Cushings and Omega 3s spinoff

[BroncoMo]

My cushings/IR thread has had me down several rabbit holes the last few days that have sub-tunnels coming off the original hole… perhaps I should look in to controlling my self-diagnosed ADD first…

Can someone help me compare and contrast Mad Barn’s W-3 oil and KER’s EO-3 oil? Here are the links to both:

https://madbarn.com/product/w-3-oil/

EO-3™

I have a very general basic understanding of Omega 3s and 6s. But the various sources (ALA, DPH, EPA) are starting to confuse me. I realize that marine-derived fatty acids are superior to plant-derived. But what is the difference in DHA and EPA? W-3 contains 1500 mg of DHA, while EO-3 contains 9450 mg Omega 3s and 6750 mg of DHA and EPA. Aren’t DHA and EPA Omega 3s? Why the redundancy? I’m missing something here…

In comparing the two, if I am looking for the highest quality Omega 3s, and also best bang for the buck, what say COTH?

[Jarpur]

I began feeding the KER EO-3 a couple of months ago, to a horse that had been on 2 grams of Bute daily since the beginning of November – this horse gets little benefit from Equioxx. My veterinarian and I had a discussion about the possible issues that could arise from the continued use of Bute, and I mentioned Omega 3s, as I take this myself and have derived benefit from it. My vet thought this was a good idea, as he also personally takes an Omega 3 supplement.

I chose the KER EO-3 because it is fish oil-based (I went to the Mad Barn link posted in the other thread, and their product seems to be algae-based), and ordered the quart to start. I could see an improvement in my horse’s comfort with a couple weeks, and re-ordered the gallon. In less than six weeks, he was able to come completely off Bute, and obviously feels well.

This horse does not have PPID (has been repeatedly checked, and was given a several month trial of Prascend, as well). He had a complete workup a few weeks ago, with extensive labs, checking everything (over $1800 worth of tests). Fortunately, he has no negative consequences from the Bute (no ulcers, no loss of appetite, no adversely affected kidney values, etc.).

For my horse, it seems as though the fish oil-based Omega 3s are working as well for him as they do for me and my vet.

This product is also less expensive than the Mad Barn oil.

[greywithchrome]

There are 3 types of Omega 3s - DHA, EPA, and ALA - all serve benefits in different areas. DHA has gained a lot of popularity in the equine world… I am not entirely sure why but I think it is because it is supposedly the most easily utilized by the body? ALA (plant source omega 3s) converts TO DHA in am inefficient manner in the body so some argue it’s better to just feed the DHA.

Mad Barn Oil
Ingredients: Blend of Soybean, flax and DHA Oil (sourced from algae)
Dose: 100ml a day
Price per day: $1.34 CAD
DHA: 1500mg

KER EO3 Oil
Ingredients: Fish Oil
Dose: 30ml a day
Price per day: $1.34 CAD
DHA: 3360 mg (I have emailed them in the past to confirm this)

I chose EO3 for a variety reasons… first off, my horse gets basically a handful of grain, so 100ml as a dose is far too much for her. I also try to avoid soy with her (no hate to those that feed soy its perfectly fine) so EO3 being straight fish oil was attractive to me. Lastly, if we are looking purely at the DHA amount, I could feed as little as 15ml of EO3 per day and still get the same amount of DHA as W3 provides, theoretically making it more cost effective.

[NaturallyHappy]

So…how did you get your horse to eat it? Mine only gets a ration balancer which covers up NOTHING. I tried using a syringe and got oil everywhere.

[BroncoMo]

Excellent comparison. Thank you. The volume is a concern as the horse in question only gets a ration balancer and some senior feed to help take up the volume of other meds she’s currently getting. She’s on gabapentin; horrible tasting. So lots of other bad tasting things in large volumes are not ideal.

Has your horse had any palatability issues with EO-3? That might be the selling point of W-3; sounds like it’s quite tasty.

[Jarpur]

It’s flavored minty apple, and there’s no problem with him consuming it. I put his 1.5# of Nutrena Special Care in a feed pan, add in a couple of other supplements he takes, then squirt on an ounce of the KER EO-3. Mix it up with a large plastic spoon, then dump it in his feed bowl.

The KER website and reviews describe it as highly palatable. KER suggests starting slowly, with a small amount and gradually increasing it to the recommended dose. That’s what I did.

