It’s also worth noting that fats taste good. Dog food manufacturers know that it’s important for dogs to like their food, so they use fats not only for the energy and fatty acids they deliver, but also to improve palatability. Nutrients in dog food don’t do a dog any good unless they are eaten!

Fat also supplies the essential fatty acids required by dogs for maintaining healthy skin and haircoat and serves as a carrier for fat soluble vitamins. Linoleic acid – one of the fatty acids dogs can get from vegetable oils or animal fat - is considered essential because it cannot be made in the body and is required to be supplied by the diet.

Fat digestion is more complex than that of protein or carbohydrates. Still, healthy dogs and cats can digest fats with great efficiency, approximately 90-95%.

Although fatty acid deficiencies are rare, animals fed diets too low in fat may eventually develop deficiency symptoms including dry, coarse hair and flaky, dry and thickened skin.

In animals fed diets containing more fat than is needed, extra fat is generally stored in the body. If enough fat is accumulated over time, animals will become obese. Animals carrying excessive amounts of weight may be at greater risk for complications with surgery, as well as several disease conditions including some orthopedic diseases and diabetes mellitus.

So while fat is not a bad thing for your dog to eat, you should watch your dog’s fat intake. Fortunately, most reputable commercial dog foods are formulated to deliver an appropriate amount of fat for a dog based on its age and lifestyle.