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Recently we were asked “why does my dog need fish oil?”. After a flood of reasons hit us we realized that most pet parents don’t know and understand the importance of fish oil and omega fatty acids. More specifically wild caught fish oil, omega-3 and omega-6. It’s important to understand the that the fish oil needs to be wild-caught.
When the fish oil is wild caught it contains higher amounts of trace minerals and vitamins. This is due to the fish being able to eat foods found in its natural ecosystem and being of higher quality. Along with the health benefits, there are guidelines the companies follow, the wild-caught fish oil for dogs is ethically and sustainably harvested and sourced. Making it a double win!
Some bags of dry foods (kibble), or freeze dried raw dog foods, have omega-3 and omega-6 on their ingredient label. The only thing to be aware of is the effect heat and oxidation has on the essential fatty acids found in fish oil. If the food has been cooked, baked, or dried some, if not most, fatty acids have been killed off.
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As for freeze dried dog and cat foods, the freeze-drying process cause the oxidation process which has the same negative effect as heat and baking.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
Fish oil contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Both are polyunsaturated fats (PUFAS) and can not be made by the body and are only sourced through a balanced diet.
There are two main long-chained fatty acids found in omega-3. They are EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). Most commonly know for their benefit to brain development and eye health. They’re considered essentials for pregnant or nursing dogs along with their growing puppies.
However, it’s a mistake to think that we should limit fish oil to pregnant or nursing dogs. Most dogs can benefit from fish oil. It can help older dogs with joint problems to younger active dogs who need long sustained energy that they can get from essential fatty acids.
Brain, Eye and Mental Health
It’s commonly unknown but DHA is a major building block of an mammals retina. A healthy retina means healthier photoreceptors. Which can benefit a dog or cats eye sight.
Fish oil can also help to manage tears or discharge around a dog’s tear ducts.
An animal’s brain is made of 60% fat and around a quarter of that is DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). So it’s no wonder that fish oil can benefit brain health.
The long-chain fatty acids may also help our pets brain cells to communicate. Thus benefiting their memory, brain development and anxiety levels.
Heart Health
Fish oil has been proven to show improvements in the function of endothelial cells. These cells help to control blood clotting and the propper expansion of blood vessels.
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) may help to raise your dogs HDL (High-density lipoproteins), good cholesterol. They don’t seem to have an effect on the LDL (Low-density lipoprotein), bad cholesterol.
Fish oil for cats and dogs can help to lower triglycerides. High triglycerides can lead to arteriosclerosis, the hardening and thickening of the artery walls.
The omegas positively affects the myocardium, a muscle layer in the heart that directly affects the pumping of blood, on a cellular and ion level.
Skin Health
The fatty acids help to form a protective layer of moisture around the skin. Your pets dry and irritated skin can be caused by low levels of omega-3. So boosting their intake can make a big difference.
Two of the main building blocks of fur and hair are proteins and essential fatty acids. Introducing a fish oil supplement into your animals life will help to nourish their hair follicles.
Making a Change
There are a few ways to improve your animals life with the introduction of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. If you can financially afford to switch your dog to a frozen raw diet then that’s ideal. However, for most people that’s not an option and that’s ok. Keep in mind, even if you feed a frozen raw diet to your dog or cat we still recommend adding a wild-caught fish oil supplement if your dog is active, pregnant, puppy or a senior.
Most of us will choose to add a fish oil supplement to our pets food. For the most part, it’s the most convenient and financially friendly option. When adding a fish oil supplement we always recommend looking for one that is wild caught and has few to none additive ingredients. Stop by our store to see the products we recommend.
If you are in a crunch you can try to introduce canned sardines, or other small fish, into your dog or cats diet. We found this to be extremely difficult. Most animals don’t like the taste or texture of canned fish. IF you do decide to take this route you want to look for fish that has no added salt, seasoning and is in water, not oil.
It can be intimidating trying to create a wholesome diet for your fur-baby. Different pets have different diet requirements or are flat out picky, and those picky eaters want a 5-star entree every night. That’s why we recommend you test things out and see what works best for you and your dog.
