Supplementing your Pet's Diet: Omega Fatty Acids

How to Choose an Omega Supplement for your Pet

Though pet nutrition has advanced and there are many holistic options available, there has been an influx of information over the past few years about the need to add supplements to our pets' food in order to meet their "specific" nutrition and health needs. Your pet will greatly benefit from added supplements, like omega fatty acid. Pets, like us, require omega fatty acids to help ensure good health, and they aren't necessarily getting the correct amounts or ratios from their pet food. Follow these three steps and you will be able to choose the appropriate supplement for your pet.

Step 1:  Evaluate your pet's health

All pets can greatly benefit from an omega supplement as not all foods provide omega fatty acids, and not all foods provide the optimal ratio of them. There are some definite tell tale signs that your pet is experiencing a deficiency in omega fatty acids. You will typically notice the following:

• Dull coat color, lacking a radiant sheen
• Dry, flaky, cracked skin
• Suffers from allergies
• Experiences joint stiffness and joint pain

 Many people only supplement omega fatty acids for skin and coat health, but the benefits are far reaching. Omega fatty acids are critical to proper brain function, retina function, a reduction of harmful inflammation throughout the body, and the daily maintenance and production of cell walls.

Step 2: Learn the difference between Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s

One of the most important things you need to know is that omega-3’s produce an anti-inflammatory response within the body, while omega-6’s produce an inflammatory response within the body. This is why the ratio between them is so important, and should be taken into consideration when choosing a product to supplement.  Many pets (and humans) suffer from an omega-3 deficiency. This leads to inflammation within the body, which can increase the prevalence of disease throughout the body.

How can you tell which fatty acids are omega-3’s and which are omega-6’s? The majority of manufacturers list them on the packaging, and you will see them under their appropriate abbreviations. EPA, DHA, and ALA are all omega-3 fatty acids.

LA, AA, and GLA are the most commonly listed omega-6 fatty acids. The most important omega-3 fatty acids to pets are EPA, DHA, and ALA. All of these are essential for life, but they come from different sources. The omega-3 fatty acid ALA comes from the ingestion of seeds, nuts, and vegetable oils. The health benefits of flaxseed oil are largely credited to the ALA that is naturally occurring within the seed.

However, the beneficial ALA that is obtained from flaxseed oil must be converted into either EPA or DHA, and pets are not efficient in the conversion process. This means that some of the benefits are never realized. This is the primary reason fish oils have surpassed flaxseed oil as the most commonly used omega supplement for pets.

Now knowing that pets are most often deficient in omega-3’s, you want the product to contain as much of these fatty acids as possible, while minimizing the amount of omega-6’s. There isn’t an exact ratio to seek out, but you should look for products that contain a ratio of 8:1 or more. By doing so you ensure that you increase the omega-3’s while decreasing the amount of omega-6’s to achieve balance within the body. Omega-6’s are still essential for healthy living, because of the helpful inflammatory responses to injury, sickness, and disease.

Step 3: Choose your source of Omega Fatty Acids

Now that you know what the omega fatty acids are, and where they come from, you can select which supplement you need, and how you want to administer it to your pet. Below is a list of the six most commonly used omega supplements, and their benefits.

1. Flaxseed Oil: Rich in the omega-3 fatty acid ALA, flaxseed oil is a good skin and coat supplement. The anti-inflammatory properties helps regulate skin conditions such as allergies, while also benefiting dogs that suffer from joint problems. This is a good supplement to rotate into your pet’s diet, but because ALA must be converted, you will need to supplement other products that contain EPA and DHA.
   
   
2. Soybean Oil: Soybean oil contains the omega-3 ALA, as well as the omega-6 LA. Linolenic acid helps optimizes skin permeability to fight off bacteria and infections. It will also have the same anti-inflammatory properties as flaxseed oil. You should note that if your pet is allergic to soy, they are also likely to be allergic to soybean oil.


3. Cod Liver Oil: This is one of the newer oils on the market for pets today. Cod Liver Oil contains high quantities of the omega-3’s DHA and EPA. This concentrated source of omega-3’s helps relieve joint stiffness, improved cardiovascular health, and helping with wound repair with the skin and coat. While not as popular as salmon oil, Dr. Ian Billinghurst, creator of the BARF diet, recommends that you give this over any other omega supplement.

4. Pollock Oil: This oil contains both omega-3’s and omega-6’s, but the ratio between them is around 13 or 14: 1, which is amongst the highest ratios in all natural fish oils. The benefits of pollock oil are numerous. It is the best oil to supplement for improved skin and coat health. It also helps maintain cardiovascular health, the nervous system, eyes, and a high fertility status.

5. Coconut Oil: This oil lacks the essential omega-3’s, but contains a lot of omega-9’s and omega-6’s. Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants, and contains antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-fungal compounds. It is also the richest source of lauric acid, which naturally fights yeast infections and parasitic infections. This product can be consumed, or used topically directly on your pet to help heal wounds, and relieve itching.


6. Salmon Oil: Salmon oil is the most widely available omega supplement for pets. It contains a high ratio of omega-3’s to omega-6’s. Many people use this as a skin and coat supplement, but it is a better brain supplement. Fish is brain food for humans and pets. You want to seek out wild caught, cold water salmon oil from Alaska if possible. This will ensure that it isn’t contaminated, and the omega-3 levels will be much higher than farm raised salmon oil. 

Final Thoughts

Your pet will greatly benefit from an omega fatty acid supplement, but like anything related to the health of your pet, please consult your veterinarian or nutritionist before doing so. Along with supplementing one or more of these oils, you should also look to include whole food sources that contain essential fatty acids where possible.

A healthy coat should have sheen, and the skin will not be dry, cracked, or brittle. One of the most obvious times to supplement more omega fatty acids is during winter. During winter your pet is often kept indoors, and the heating in your house will cause a dull coat and flaky skin. This is a time where you should be boosting the amount given. As a general rule you should supplement between 20-55mg of omega fatty acids per pound of body weight for dogs and cats. While you may only supplement 30mg/lb for most of the year, your pet will benefit from a 15-20mg boost during winter.