Beyond Fish Oil – Omega Fatty Acid Testing for Dogs and Cats
What Most Pet Parents Learn About Fish Oil Supplements
Let’s assume you are providing healthy daily amounts of omega fats for your dog or cat. You did your research. You know that there are lots of supplements on the market that contain ethyl esther forms of the omega fatty acids which are cheap substitute chemicals.
Tru Tip
Easy test: If you take a fatty acid supplement oil or take oil out of a capsule and let it sit in a styrofoam cup for about 15 minutes, if it is ethyl esters form, which you do not want, it will eat a hole in the cup.
You know that you can feed oily fish like mackerel, sardines and anchovies to provide omega 3’s without using a supplement. Or cooked egg yolks a few times a week. You know that heavy metals in the oceans such as mercury accumulate in the muscles and tissues of apex predators like salmon and other large, long-lived fish. You purchase only from trusted sources that have heavy metal tested the fish oil or you purchase krill or New Zealand perna mussel supplements. You may even have researched seaweed sources of omega fats and you wonder if you can keep your dog vegan or vegetarian with the rest of the family. (You can for DHA and shiny coat. You cannot if you want anti-inflammatory effects of omegas.)
More In Depth Fish Oil Supplementation Information
You may even be a veterinary technician, veterinarian, or pet parent who knows that their dog or cat needs at least 180 mg of EPA per 10 pounds (US) body weight to provide anti-inflammatory doses of EPA. And you know cats cannot convert plant sources of omega 3’s like flax and borage seed into any anti-inflammatory molecules in their body. You may even know that dogs covert only 2% of plant omegas into useful anti-inflammatory factors. You do your homework.
What Most Pet Parents Do Not Know About Fish Oil Supplementation
We Cannot Logic an Answer About How Much Omega Supplementation Your Pet Needs
Did you know that each individual dog or cat can vary wildly even from litter mates fed the same diet in their omega fatty acids composition of their red blood cell membranes? Did you know measuring the omega fats in the red blood cell membranes is considered the standard for measurement and it is a highly technical procedure fraught with opportunity for poor quality test results?
Valid, Accurate, Affordable, Simple Omega Fatty Acid Testing Now Available
Dr Truli now offers Omega Fatty Acids testing for her cat and dog patients. It takes 1-2 drops of blood and the laboratory is the premier human grade testing company, OmegaQuant. Recent research results (2017-present) have delineated arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ratio levels that demand higher omega-3 supplementation or feeding to reach therapeutic benefits. Sometimes a pet needs four times the label dose of omega 3’s to feel the benefits for their hips, knees, joints, heart and kidneys!
Why Test?
Why not just give more omegas? The biggest reason is that omega fats can accumulate in the body to toxic levels. Too much is not better. Another reason is they may be difficult to digest for some pets. And of course, good quality supplements are not inexpensive. Testing and knowing saves money.
Why Not Just Give More Omega Fats to My Pet?
- Too much may be toxic
- Difficult to digest
- Expensive
Dr Truli can help registered patients with testing, protocols and options for effective, environmentally sound, and safest omega supplements to provide your fur family. Testing may be incorporated into discounted annual blood work packages, added on to Essential Vitamins D3, B6, B12 Testing, or run by itself. Contact Dr Truli today to find out how to schedule an appointment about omega-3 benefits and how to get your pet started off on the right paw.
Phone/Text 813-714-7863
Email: DrTruli@VetVMD.com
Further Reading:
If you are just starting learning the basics: Tufts University Petfoodology
Basic Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids for Pets
Beneficial Effects on Kidneys when dogs are fed diets high in omega-3’s
Peer-reviewed research about omega-3 levels needed to alleviate osteoarthritis pain in dogs:
Increasing blood omega-3 levels helps relieve arthritis symptoms in older dogs
