Are there good fats and bad fats for dogs and cats?

Although the concept of good fats and bad fats has been used in human nutrition, dogs and cats are not as susceptible to coronary artery diseases and can therefore consume greater amounts of saturated fats which are considered “bad” fats for humans.

The reason for this is that dogs and cats have more good cholesterol (HDL) than bad cholesterol (LDL) no matter what types of fat they eat (1). Thus it is not advantageous to categorize different types of fats as either good or bad for these animals. Cats are likely similar to dogs in this regard although definitive data other than the fact that cats have high HDL cholesterol has not been obtained.

In view of these metabolic differences, the author prefers to categorize the various types of dietary fats for dogs and cats as either ‘functional’ or ‘facilitative’.

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