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Arachidonic acid (ARA - Omega-6) in dog and cat diets

A short guide to the role of Arachidonic acid (ARA - Omega-6) in dog and cat nutrition.

Arachidonic acid (ARA - Omega-6)

An essential fatty acid from the Omega-6 family. While fish acids put out fires, ARA serves to deliberately trigger controlled inflammatory states, without which wounds could not heal and blood could not clot [1]. It is also a building block of cell membranes and protects the intestinal mucosa. A dog, when needed, makes ARA from linoleic acid (Linoleic acid (omega-6)), which is why NRC, AAFCO and FEDIAF set no ARA standard for it. A cat practically lacks this pathway — for it, ARA is strictly exogenous and must come from animal tissues [2] [3].

Where it's found: Exclusively in animal tissues — it is not present in plants or plant oils. The richest and most readily available source is poultry skin and fat as well as dark thigh meat with skin; heart is also a good source. Liver is analytically rich in ARA, but is limited by vitamin A — do not use it to boost ARA.

Deficiency (mainly in cats): In a cat it causes a reproductive catastrophe in queens (lack of oestrus, miscarriages), clotting disorders, slowed growth of kittens and a coarse coat [4] [5]. The most common real-life scenario is an overweight cat on a "slimmed-down" BARF made only of lean fillets, without skin and fat. NRC (2006) gives for an adult cat RA = 15 mg / 1000 kcal ME, and AAFCO sets a minimum of 0.02% of dry matter.

Excess: With an excess of ARA-rich fats and a simultaneous lack of fish (Omega-3), the body drowns in pro-inflammatory mediators, which intensifies joint pain. NRC gives for a cat a safe upper limit (SUL) of 500 mg / 1000 kcal ME.

What to watch for

For a healthy adult dog, low ARA in the calculator is rarely a real problem — more often it results from averaged data for the "chicken" item. The proper goal is not to minimise ARA, but to maintain a sensible ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 (Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio); correct it by adding fish, not by trimming fat from poultry [1].

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 (2008). Essential fatty acid metabolism in dogs and cats. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982008001300004
  3. 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
  4. Morris JG (2004). Do cats need arachidonic acid in the diet for reproduction?. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2003.00469.x
  5. MacDonald ML, Rogers QR, Morris JG (1984). Effects of dietary arachidonate deficiency on the aggregation of cat platelets. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413%2884%2990057-4