Fish Oil and other supplements

[BigD]

I do feed kibble (Solid Gold) and have had good succes with it for both my dogs. They also get supplements.

 

We had been using Missing Link powder and things seemed ok. I had both dogs using the chondriton/Glucosamine (sp!!!) enhanced version of Missing Link. The problem with it was that it made their teeth HORRIBLE - lots of build up and gunk and just generally nasty.

 

So, when that bag ran out, I switched to striaght Salmon Oil. It's called "Grizzly Salmon Oil" and contains salmon oil and rosemary extract:

 

Omega-3 = 26%

DHA = 9%

EPA = 8%

Omega 6 = 3%

 

for one "pump" or about .12 fl oz (my big boy gets 2 pumps, little girl gets one pump per day)

 

Now, I want the Omega 3, etc for the coat and skin, but this stuff is NOT cheap. ($30 for 16 FL oz!)

 

So - questions:

 

What's a good, CHEAP way to get the dogs Omega 3's?

Is there an alternative to Missing Link that is NOT powder?

 

Thanks,

 

Denise

[Shelby Kennels]

My dogs have been on Missing Link for years. Sometimes when I get run down I'll take the human version for a while.

 

We went to RMB which took care of the teeth goop problem. I take my RMB's - pour on a glop of olive oil, add the Missing Link to the oil, and rub in like a paste.

 

A friend of mine that did not want to go raw all the way gives her dogs turkey necks as a treat once or twice a week to clean their teeth and she is very satisfied with that.

 

It would take a massive problem for me to give up my Missing Link!

[BigD]

Hi Kim -

 

By RMB's you mean raw bones?

 

I'm limited in the availabilty of meat here. It's all shipped over (most of it) from the mainland and costs a fortune!!! Due to many factors (cost being #1 here in Hawaii) we cant' go raw. (Imagine a world with no butcher shops...sigh...I'd give my left arm for a good steak...just don't take away the sushi!)

 

If you couldn't go raw at all - is there anything you'd suggest?

 

Thanks,

 

Denise

[airbear]

Originally posted by BigD:

What's a good, CHEAP way to get the dogs Omega 3's?

Fish body oil (NOT cod liver oil), sold in 1000 mg capsules, cost me about $12.99 for 200 capsules (the dogs get one each every morning). What you're looking for is a ratio of about 180 of EPA to 120 of DHA (info can be found on the bottle). Mine was called Salmon Oil Capsules, and was found in the vitamin section of my local Safeway. The capsules are those gelatin things that my dogs think are treats.

 

My vet has told me to stay away from cod liver oil as a supplement because, while a good source of Omega-3, in order to deliver the appropriate levels of Omega-3, you would have to give a dose that would add an awfully high amount of vitamins A and D (which can build to toxic levels because they are fat-soluble vitamins).

[urge to herd]

Denise,

 

I feed a good quality kibble, and have had the same issues with tartar build up. For the last couple months, the dogs have been getting frozen kongs every morning. The filling is well moistened kibble, with pupmkin sometimes, or maybe some cottage cheese or canned food or left over meat from our dinners the night before.

 

I just checked their teeth, and they look really, really good. Sammi's teeth are almost completely clean, and Shonie's build up is just on the very back teeth. I think that chewing the frozen food has helped enormously. It might work out for your guys, too.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[Shelby Kennels]

Also..

 

For a nice dose of omega oils I feed canned salmon once a week. When I find it on sale I buy by the case. Even when I fed kibble olive oil was a staple in my house to add to the dog food.

 

It sounds like Ruth has had good luck with the frozen kongs...I do shy away from anything frozen solid hard as I am afraid of damaging thier teeth.

[SQinAZ]

People at the dog park have been commenting on Beck's shiny black coat for months now...and the only thing I can figure out is that she has been eating the cats' canned food. *LOL*

 

So that my cats would not starve, I started sharing their canned food with Beck last summer, on top of her dry food. (Otherwise the cat bowls would clang to the kitchen floor and Beck would be seen trying to slurp the top layer of plastic off of these bowls after finishing the food...).

 

Hopefully, this is giving Beck the Omega 3's that she needs, since my cats love fish cat food.

[Deanna in OR]

We also use the Grizzly Salmon oil. I don't use it every meal, though--just 2 or 3 times a week, and that seems to keep our girls' coats nice and smooth. I add it to their Innova kibble, 2 squirts per dog. They love it.

 

I know the stuff is quite expensive, but those squirts must not be very big, because the larger size bottle last for a couple of months, for 2 dogs. So it seems worth it to me--just a few cents per meal. And it is very easy to add.

 

Deanna in OR

[juliepoudrier]

I use organic flax oil capsules to give my dogs Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. I have a friend who grinds flax seed for her dogs for the same reason. (You can get all sorts of supplements at Puritan's Pride: http://www.puritanspride.com ). They often have good sales. (Thanks to Melanie for pointing me in their direction some time ago.)

 

I also add either canned salmon or canned mackerel to their kibble at least once a week.

 

I give a vitamin E capsule daily as well.

 

For fat supplementation, I give safflower oil.

 

J.

[BigD]

Thanks folks...I'll look into all this...

 

We used to do the frozen kongs and there was a HUGE difference in their teeth. I stopped because I got tired of stuffing 10 kongs every 5 days. Maybe I should go back...it did make a huge difference and kept the dogs busy for an hour.

