Oats - The Next Super Food?

An ingredient that you should start to see a lot more of in pet foods and treats starting this year will be oats.  The first federally sanctioned health claim for a manufactured food was granted to makers of oat-rich foods in early 1997, and are common ingredients in horse and rodent diets, but not so much in dog foods or treats today. There is no reason why except pet food manufacturers just have not thought of it yet, but they are starting to come around.

The nutritional composition of oats is high compared to other cereals. Oats are higher in protein (17.1%) with more essential amino acids than most other popular grains. Oats also carry a higher level of lipids than most other grains, of which about 40% is the essential fatty acid linoleic acid.

Most people think that the biggest benefit of oats is heart health, since that is the effect on humans. That is just simply not the case in dogs or cats. The biggest benefit of oats, however, is the large amounts of Beta Glucans. Beta Glucans harden the stools, and prevent the reabsorption of cholesterol and starches in the digestive track, thus lowering the glycemic index and help prevent health disorders like obesity and diabetes.
Another benefit of oats is the low allergic reactivity of the proteins. Many vets feel that the protein in oatmeal is very hypoallergenic (less likely to cause an allergic reaction) and therefore an ideal nutrient to be included in a diet formulated for pets suspected of having a food sensitivity or skin allergies. There are other benefits in performance and long term health as well.


This isn't something new for us - in fact all but two of our baked treats have oats as a primary ingredient - usually either the first or second ingredient in our recipe, and we've been using oats since day one, back in 2006.
 
CONTEST ALERT - The first person to comment on this post with one of the two treats that does not contain oats will win a free pound bag of treats - our Fish Sticks - great for skin and coat health with both oats and real Alaskan Salmon. Make sure you include a phone number or email address so that we can contact you. (We won't make anyone's information public). Or email us at sales@bigwag.com . Just head over to our online store http://www.bigwag.com/ and check out the treats section. We list all of the ingredients for all of our treats under each product.

For more information on oats and related pet food applications visit these articles on PetFoodIndustry.com