Hi, I was wondering do any of you add Fish Oil to your dogs daily food, and if so what brand is better and more economical? Thanks Helen x
Re: Fish Oil Salmon oil is supposed to be really good Helen but its hellish expensive and according to my Vet , giving a tin of pilchards or sardines is just as good and a heck of a lot cheaper, plus the dogs seem to love them too !
Re: Fish Oil What are the benefits supposed to be? I often think I should give Riley extra something but with the exception of his tummy trouble when he was younger he seems healthy and happy so I've drawn a blank as to what that should be :
Re: Fish Oil Its the Omega Oil thats supposed to be a good all round health supliment , for the coat, skin , organs etc. but to be honest , if they have a healthy diet and are fit and healthy looking , I dont think anything suppliments are necessary , a bit like humans who take lots of multi vitamins etc. when they already eat a good healthy diet , its a waste of money . Suppliments are ok if a dog has been poorly, had an op or needs a boost due to pregnancy etc . but not for a young fit dog . The only thing I ever gave mine when they got older was glucosomine with chondroitin for their arthritic joints, its really good and seems to help too x
Re: Fish Oil Any fish oil is great for coat, skin and joint health. However, cod liver oil has been proven to delay the onset and reduce the impact of arthritis in people and animals. My girls get a capsule of Boots own cod liver oil (as do I ) in their breakfast every day, sometimes it's Holland and Barratts, whichever is on offer. One word of warning, do check vitamin A levels in any fish oil supplement that is not specifically veterinary, often human fish oils are fortified which is fine for people but damaging to dog livers. If you want to improve coat quality, reduce moulting and get rid of any dander then try borage oil instead, it's good for joints too (not as good as the fish oil) sometimes sold as starflower. A week or two makes a huge difference.
Re: Fish Oil we give jasper one cod liver oil cap a day, my vet suggested this when he was 11 week old,
Re: Fish Oil Obi gets a tin of sardines for dinner every day. His predecessor, Nicolae, ate over 5000 tins of sardines over his life. Not sure exactly what effect it had but he did have a very good coat all his life (14). Our vet recommended the sardines.
Re: Fish Oil You can give a small ammount with their regular food as pups Lynne , just remember to reduce the ammount of food to compensate for adding the sardines
Re: Fish Oil Sorry back on this thread again. Yes Kate Fish Oil is extremely expensive so the Sardines it is . I gave Hattie & Charlie a 120g tin each of Sardines in Olive Oil (is Olive Oil is as good as Fish Oil?) but reduced their kibble accordingly. My question is, is 120g too much per dog? Thanks Helen x
Re: Fish Oil Helen, we were recommended the Omega-3 fish oil capsules by the specialist vet when we went aboul Lilly's hips. You can pick these up pretty cheaply in supermarkets and chemists. Although these all vary in the exact amounts depending on brand, in practice, he didn't feel it made a big difference which we used. He recommended twice the adult dose - so the high strength ones we buy she gets one twice a day with her food. Maybe not so tasty as the tin of sardines, or grizzly salmon oil, but another option for you to consider if needed. She does get the tin of sardines as a treat too at times! jac
Re: Fish Oil Helen, olive oil does have healthy properties but I'd guess that they'd use cheap stuff in tins of sardines which is possibly not as good as fish oil. That's just my guess. But the oil in the actual sardines is where the action is so I don't think it'd matter what the sardines are packaged in - you still get the benefit of the sardines. We feed Obi sardines in tomato sauce as well as the ones in oil - either way, he gets the sardines
Re: Fish Oil Thanks Debsie and Rachael, both dogs don't have any health issues just wanted to maybe help revent any with the use of fish oil. Should I give that amount though 120g each dog every day or just a few times a week and do I reduce their kibble accordingly as I would be concerned that I am reducing other nutrients? Helen x
Re: Fish Oil We feed a 125g tin every day (I just asked hubby to check the weight of the tin and at the sound of the 'sardine drawer' opening Obi leapt off the bed (yes, my bed) and went racing off in the hope of a second dinner). Whatever amount you feed I'd reduce the kibble a bit on those days to compensate for the kilojoules. Sardines are a beneficial food, so dropping the kibble a bit won't lead to any nett loss of nutrition. I would be pretty sure about that.
