The Benefits of Fish Oil to Your Dog's Health

Fish oil is probably the most important supplement you can add to your dog’s diet, regardless of what type of diet you feed. EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, provide widespread benefits, but they are fragile and unlikely to survive storage in bags of kibble, or may be rancid even before being added to pet foods. Krill oil and whole fish also provide EPA and DHA that may be better absorbed, providing similar benefits in smaller doses.
BENEFITS: Proven benefits from EPA and DHA include:
Improving the coat and skin.

Reducing inflammation due to conditions such as arthritis, allergies, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Regulating the immune system, boosting those that are suppressed and calming overactive immune systems for dogs with allergies or autoimmune diseases.

Aiding in mental development of fetuses and puppies, and improving cognitive function in older dogs.

Lowering blood pressure and triglycerides.-Providing support for dogs with kidney disease, heart disease, and cancer.-Promoting weight loss in overweight dogs.
There have been studies done to show that the Omega 3 in real fish is much more bioavailable to the dog than the Omega 3 in capsules. Studies have shown that a far greater amount of capsules are required to equal the bioavailability of EPA/DHA in real fish.....in other words, the nutrients in the real fish are going to be recognized by your dogs body and utilized more successfully than the capsules.

It is far more beneficial to feed your dog real fish over using capsules. There is so much more in the way of nutrition in real fish, in comparison to feeding a fish oil capsule. Real fish has many valuable nutrients to nourish your dog and keep him in optimum health.
Unfortunately we have no idea what happens to a product once it is shipped from the supplier. What may have started out as a very good quality product may be something quite other than that by the time the consumer buys it. Most are transported long distances by rail or truck with no consideration about the temperature. I doubt that many are shipped in refrigerated containers. The better solution might be to feed the dog the real deal. Add some kind of safely harvested oily fish to his regular food each day. My experience is that the cost is not really greater than some of the supplements out there. My aussie's annual vet visit two weeks ago resulted in quite an exclamation regarding the great quality of his coat. As we all know coat condition provides a strong indication of over all health. We have to assume it is as a result of the salmon added to his food every day.
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