Omega 3 Fatty Acids for Dogs
Monday, May 8, 2023
We have all heard that salmon oil is great for dogs. The main reason for these health benefits is the Omega 3’s, EPA and DHA. Recently we have heard the term “wild caught” when referring to salmon. Why is this important? Well salmon like humans do not make Omega 3, they get it from the eating krill, crabs and shrimp that eat algae, but ultimately the DHA and EPA comes from algae. Wild salmon just tend to be in an environment with algae that is high in EPA and DHA.
What if we feed the flax to salmon as a source of ALA Omega 3? Well salmon, humans and dogs can only convert a small amount of ALA to EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are far more important to health than ALA with DHA being the most important due to DHA’s cognitive benefits in puppies and older dogs.
Is feeding a salmon-based dog food healthier for my dog? Maybe, remember that the Omega 3 is in the oil. If the oil has been removed from the salmon, we may not get all the benefits that we hoped for.
What health benefits can we expect from feeding Omega 3? We already talked about the cognitive benefits, but Omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory as well. Where there is pain, there is inflammation. Dog food ingredients tend to run high in Omega 6’s. Omega 6’s cause inflammation which is not necessarily a bad thing, but too much inflammation is. Using Omega 3 can be very beneficial when going after inflammation due to skin allergies or osteoarthritis as long as we are not adding more Omega 6 with the Omega 3. Omega 3 is also important to muscle health and recovery.
In Fido-Vite supplements we use a DHA algae which allows us to achieve higher levels of Omega 3 without adding Omega 6. DHA algae is much more environmentally sustainable than using salmon oil. We also have Fido-Vite CoMega DHA that works best in conjunction with our other supplements when healthier levels of inflammation need to be supported.
