Fish Oil benefits for dogs | Pet Health Blog

Fish oil has become a very commonly used supplement in veterinary medicine for both dogs and cats. It helps with a variety of ailments, is quite affordable, and can be given with other prescription medications. Omega-3 fatty acids that are in fish oil have shown to be beneficial for a variety of conditions from skin disorders to heart and kidney disease to arthritis. It is even helps healthy pets have a shinier coat.

Fish oil was initially used primarily for skin problems in pets like allergic dermatitis, but now veterinarians are finding that the omega 3 fatty acids in the oil also help many other regions in the body. The fish oil helps decrease inflammation by increasing beneficial levels of prostaglandins which makes it useful for a wide variety of conditions.

In previous years it had been thought that flax seed oil was essentially equivalent to fish oil. It is now understood that fish oil contains DHA and EPA already in their active form and doesn?t have to be further processed by the body to be beneficial. If you are currently using a flax oil product, you should instead switch over to fish oil to see the benefits. Many pets lose the ability to process flax seed oil into its active metabolites especially if they are older or unhealthy.

The amount of fish oil you should supplement does depend on the specific condition you are trying to improve. Generally speaking a good dose to start with is 40 mg of fish oil for each pound of body weight (for example a 10 lbs dog would need 400 mg of fish oil daily). You can always ask your veterinarian on the dosage they recommend based on your pet?s medical needs. Many pet foods have started to incorporate extra omega 3 fatty acids. These diets aren?t necessarily bad, but they often don?t contain enough fatty acids to really get a beneficial effect. You should still go ahead and supplement with additional fish oil either in a liquid or pill form.

Fish oil is quite beneficial for both sick and healthy pets. It has many health benefits throughout the body that it is a fundamental nutritional supplement that benefits both cats and dogs.

Source: http://forbetterpethealth.com/fish-oil-beneficial-for-a-variety-of-conditions/37800/

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