain Standards Act.

USDA

The low erucic acid distinguishes it from natural and wild rapeseed oil that is higher in this acid, and there are both human edible and industrial forms.

The human-grade canola oil is the third most consumed vegetable oil after soy and palm oils and has seen a growth in demand since as it considered as one of the healthy oils.

On the other hand, industrially, it has various applications, including its use in making biodiesel, candles, newspaper ink, soap, synthetic rubber base, and lipstick.

Why use in dog food and benefits

Fats and oils are essential in a dogs diet. They are a source of energy, essential fatty, will support immunity, help in hormone formation, improve palatability, and help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K.

1. Significant constituents

Canola oil is low in saturated fatty acids (7%) and higher in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), especially oleic acids (60%). Oleic acid is a non-essential monounsaturated omega-9 fatty that may benefit a dogs immunity. Specialty may have 70% oleic acid to prolong its shelf-life, and it may be enriched with GLA (gamma-linolenic acid)

Secondly, it is moderate in polyunsaturated fatty acids, i.e., omega-6 (19%) and omega-3 (9%) fatty acids and an excellent source -linolenic acid or ALA (12%) with a perfect ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid of about 2:1.

Additionally, it has polyphenols (packed with antioxidants), phytosterols (reduces cholesterol levels and, consequently, risk of coronary heart disease, and anti-inflammatory activities, among other functions) and tocopherols, a form of vitamin E with similar benefits.

Finally, it has vitamin K, and as already hinted, it has erucic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid, blamed for several issues as we will later see.

2. Benefits

Canola is one of the added to dog foods others being olive, coconut, flaxseed, sunflower, krill and fish oil, etcetera. The FDA generally recognizes it as safe for humans . Its benefits include:

• Food and Drug Administration awarded it a qualifiedhealth claim that it lowers the risk of coronary heart disease since it has a considerable amount of unsaturated fats. (2)
• The US Canola Association Canola Council of Canada sponsored review noted that it lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, (3) commonly regarded as the bad cholesterol.
• Since it has a considerable level of ALA (-Linoleic acid), a type of omega-3 fatty acids, it has moderate benefits in reducing bone fractures, cardiovascular disease, and type-2 diabetes. (4)
• ALA metabolites inhibit the synthesis of some pro-inflammatory mediators like prostaglandin, cytokines, leukotriene, and eicosanoids as well as inhibit platelet aggregation that leads to formation thrombus (clot) (5)

Besides, the omega-3 fatty acid will help in promoting a healthy coat and may help in weight management.

If you need it, brands such as Amazon Brand Happy Belly Vegetable is a good choice.

Concerns: Separating myths from facts

The Weston A. Price Foundation article bySally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. and many others associate canola oil with blood platelets chances, vitamin E deficiency, retarded growth, and a shorter lifespan.

Others note that EPA registered insecticide (toxic), causes fibrotic heart lesions, platelets changes, lung cancer (6), contamination with degumming, deodorizing, bleaching, and extracting solvents. (7)

Also, there are concerns about replacing this plant source oil with animal fat such as turkey and chicken fats that are ancestral to a dogs digestive diet, which these pets may find more natural to digest system, isnt a good idea.

We believe you have read worse criticism, some of which are nothing other than myths. Let us try to address some of the concerns.

1. Warfare mustard gas

Rapeseeds or mustards have nothing to do with mustard gas used WWII warfare and a few other places as the latter is synthesis using chlorine, sulfur, and ethylene as alleged by some online sources. (8, 9). The name comes from its yellowish color that resembles mustard gas.

2. Industrial applications

Being an industrial raw material, it is unfit for humans. However, others like coconut have applications in cosmetics, soap, and other industrial applications.

3. Erucic acid concerns

It is high in erucic acid. However, unlike rapeseed and colza oil, canola is low in erucic acid. This acid was in the 1970s was associated with heart problems (myocardial lipidosis) in high doses.

However, these studies were based on rats that cant process erucic acid, something not observed in other animals, including primates and pigs.

There lacks evidence on any harmful effects of erucic acid. Furthermore, canola is low in this acid, with its concentration going as low as 0.01% in Canada and below 0.1% in Brazil and Australia.

4. Causes vitamin E deficiency

While it may cause a deficiency in vitamin E, so does fish oil, a reason manufacturers add vitamin E to pet foods to curb the possibility of a lack.

5. Contamination by solvent, deodorizers, and bleach

While the concern of remnant solvents used in extraction is valid, the food-grade hexane is unlikely to have any effects on your dog. Similarly, and deodorization doesnt have any impact on health noted so far.

6. An EPA clean bill of health

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives it a clean bill of health, i.e., no harmful health effects to humans are expected from the use of canola oil to repel insects and published studies indicate that canola oils nutritional and toxicological profiles are similar to those of other vegetable oils that are used as foods.

7. Our take

Yes, a lot more research on long-term use of canola oil in dog food is needed, especially since the genus Brassica cultivars that yield canola seeds are GMOs. However, dont fall prey to many websites that publish false or outdated information.

Perhaps, Petfoodinudstry.com has the right words: Years of published studies in laboratory animals and humans have shown it to be nutritious and safe, and it is recognized as such by regulatory and health agencies around the world.

Canola oil in homemade diets

If your dog depends on canola oil is excellent inexpensive vegetable oil to use just like soy and corn oil. However, discuss the issue with your veterinary nutritionist for advice on dosing and balanced recipes.

Top dog food brand with canola oil

Top dog food brands without canola oil

If you feel swayed by the tons of negative publicity, especially on the internet and you want top dog brands without canola, the choices are so many which include:

Supplements with canola oil

Purina Pro Plan Dog Food Review

The Purina Pro Plan Adult product line includes the 26 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word rice doesnt tell us much, its impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The third ingredient is wheat. Like corn, wheat is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider wheat a preferred component in any dog food.

The fourth ingredient is poultry by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. Its made from whats left of slaughtered poultry after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh poultry.

The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

We consider poultry by-products slightly lower in quality than a single-species ingredient (like chicken by-products).

The next ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.

Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The sixth ingredient is beef fat. Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The eighth ingredient is corn. Corn is another cereal grain and subject to the same issues as wheat (previously discussed).

The ninth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries from eggs that have failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The tenth ingredient is fish meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.¹

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.

Other Notable Ingredients

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Purina product.

With 6 notable exceptions

First, soybean oil is red flagged here only due to its rumored (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.

However, since soybean oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids and contains no omega-3s, its considered less nutritious than flaxseed oil or a named animal fat.

Next, fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.

In addition, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Next, we note the inclusion of sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

Additionally, we find dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

And lastly, this recipe includes menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isnt required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients panel alone, Purina Pro Plan Adult Dog Food looks like an average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 44%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 31% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 45% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 53%.

Which means that this product line contains

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

However, when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the soybean and corn gluten meals in this recipe, and the canola meal and pea protein contained in other recipes, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing just a moderate amount of meat.

What Do Others Say About Purina Pro Plan Dog Food?

At the time of this update

Chewy customers rate Purina Pro Plan 4.7 out of 5 stars and 96% say they would recommend it to others.

Heres an actual user review

Sample buyer review You cannot go wrong with Pro Plan, so many blends for so many dogs ! You have to find the right blend for your dog. This Shredded Blend is pretty good. You have the larger kibble mixed with the shreds.The kibble is hard and the shreds are soft. I have three German Shepherds and they love it ! However if they eat it too fast the shreds kinda make them choke a bit. Other than that This blend comes in a 47lb bag ! GREAT !! And at a sweet price of course Try it for your medium to large dog. they will like it.. You can even put warm water on it. they love that !

Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com