Fish oil/salmon oil for dogs

[NeedsAdvil]

[QUOTE=bort84;5689481]
I know a lot of people that use the Grizzly brand because you can just squirt it on their food (easy for dogs that won’t eat capsules.)

I use the Costco fish oil for people (I have used other brands too, whatever is cheapest), and my dog gobbles down the capsules like they are treats. She actually picks them out of her food to eat first. I think she likes that they sort of squirt in her mouth or something… I guess like those Gushers fruit snacks I used to eat as a kid?

This is the advice I got when we started our greyhound on it:

"[I]A maintenance dose of Omega 3s would be 300 mg (combined total EPA & DHA) per 30 lbs. of dog and the theraputic dose of Omega 3s would be 300 mg (combined total EPA & DHA) per 10 lbs. of dog. Unless your dog is sensitive to soy, which is in many processed oils and need not be listed on the label, the numbers are what you need to know.

The mgs (usually 1000 or 1200) listed on the front of the bottle is them mg amount of the oil, not the concentration of EPA/DHA. Flip the bottle over and look for those two numbers. Also, be sure to check the “dosage” - some bottles will list the amount as 1 pill and some will list the EPA/DHA per two capsules. It’s how you can compare “less expensive” and “more expensive” fish oils to see what actually gets you the most bang for the buck."
[/I]
Definitely start slow though, or you will get some very loose stools. We started ours on one tablet every other day, then one a day, then eventually 3 a day. (She’s a 75 lbs.) Her coat has improved a LOT.[/QUOTE]

Ok, I am a dummy when it comes to this stuff…I use Vital Nutrients Ultra Pure Fish Oil which is from my integrative physician. I give my dog 1 tsp per day, but on the bottle it states that 1 tsp has 2002-2229 mg per teaspoon of EPA and 250-682 DHA per teaspoon. Both measurements state that they are by “area percent method” It would seem like he is getting a lot more than he needs? They recommend 1-3 tsp per day for humans, so I give him 1tsp figuring he is like a small human size (lab mix).

[HillnDale]

Wow, now I feel like the resident hippy

Salmon oil is bad for salmon and the environment!

I thought more people knew that, but I guess it’s on me. Or maybe I don’t know something. It happens…There is no nutritional difference between quality Omega-3 fish oil and that specified to come from salmon. The problem with salmon oil is you are getting a high on the food chain fish, that is either from a farmed source or likely threatened. Very few runs are returning what they used to. If the bottle actually says oil from wild Alaskan salmon by-product, then as long as that’s true, then ok. But then you’ll be paying more than you need to anyway.

Salmon is a wonderful, wonderful delicious and healthy thing. I’m not saying don’t eat it. But the ocean is full of fish that can provide the same benefits when it comes to oil. May even be cleaner.

Anyways, I use human stuff because it’s easy to get and better quality controls. The Costco caps seemed fine. One dog ate them, the other I pricked them and squirted them and then threw the gel capsule in to get eaten eventually. Now I use bottled. If you leave the foil on and just poke a hole by the rim it’s easier to control your squirt and not as messy. Syrup dispensers also work well.

Happy oil shopping.

[Pancakes]

My vet school’s nutritionist has always recommended CVS brand Fish Oil capsules (plain Omega 3 and 6, not special salmon or anything) as they have been tested by independent companies and have been proven to contain what they say they do. They also contain the proper ratio of EPA/DHA for dogs. She recommends 1 capsule (1000 mg) per 10 lbs of dog per day.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@wendy;5691782

you can try: feeding canned salmon or sardines; oil from sardines; .

[quote=HillnDale;5692934]the ocean is full of fish that can provide the same benefits when it comes to oil. May even be cleaner.
[/quote]

Yes and yes.

The less processed, the more bang you’ll get for your buck.

Sardines are a great source of Omega 3 and low on the food chain so there’s less contaminants. Canned is good but fresh is best, with frozen being the second choice. I give each of my cats a sardine two or three times a week and they think it’s a fabulous treat.

[bort84]

@wendy;5691782

and um sorry, but coconut oil is a really good source of omega-6 fatty acids but has almost no omega-3’s.

No need to apologize, I wasn’t suggesting it for the omega-3s = ) Only that I know dogs/humans that have taken it to help with other things. Some dogs grow a lovely coat on it and have reduced skin issues.

When we used it, we used it in addition to fish oil.

[diffuse01]

Btw - for anyone feeding fish oil, make sure you’re supplementing with vitamin E as well. Fish oil can cause dogs not to adequately absorb E. My dogs all get 1200mg. (well, one gets 2400mg) of fish oil daily, as well as 400iu of E.

[wendy]

So many people suggest the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the diet be around 2:1. If you look at a typical dog food, let’s look at Taste of the wild salmon formula, it says it has 2.4% omega-6 and 0.3% omega-3’s. That’s an 8:1 ratio; it’s probably more like 16:1 due to the instability of the omega-3’s. Thus the dire need to supplement. You can’t over-feed omega-3’s, there is no danger there (other than getting diarrhea from too much oil if you are feeding oil). Supplementing with a source of omega-6’s is obviously a bad idea, it totally upsets the ratio.
You can use krill oil as a source of omega-3’s if you don’t like to use salmon or sardines.

[Brown]

I used Virgin Salmoil for my dog. Taste and smell is neutral and it contains high level of natural antioxidants.

For more, you can check out : http://www.biomega.no

[MsM]

My dogs and I share our fish oil capsules!
For them I let them partially dissolve (I heard that otherwise they might not break down the capsule) So I put kibble in bowl, add fish oil capsule, then add hot water, a bit of raw, and pumpkin. Let is sit a few minutes. Easy, not messy!

[stargzng386]

Does anyone use the dog Platinum Performance supplement? Would you still need fish oil?

http://www.platinumperformance.com/Platinum-Performance0174-Canine/productinfo/CPLAG1/