Fish Oil Supplement - Page 2

I use anchovy/sardine oil only a couple times per week;  I would hope they have what they need in their food;  if not, I need to make some changes.  Hate supplements.  If you are worried about Mercury levels, you can go to olive oil, avacado oil, or one of nut oils.  Start slowly to be sure of tolerance.  Each dog is different with different needs for this stuff.  JMO.  Nan

I give my dogs and self and my Mike SEALOGIX http://www.k9holistics.us/omega3s.html There are many benifits to the use of adding omega 3s and vitamin E to the diets. Food is great but most do not have adequate safe, clean sorces in them that keep the availability of all things viable that long. so nothing wrong with a supplement for dogs IMO.. in fact I make them do tricks for them and they think its a treat.. that and dried cranberries,cheese, or whatever works for me ... I feel one way is better or worse so just more to think about so you can do what works for yourself and your dogs. The SEALogiX does NOT taste like fish when you swallow it..like some brands do. Debi

A way to add inexpensive fish to their diet is good old Traader Joe's.

In the frozen fish section I found wild caught Alaska Cod fish in pieces for a lot less per pound.  Pharaoh and Mariah just love it.  I wish they carried bits and pieces of salmon.

The nice thing about TJ's frozen fish is that it is processed immediately on the boat and then flash frozen in minimalist packaging.  Many fish companies freeze the fish unprocessed, send it to China where it is thawed and processed and then frozen again.  YUCK!!!!

I buy the frozen wild salmon at TJ's and poach it right out of the packaging frozen.  It is not as tasty as fresh, but it is a very affordable close second.

Michele

   We all may be going to Krill oils, olive oil, if our weather patterns are  going to get worse and worse.

  No crops on time, importing veggies, fish etc from other nasty countries.

  SO having the need I use olive oil   extra virgin only, krill and Omega 3.tabs..give dogs only every other day or so...

  I love salmon and try to eat fish at least 4 days a week now that son had a heart attack..Finding real fish not breaded and from the wild and processed fresh is getting harder and harder.

   I only keep supplements for when the  food source here at my house gets low..and that is the week before the Eagle flies..

   YR

As long as the supplement specifically states it has no mercury contamination it should be OK.
We have actually done research feeding rats (of course not a dog but is something) and shown an increase in muscle mass and strength. Only one caveat....the rats fed high omega 3 fatty acids developed more tumors. They were benign but we only fed these rats omega 3 for 2 months. We have shown in vitro  (i.e. using cells only) that omega 3 have an 'anti aging effect'. The data regarding lifespan using these supplements is still lacking.

Recently there was human data suggesting that individuals  with higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids in the blood (the kind of fatty acids present in fish oil) have a higher incidence prostate cancer. Of course this is just a correlation and by no means a  cause effect relationship. 

In summary: yes, omega-3 supplementation is good for you from the cardiovascular end point (something that dogs, unlike humans, don't care about), from the muscle and coat stand point (something dogs do care about). The effect in terms of incidence of cancer and lifespan is still under investigation.