Omega 3/Essential Fatty Acid supplements for skin/coat issues (tacran)

 I use Amazon for loads of stuff and don't hesitate to use them for perishables - if the seller on Amazon is not amazon I sometimes just google the name of the company to check what their reputation is.

Animal Essentials is a good company - it's their calcium I use in my home-cooked food.

I don't always use the same Omega 3 stuff.  They *gotta* have it (and it's not in commercial food) but at the same time, my holistic vet has also cautioned me that "too much" forms free radicals.

So .... that said.  I will use something like a capsule for a while (maybe a bottle) and then stop.  Then I'll switch to just a sardine two two a day for each dog (or two for a really big dog).  Not tiny high quality expensive ones, but just the ones that usually come 4-5 to a can and each dog typically gets about 2 cans a week spread over 7 days.  For me that's easy because I add them to the food I've cooked so it just gets mixed in and portioned out.

But even just adding a couple of sardines to the top of their food?  Most dogs go gaga over them and it IS the most easily absorbed, readily available form of Omega 3's you can do.  I do other fish occassionally.

Occasionally I'll switch to ground flax seed.  Mostly I avoid pet store omega 3's and gelcaps just sitting on a shelf in a store.  *** one -- typically they can be rancid right in the newly opened bottle from the store. 

 The whole reason they aren't in dogfood any more is because it goes rancid SO easily that they can't keep the food in warehouses. 

kpwlee

 I use Amazon for loads of stuff and don't hesitate to use them for perishables - if the seller on Amazon is not amazon I sometimes just google the name of the company to check what their reputation is.

  Me too; I've saved a lot of money on fish oil and joint supplements for Jessie. Thank you for rescuing a dog! 

calliecritturs

I don't always use the same Omega 3 stuff.  They *gotta* have it (and it's not in commercial food)

Callie, it is in quite a few of the higher quality commercial kibble.  Evo and TOTW are two that I've been feeding and both have omega 3 and omega 6 in their formulas.  I've never gotten a rancid bag and I'm sure it's because it's not added in a liquid form but is obtained from different types of fish meal, such as herring.

Keep in mind that a dog in poor condition will probably need several months on a good quality diet to see improvement. 

 So Omega 3 or 6 is the same thing as salmon oil, right?

tiffy

 So Omega 3 or 6 is the same thing as salmon oil, right?

Jackie - thanks for the reminder about being patient when looking for signs of improvement.  We'll remain hopeful, without expecting drastic, overnight changes.  We're having to practice patience in lots of areas with a new dog -- that's for sure! 

tacran

We'll remain hopeful, without expecting drastic, overnight changes.  We're having to practice patience in lots of areas with a new dog -- that's for sure! 

lol, patience has to be the hardest part.   I do occasionally add canned fish that are high in fatty acids to my dogs food. I've also read of the concern about too much omega 6 and the need for the correct ratio.   I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to give some supplements to help things along.  Keep us posted on how things are going. 

tiffy

 So Omega 3 or 6 is the same thing as salmon oil, right?

Yes and no.  Salmon oil and fish body oil are Omega 3 fatty acids.  Sources of Omega 6 fatty acids include sunflower oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil and borage oil.

I sort of do the same thing as Callie -- Some days I give a fish oil supplement, and some days they get some type of canned fish.  During the winter I add in a bit of safflower oil to help with dry winter skin (more of an issue since my dogs have gotten older).

Here's an article with a ton of info about Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids for dogs -- Clicky

Myra - that's an excellent summary with lots of great info -- thanks for posting the link.  I'll be printing that article for future reference!  I could benefit from essential fatty acids MYSELF -- I better get serious about adding them regularly to my own diet -- not just to Ruby's! 

Myra

fish body oil

Excellent point Myra.  This from the "Callie goes DUH" files --

way back when my holistic vet told me to give my dog fish body oil.  I said "Oh .. you mean like cod liver oil?"

She looked at me like she needed the patience of St. Theresa and said "I **said** fish BODY oil ... cod liver oil is an **Organ** oil! -- sardines will give you fish body oil and salmon oil is from the whole fish and THAT is body oil."

liver = organ?  cod liver oil is from the liver of a codfish?? get it??  I felt completely stupid but it's not a distinction most of us make unless it's pointed out.  I heard someone say the other day that their vet told them to give an omega 3 like cod liver oil and I thot they needed to read the book or something *smile*. 

It had never occurred to me that there was a difference between fish body oil and fish organ/liver oil. 

PART of the confusion arose years ago when big companies that made dog food discovered that you can't have Omega 3's in dog food and then keep them on the shelf for 2 years before it *goes TO* a store.  It's rancid.  SO .... they quit putting Omega 3's in dog food. (Millions of years ago -- or at least 25 years ago -- even the cheapest of the cheap dog foods had fish meal in them FOR Omega 3's because it was so obvious they needed them)

But dogs NEED omega 3's. 

So they started putting Omega 6's in dog food.  Because it *sounds* like Omega 3 and Omega 6's don't spoil.  And suddenly all the dogfood companies were yelling "NOW with OMega 6 fatty acids!!"

And henceforth everyone decided that Omega 6's were great and somewhere along the line people saw those two get blurry and decided they were the same thing or very similar.  They aren't. 

calliecritturs

SO .... they quit putting Omega 3's in dog food

Callie, please check out the labels on the better kibbles such as Evo and TOTW.  Here's an article from Sabine that may clear up some of your confusion over EFAs and commercial dog foods.  

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=fattyacids

 Bear with me, I'm clearly having a "blonde" moment. No offense to blondes either.

I just looked at the Grizzly Salmon Oil, which I give daily along w/ 1 capsule of 100 UD of Vit. E. Its only Omega 3's, so should I also be giving some sort of Omega 6 also? And remind me again the purpose of the vit e.

Good lord, working 8 hours and then trying to comprehend this nutrition stuff is definitely a brain teaser! 

Me to Tootsie- "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't adore you, k?"

I supplement very lightly with Vit A and E -- actually not at all with Tink or Luna.  Omega 6 is largely Vit A (at least according to my vet).  My vet always has me pair Vit A and E **if** I use them, but typically I only add those for a dog with skin problems.

tiffy

Its only Omega 3's, so should I also be giving some sort of Omega 6 also? And remind me again the purpose of the vit e.

   You probably don't need to add omega 6 to Tootsie's food. This is taken from the link that Myra posted;  

" Most pet foods contain far more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3's."

 Also from the same link;   "The polyunsaturated fats in fatty acid supplements increase the need for antioxidants. Fatty acid supplements should be fortified with vitamin E."

  I love your sig; Tootsie looks so cute!