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ALA (Omega-3) - Plant-based in dog and cat diets

A short guide to the role of ALA (Omega-3) - Plant-based in dog and cat nutrition.

ALA (Omega-3) - Plant-based

Alpha-linolenic acid is a plant-based acid from the Omega-3 family. In humans and herbivores it serves as the base for producing anti-inflammatory EPA and DHA, but in carnivores this mechanism is insufficient: a dog converts ALA to EPA at only a few to a dozen-or-so percent, and to DHA practically not at all; a cat, as an obligate carnivore with low desaturase activity, does not convert it at all [1] [2] [3]. For a cat, flaxseed oil is solely a source of empty calories, and giving it to a dog with allergies or arthritis will not bring relief.

Where it's found: Flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp oil, camelina oil, walnuts. In a balanced BARF diet, plant oils are deliberately avoided in favour of fish oils.

Deficiency: It has no major significance in dog and cat nutrition, because the target and fully functional forms of Omega-3 for them are the animal-derived EPA and DHA (EPA + DHA (Long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids)). NRC (2006) gives for an adult dog only RA = 0.11 g / 1000 kcal ME, and for an adult cat it sets no ALA standard at all [1].

Excess: It is not toxic, but pouring plant oils "by force" into the bowl most often ends in strain on the pancreas, fatty diarrhoea and weight gain.

Flaxseed oil won't replace fish

Burron et al. (2024) calculated that to produce 1 g of EPA from ALA in a dog requires energy from about 300 kcal of plant oils — a scale incomparable with fish [4]. Direct studies in dogs confirm the lack of effect of flaxseed oil compared with marine sources [5] [6]. If the calculator shows low ALA, first check EPA and DHA and the Omega-6:3 ratio (Linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid ratio (LA:ALA), Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio) — when these are fine, low ALA can be ignored. With a fish allergy, the solution is algae oil (ready-made DHA), not flaxseed oil.

Sources

  1. National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats
  2. Bauer JE (2006). Metabolic basis for the essential nature of fatty acids and the unique dietary fatty acid requirements of cats. JAVMA. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.229.11.1729
  3. Sinclair AJ, McLean JG, Monger EA (1979). Metabolism of linoleic acid in the cat. Lipids. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02533508
  4. Burron S, et al. (2024). The balance of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in canine, feline, and equine nutrition. Journal of Animal Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae143
  5. Dominguez TE, Kaur K, Burri L (2021). Enhanced omega-3 index after long- versus short-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in dogs. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.369
  6. Lindqvist H, et al. (2023). Comparison of fish, krill and flaxseed as omega-3 sources to increase the omega-3 index in dogs. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10020162