[greywithchrome]

My horse is a picky lady and she ate the EO3 but is more enthusiastic about her grain without the oil. I would agree the W3 is more palatable but only if you feed enough to handle it. My mare gets 3/4 cup of beet pulp with a v/m supplement lol it would be so oily. The EO3 scent is more artificial in my opinion.

[Jarpur]

I can’t speak about CAD prices, but the KER EO-3 gallon is quite a bit less expensive per serving (in USD) than it is in a quart. Plus, there’s an additional 5% discount for an auto reorder.

[BroncoMo]

Mine gets around a pound of concentrate per feeding, so not a whole lot of room for other products as well. 100 mL of oil would likely be pretty offensive to her. She can be a tad picky. But usually if I provide enough taste items, I can cover up a lot of bad taste. Currently she gets two peppermints (I know, tisk tisk) ground with her meds and it works great. But she’s weird about texture too.

Thanks all for the help. After we tweak her Pergolide some and get that aspect under control, I’ll probably try EO3 (quart size, in case she says “NO”) and see what it does.

[quietann]

Mine wasn’t thrilled about the oil, and neither was the barn owner. I switched her to chia seeds, and she loves them. So do I, as I’m stealing some from her for chia pudding. Yum.

[Alibhai_s_Alibar]

I tried several times to feed the EO-3 but never could get my horse to eat it unless I syringed it. I tried feeding it in a large tub of cubes, tried feeding it with tasty feed, no luck.

It used to smell like cherries/bubble gum… and fish. Now it smells like mint… and fish And if I get a drop of it on my clothing, I smell it all day. It seems like a great product and I really wanted it to work but I just couldn’t find a practical way to feed it.

[NaturallyHappy]

This makes me feel MUCH better. I tried it too, a while ago, with similar results. I have a winter coat I cannot get the smell out of.

[Renn_aissance]

I went with Mad Barn’s because I was warned that KER’s smelled like fish and I didn’t want that to be the last straw that got me thrown out of the barn.

[BroncoMo]

That’s what I was wondering, since Mad Barn’s seems to come with great reviews on palatability. Luckily for me, a head injury has affected my sense of smell so I likely won’t notice Now my coworkers on the other hand…

[Renn_aissance]

For what it’s worth, my horse has no concerns about the palatability of W-3 Oil, but evidently his opinion is not globally shared. I think @NaturallyHappy’s horse didn’t prefer it. My vet made a comment that her horses didn’t like it, but finished that with “but too bad, they’re gonna have to eat it” (she is a big believer in the power of omega-3 fatty acids, but was very impressed with Tip’s bloodwork and said she was going to switch her horses onto this as well.)

My horse is not particularly picky, though he has gotten more particular with age. Note I wasn’t really concerned about him eating something that smelled like fish.

[Fruitarider]

I’ve tried both for my two senior geldings (one is IR and the other has heaves). I’m a big fan of Mad Barn but found out one of my horses can’t do soy so I switched him to EO-3. He is super picky, but after about a week of gradually increasing the amount in his soaked hay pellets he now eats it with no problem. EO-3 smells like bubble gum. I ended up having one horse on W-3 and the other on EO-3. Right away I noticed a softer shinier coat on the horse eating EO-3. My heaves horse finished up the W-3 and I switched him to EO-3. They are acting and looking fantastic. It’s only been a couple months and I’m hoping with more time will see more positive results.

[NaturallyHappy]

Ok…I’m going to try it again…somehow. Any suggestions for a dosing syringe for oil? I don’t think I have a snowballs chance in hell I can find anything at all he will eat it in.

[Simkie]

I’d thicken it. You can get powder that does that like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Thick-It-Original-Thickener-10-Ounce/dp/B00CMQDPC0/

Or you can zip something he likes the taste of in a coffee grinder until it’s power. I’d maybe try really well ground flax, or…maybe an herb powder? Fenugreek powder, or mint?

Trying to paste them with a liquid, though, is miserable. You’ll just end up wearing it!

[BroncoMo]

Peppermints in a coffee grinder have been life changing. Or as Simkie says, anything tasty in a grinder to make a powder that can be added to oil.

[Scribbler]

Flax has decent omega 3 and it’s super palatable. Probably still cheaper per serving. It may not be as concentrated or the right types of O3 but it’s something horses love and it’s a closer to their natural plant diet.