Hi

I've been suggested to find some food with a large dose of Omega3 fat acid.

Currently I'm changing back to Eukanuba from Hills Natures Best, because Lunas fur is a lot better when on Eukanuba. But it seems there isn't enough fat/oil in, because her pads are dry and cracked.
We can't get Burns, Arden Grange or Nature Diet here in Denmark, and I don't want to feed her BARF.

Any suggestions? I give her a dose of salmonoil every morning. Should I give her a double dose?

Jeanette

Just ordenary sunflower oil, not sure how much I just pour some on to each meal when we are out of EPO

Rox

Hi Rox

Thanks, I might just go and buy a bottle of that.

Sorry, what does EPO stand for?

Jeanette

Hi

I buy this from a health shop in capsules and give everyday, there are lots of health shops on the web. I was given a web site that sells them www.zip-vit.co.uk and they are even cheaper than the health shops.

Nikki

Hi Nikki

THis might sound stupid, but do you give the dog a whole capsule, just like that, or do you prick a hole in it and drizzle it over the food?

Jeanette

Hi Bellaluna

I give them whole and give it to her like you do medicine but she is a big dog. If I had a smaller dog I would give it over the food as the capsules are very large (my husband and I cant believe humans can swallow them they are that big). They are 1000mg capsules and I give about 2-3 a day but they are given to help a bone problem so thats why she gets a large dose.

Nikki

Hi Nikki

She is a lab, but probablely not a big one. She is 10 months old and weighs about 25 kg

But I think I'll choose the easy solution and drizzle it over her food!

Jeanette

EPO = evening primrose oil :D

Hi Kathy

Thanks.
Where would you buy this? In a health shop, or in the supermarket, where you'll find all other oils?

Jeanette

A lot of the cheapy toiletries shops (Bodycare etc) are selling it really cheap, as are chemists. We get ours for about 79p for 30, or £1.99-ish for 90. Holland and Barrett and Boots make a killing on these kinds of things when other shops are selling them 10 times cheaper, and the same quality.

Hi Kathy

I'll see if I can find it here in Denmark.

I'm willing to try almost anything. These days I'm covering her pads in hooffat (for horses), it makes it soft, but the cracks aren't disappering.

So now we try another oil :-) Should I continue with the salmon oil, that I give her, or can she get to much?

Jeanette

Omega 3 you will find in Salmon/Fish Body Oil or Linseed Oil.  They have the highest ratio; other oils contain more Omega 6s

I feed my dogs 1000mg per day by piercing a capsule and putting it on their food; most dogs actually love the whole capsules.  Some dogs cannot eat the gelatin capsule.

If you feed Omega 3s you should also supplement with Vitamin E between 200 and 400 iu per day as they have a synergistic effect.

Do not confuse Fish Body Oils with Cod Liver Oil, the latter also has Vitamins A and D which you can OD on, and are liver toxic.  You cannot really OD on FBO or Vitamin E.

Linseed oil is also helpful, however some dogs get the itchies from this.  Wherever possible I would source oils etc from animal/marine origin rather than plant origin.

HTH

Hi

Well, then perhaps I should comtinue with the salmonoil, and give her a dose morning and evening. Or perhaps salmonoil in the morning and Omega 3 capsules in the evening. Its says on the bottle (salmon oil), that she should have 3 squirts, if she weighs over 24 kilos, which she does. Perhaps this is just not enough for her? It has "only" cured her dry nose, not her pads.

I'll try the capsules. Do you give your dogs this every day all year round?

Jeanette

Ps. I thought I remembered correctly, so its the Omega 6 I should watch out for. Thanks.

Yes I feed this all year round; dog food, both commercial and raw, is low in Omega 3s as commercial food is grain based and meat is cereal fed :D  Therefore you will find that there should be plenty of Omega 6s in the diet but not enough Omega 3 hence the need to supplement.  Omega 3 is also good for behavioural problems in both dogs and children.

Naturally you can boost this naturally by feeding raw or canned oily fish such as pilchards, sardines, mackeral etc.  This can make up a whole meal.

I give my shih-tzu's 1,1000mg evening primrose oil+fish oil capsule each daily,the caps i give have the e.p.o & fish oil in the same capsule which makes dosing alot easier,5oomg of each,i have a problem as sometimes they dont eat their food so i end up tossing it,i was thinking of putting them down their throat like a tablet but then i heard that they cant digest the gelatin and it comes out the other end the same way it went in,has anyone heard of this?i wonder if pricking a hole in it before dosing would make a difference?then it can drizzle out in their tummy.To those of you who give capsules(unchewed)check your dogs poop :D,i am very curious about this.

Yes I heard of this quite a while back & went thru a period of piercing the caps, but I never saw the outer caps come back out But then if you think about just what a dogs digestion does digest why should they ;) 

Christine, Spain.

Hi again

Is tuna canned in oil to fat a fish?

I don't like fish myself. Once in a while I can put some canned tuna in my salad, but else I avoid it, and therefore I don't really know much about fish. Sorry!

Jeanette

I read a short while ago that canned tuna has all it`s natural oil removed first before canning then put in different oil :)
Tuna is an oily fish, so are sardines, pilchards, mackeral, can`t think of anymore at the mo :)

Christine, Spain.

Hi Christine

Hmm, isn't that stupid . the tuna I mean.

Well I'll see, what I can find in the local supermarket.

Its really annoying, that I can't buy Burns or Nature Diet or Arden Grange in Denmark.

I'm not really keen on feeding BARF.

So my choice is Eukanuba, Nutro Choice or Hills. And the Eukanuba gives her gas! Whoey, my cat left the bedroom last night because of the smell! (Luna sleeps on the floor next to my bed).

I've started changing from Hills to Eukanuba, because the Eukanuba gave her a more shiny coat, and I'm only on 20% Eukanuba and already she smells! So if it isn't better on sunday, I'm stopping the change, and go back to Hills.

Then just add some oil or fish.

Jeanette