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| My Sweet Boxer x Pit Bull Robbie |
In This Article...
- The Importance of Providing a Balanced Intake
- Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Health Benefits of Omega-6 Fatty Acids
- Selecting a Good Product
- Good Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Guideline for Typical Daily Dosage of Omega-3
- Good Sources of Omega-6 Fatty Acids
- Guideline for Typical Daily Dosage of Omega-6
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids To Be Avoided - Not Safe!
- Cautions
- Drug Interactions
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are very important for the overall health of a dog and cat. Conversely a lack of good-source omega fatty acids can create many health issues, from allergies to cancer, fur and skin problems, heart disease and a host of other problems as you will see further below.
Insufficient daily intake of Omega-3 fatty acids can contribute to or cause behaviourial problems such as stress, anxiety, depression and aggression.
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1.0 The Importance of Providing a
Balanced Intake of Omega-3 to 6
Balanced Intake of Omega-3 to 6
1.1 The Impact of a Balanced Intake
The intake of Omega-3 and Omega-6 must be balanced correctly. Failure to do so can result in health problems. An out-of-balance ratio can disrupt the balance of pro and anti-inflammatory agents in the body leading to chronic inflammation.
- Inflammation is a trigger for many inflammatory diseases such as:
- Allergies;
- Arthritis;
- Cancer;
- Diabetes;
- etc.
As the body does not store Omega-3, daily intake of sufficient Omega-3 is essential for overall health and well being.
1.2 Correct Ratio Of Omega -3 to Omega-6 Fatty Acids
To strike the right balance - your dogs overall dietary intake (from food, supplements) should be in the range of 5:1 - meaning 5 parts Omega-6, to 1 part omega-3.
The actual ratio of supplementation of Omega 3 and 5 fatty acids will depend on what type of diet your dog is on - the reason for this variance is based on quality of diet.
- Highly Processed Food Diets
- Dry processed food (kibble) and many wet (canned) foods are too high in poor quality Omega-6 fatty acids, and low in quality Omega-3 fatty acids.
- Grain-in processed food (dry or canned)results in an escalation of poorly balanced Omega 6:3 intake - you can read more about that here.
- And making matters worse:
- Many treats - cookies, chews, etc., include very poor source Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, may contain grains and other inflammatory agents which adversely impact your dogs, cats overall daily omega 6:3 intake.
- Supplementation of fatty-acids for the above diets will need to bring the overall diet closer to the normal 5:1 intake - to do this you will need to add a good quality Omega-6, and several good source Omega-3, your actual supplementation ratio may be 1:2, resulting in supplementation of i.e. organic coconut oil + wild fish oil + hemp seed hearts or hemp seed oil + organic kefir, or yogurt.
- If you are feeding your dog raw dehydrated or raw fresh/frozen in which the meat is sourced from factory farm-raised (CAFO) animals additional supplementation with a good quality Omega-3 is recommended.
- If you are feeding pasture-raised, grass fed, or organic raw - incorporating coconut oil and a good-source omega-3 oil provides added benefit to your dogs, cats overall diet.
- Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA);
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and;
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
2.0 Health Benefits - Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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| Yes my boy is smiling - Dogs do smile, you can read about that here |
2.1 Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help Avoid, Control, Treat,
Remedy...
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Atopy
- Support optimum brain function
- Bone health
- Digestive disease
- Eosinophilic granuloma complex
- Excessive blood clotting
- Flea allergies
- Hair/fur problems
- Helps prevent cancer growth
- Heart disease
- Learning difficulties
- Lowers the amount of lipids (i.e. cholesterol, triglycerides) circulating in the bloodstream
- Immune-mediated skin disease
- Inflammation throughout the body
- Inhibits thickening of the arteries
- Kidney disease
- Reduces risk of obesity
- Seborrhea
- Metabolism regulation
- Military dermatitis
- Maintains fluidity of cell membranes
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are one of the many healthy, natural nutraceuticals that can be used in combination with anti-inflammatory herbs as an effective and safe alternative to steroidal (i.e. Prednisone) and non-steroidal (NSAIDs such as Metacam) that have very serious health risks. You can read more about natural anti-inflammatories here.
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| Robbie with Sarah my GSD x Husky |
3.0 Health Benefits of Omega-6 Fatty
Acids
Omega-6 Fatty Acids Help...
- Build cell membranes and support cell health
- Dry coat
- Mycoplasma
- Regulate Blood Clotting
- Seborrhea
Not All Sources of Omega Fatty Acids Are Equal...
It is also important to understand that although Omega 3 and 6 can be found in many food stuffs not all sources of these fats offer quality or safe nutrition.
4.0 Selecting a Good Product
4.1 Decide On Your Approach
It is also important to understand that although Omega 3 and 6 can be found in many food stuffs not all sources of these fats offer quality or safe nutrition.
4.0 Selecting a Good Product
4.1 Decide On Your Approach
How you choose to supplement depends on your life-style, personal priorities etc...
- Pre-blended Supplement all-in-one liquid or soft-gel
- If your priority is time-efficiency over quality than your best bet is a pre-prepared, pre-blended supplement that provides (or claims to provide) a full spectrum of omega fatty acids (3-6-9);
- This may save you time but you may end-up sacrificing convenience for quality if you do not choose the product wisely;
- If you choose the pre-blended product you will also need to decide if you are going to use a liquid supplement or a soft gel supplement.
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| Various examples of pre-blended, made for dogs and cats Omega 3-6-9 Supplements |
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| A few Examples of Organic Human Food-grade, safe for Dogs and Cats Omega 3-6-9 Supplements |
- Single Source Whole Food Products:
- You may instead prefer to use single source products that you add yourself to your companion animals food;
- This choice can provide you with more flexibility as to the quality of products as you can select the type and quality of the omega-3 and 6 you use;
- For example you may decide to use Norwegian Krill Oil for omega-3 and organic virgin Coconut oil for Omega-6.
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| Made for Pets and Some Made for Humans Single Food Source Omega-3 Fatty Acid Oils |
4.2 Whats My Preferred Approach?
I prefer using good quality human food-grade whole food products such as Carsons Cod Liver Oil, or Nordic Naturals Krill or Salmon oil along with coconut oil, olive oil, flax seeds and a piece of real fatty fish added to my dogs and cats meal once a day.
4.3 Read The Product Label for Quality Assurance
Next it is so important to read product ingredient lists - and here is why...
- Omega-3 Fa