 

Denise

[BigD]

Julie -

 

On your use of canned Salmon...I"ve read horror stories on the "content" of farmed salmon. Yikes. I don't eat it myself for those reasons. Is that a concern of yours at all? Or do you have Alaskan Salmon in cans out there? (Lucky dogs!)

 

Also, I found some fish oil caps at Costco today. They did not say what type of fish oil they were. Just "fish oil concentrate" and a whole list of other things that make up the capsule I guess. Seems I should stay away from that, no?

 

Denise

[urge to herd]

Denise,

 

I'm returning the fish oil caps and Vit E caps I got at Costco here, they both smelled awful, a very strong chemical smell.

 

As economical as it is to buy in bulk from those stores, I think for my supplements I'm gonna have to buy smaller amounts at places where I know the stuff isn't on the shelf as long. Sigh.

 

Good luck in your hunt for good stuff for your dogs.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[juliepoudrier]

Denise,

Well the can says Alaskan salmon on it, but I don't know if that constitutes a guarantee that it's really fish caught in the wild as opposed to farm raised. I split one can between 6-7 dogs, and they actually probably get mackerel more often than the salmon (since it's about half the price of the salmon), but to be honest I haven't actually thought about it. Now I'll have to do a little research and see what I'm really getting.

 

I eat salmon a lot when I eat out. Guess I'll have to start asking about that too. But then is it really worse than the stuff that goes into much of the other meat we get at the store?

 

Ruth,

Check out the Puritan's Pride link above. If you watch the site, they will have a buy 2, get 3 free sale every so often, and I've found the flax oil and vitamin E I get from them to be just fine.

 

J.

[BigD]

thanks Julie -

 

I was trying to find a local source to cut down on shipping costs to Hawaii. But if it's not pineapple or poi, they don't seem to have it here!

 

The salmon thing I heard on NPR a year or so back. As I'm not a big eater of salmon as it is, I didn't pay much attention. Then I read about it in the paper and heard some other family members discussing. I don't remember the reason(s) why it's bad, but everyone thinks it is. I doubt it's worse than eating chicken or steak, but I think the issue was the fact that it IS just as bad and not "better." As so many folks thought.

 

Let us know what you find, if anything...and thanks again for the info.

 

Denise

[juliepoudrier]

Denise,

I didn't have a lot of time to search, but it seems that pacific (including Alaskan) salmon is generally wild, whereas Atlantic salmon varieties are the types that are usually farm raised.

 

I couldn't find any data more recent than that in the NPR report to which you referred, but that report noted that salmon from Chile had the lowest organochlorine content, and salmon from the US and Canada was somewhere in the mid-range.

 

So I don't think eating salmon occasionally will hurt you, but it certainly can't hurt to ask if it's farm-raised. In one of the sites I pulled up it was noted that the risks from organochlorines might actually be outweighed by the benefits of the omega fatty acids, though I guess that would presume that you aren't eating salmon for every meal.

 

Oh, I do remember the NPR report stating that the high levels of organochlorines in farm-raised fish were due to the feed containing fish (thereby concentrating the amounts of organochlorines). Since then apparently people farming salmon have gone to a more vegetable-based feed (as of last year vegetables made up about 60 percent of the feed). Assuming they are still doing this or have even increased vegetable-based feeds while continuing to reduce fish-based feed, then one would expect the levels of organochlorines in farm-raised fish to be correspondingly lower....

 

I will just assume that the Alaska salmon I buy canned is indeed wild-caught, since it's not one of the varieties normally farm raised (at least as far as I can ascertain).

 

J.

[BigD]

Good to know...Pacific salmon is the way to go if you have a choice.

 

Thanks,

 

D

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Canned salmon is a staple of my cat's diet (supplemented with organ meats, extra taurine, extra oil, and a multivitamin, plus it's not the only meat the cats eat). I get it at Aldi for 99 cents for a 15 oz can - it specifically says on the can, "Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon." The dogs also get it every now and then.

[juliepoudrier]

Rebecca,

What is Aldi? I pay around $1.70/can at the grocery store.

 

J.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

There's a couple in Raleigh I think. I get the staples there for about 2/3 what I'd pay at a grocery store.

 

It's also where I get chicken quarters for 39 cents a pound. All house brands, very little selection (but you can get all the basics, just only one brand of each one, usually), and of course you bring your own bags and bag it yourself.

 

Home page: http://aldi.com

About Aldi: http://usa.aldi.com/about_aldi/start.html

Raleigh locations: http://tinyurl.com/abvjh

[BigD]

Aldi is great for stocking up. Buy 20 get 10 free! That sort of thing. No Aldi here...sigh.

 

We pay $7 for a box of cereal. A can of tuna is $1.80. Gotta pay to ship it out! Or shop at costco and buy 50 cans for $.50 each.

 

Denise

[Piper]

Hey, chiming is here. Most canned salmon is wild and is pink salmon...not a salmon I would eat myself if you paid me, but one dogs/cats love...

 

Also, just on my soapbox, eating wild salmon IS better for you, and it also supports the fishermen who caught it, farmed salmon I've heard can be high in mercury (or lead) and isn't any better for you than eating steak (I think someone wrote that above).

 

I like salmon and luckily I live in an area where I never have to buy it, but I also NEVER order it in a restaurant unless I know for sure it is wild and even then I question it. If you like salmon and eat it regulary, make sure/ask if it is wild. If the package isn't marked and/or the waitperson has no clue, chances are it is farmed.

 

Remember, friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon.