Why Salmon Oil Boosts Your Dog's Health

Welcome back to all my frequent readers, and a very warm welcome to any new readers as well! I know that many of you are gearing up to celebrate the holidays, and the topic of salmon oil couldn’t be any less relevant, but indulge me for a bit. Today I wanted to write a bit about the benefits of fish oil, salmon oil specifically, for dogs.

See, salmon oil can be festive!

This post is sponsored by the amazing people (and pets) over at Chewy.com. They recently sent us a bottle of NaturVet salmon oil to try out and review. As always, all opinions expressed are my own, and we strive to share only items we feel our readers and their pets will benefit from.  This post contains affiliate links.

I know I’ve mentioned somewhere here before that I give my dogs, notably Kitsune, fish oil supplements. It’s one of the more common supplements you’ve probably heard about for both dogs and cats. Have you ever wondered why that is the case – how can fish oil benefit pets anyways?

I’ve been giving my own pets fish oil for quite awhile now. I started giving it to Kitsune after we discovered that he had developed arthritis in his hips. One of the many benefits of fish oil is that it helps to promote healthy joint function, and can help reduce inflammation. Fish oil, in combination with a few other supplements, have worked together to sooth Kit’s arthritis enough that I was able to fully take him off of prescription pain medications! Some of the benefits of supplementing with salmon oil can include…

• A boosted immune system
• Relief from skin allergies
• Improved cognitive function
• Protection against auto immune diseases
• Improved skin and coat health
• Potential protection against cancers
• Improvement of stomach/digestive issues
• Protection against heart disease and stroke
• Renal support/protection
• Reduced inflammation throughout the body
• Relief from arthritis pain

How can one supplement do all those awesome things? It’s all about the EFAs – the essential fatty acids. Specifically, for dogs, you want to pay close attention to omega 3 and omega 6. EFAs help promote optimal health, but dogs’ bodies can’t produce them themselves. They need to obtain EFAs from their diet. Insufficient amounts of omega 3 and omega 6 have been linked to health issues such as gout, dermatitis, liver disorders, renal issues, skin and/or coat issues, eczema, allergies, and compromised immune systems.

Omega 3 fatty acids specifically have been shown to reduce inflammation, which can help a number of health conditions.  Omega 3s are primarily found in fish. Dogs eating commercial diets, or even homemade diets that do not contain a lot of fish, may not be getting enough Omega 3 to be beneficial. In addition to low levels of omega 3 in most foods, omega 3 is also very sensitive to both heat and light. Although many commercial pet food companies add omega 3 supplements to their foods, it is usually destroyed when the food is processed. This is why adding a fish oil supplement to your dogs’ food can be so beneficial, even if you are already feeding a food that says it contains omega 3s.

Are there any possible side effects to offering fish oil supplements? While fish oil supplements are generally considered safe, always pay close attention to dosing instructions. Potential side effects can include weight gain, stomach issues (nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain), and fishy smelling breath. Chances of side effects increase with higher dosages. Fish oil supplements are not recommended for pets who have recently had surgery or are otherwise healing from injury, as anti-inflammatories can lead to longer healing times.

Are all fish oils created equal? I’ve used the terms fish oil and salmon oil seemingly interchangeably in this post.  It’s important to note that, while salmon oil is technically a fish oil, there’s a difference between pet products sold as salmon oils and those labeled as fish oils.  While salmon and fish oils both contain essential fatty acids, salmon oil is generally higher quality and contains a higher concentration of EPAs.

Up until recently, I was giving my boys fish oil. I only just recently started using NaturVet Salmon Oil for them. Although I haven’t been using this product long enough to really speak to how well it works, I will say that NaturVet is a brand I have used before and trust. They also manufacture Allergy Aid, a supplement that has really helped Kit to deal with his environmental allergies.

NaturVet salmon oil comes in small gel caps. The instructions say to dose with one gel cap per 15 lbs of body weight. My dogs don’t really like swallowing pills, but it’s easy to puncture the gel caps and squeeze the oil out over their food. Neither one of them has had any issue eating the oil this way.

NaturVet Salmon Oil, as well as hundreds of other pet products, are available online through Chewy.com!

Comment below!  Have you ever supplemented your pet with fish, or salmon, oil?  What are some other supplements you’ve used that have helped your pet(s)?