Fish Oils: The Right Balance

[Skruffy n Flea]

hello

i have two small dogs; one 8 kg, the other about 7.

in the morning, they each get just under a 1/4 cup of black hawk [contains emu oil providing omega 3, 6 and 9, and vit e supplement].

in the evening, each get:

a heaped teaspoon of raw chicken or lamb [human grade heart smart];

a heaped teaspoon of [atm] chicken barf;

2 heaped teaspoons of raw pulped veg [spinach, celery, carrot, zucchini, alfalfa, pine nuts (high vit e source)];

a small teaspoon of low fat cottage cheese;

a squirt of tomato paste (high vit e source);

a teaspoon of acv; and

a teaspoon of melrose cod liver oil.

i remembered this thread from ages ago but i made a mistake the other day thinking that as long as the fish oil product contained vit a, all would be fine UNTIL i got home and read that i needed to balance fish oil with vit e!

are the vit e sources i've described above [and also contained in the black hawk dry food] enuf to balance with the CLO?!? am i overdoing omega 3!?!

i also have about a 1/3 bottle of melrose fish oil 18/12 that i'd like to use up. could i use a teaspoon of that too or substitute the CLO for the fish oil instead? or alternate!??

thanks for your input

[JulesP]

The black hawk should be balanced for its own ingredients so you can't count that.

Do you have a reason for needing extra fish oil?

The main reason that I feed dry in the morning and raw at night is so I don't have to add any vitamins etc to the raw.

The person that had the vit e problem was feeding a pretty high dose of the fish oil.

[poodlefan]

Cod liver oil doesn't provide Omega 3, (it supplies Vitamin D) and shouldn't be fed constantly. I would not feed it more regularly than every alternate month.

Tomato paste is loaded with salt and nightshade family vegetables are not great for dogs. I'd suggest a better source of Vitamin E. Sunflower oil is one.

I suggest rather than going for every meal balanced, go for balance over time. If the Blackhawk has Vitamin E and other supplements, then I'd say you don't need to feed another Vitamin E one.

How about just giving chicken wings or other RMBs every few meals and cracking the odd egg into the raw food? Or buy a balanced oil blend from the health food shop.

Edited February 16, 2011 by poodlefan

[Red Fox]

Try Melrose Omega Pet Oil instead, its a balanced blend of Omega 3, 6 and Vit A, D and E.

http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/health_pro...e-Omegapet.aspx

As for your diet I agree with PF - forget the tomato paste it's way too salty.

I'd either give some BARF patty or raw mince/meat chunks and veg mix or a small RMB (chicken wing or neck, small piece of lamb flap, etc) or a couple of sardines with a little plain yogurt or cottage cheese and/or a raw egg. Balance over time, not all in one meal

ACV is good for replacing lost electolytes, you can add it to water or meals. Probiotics are also good (IMO). However if you're already feeding dry in the morning there's no real need to complicate things by adding extra supplements all over the place. Your dogs don't need a huge amount of Vit E either.

[Skruffy n Flea]

thanks for your replies --- it's a lil late here and altho there's not a lot of info to digest, i need to think about your responses...

i've also been out, and i've had a wee bit of alcohol, so...

[Skruffy n Flea]

The black hawk should be balanced for its own ingredients so you can't count that.

Do you have a reason for needing extra fish oil?

The main reason that I feed dry in the morning and raw at night is so I don't have to add any vitamins etc to the raw.

The person that had the vit e problem was feeding a pretty high dose of the fish oil.

hey jules

i get your point about black hawk, and it makes sense...

i add fish oil to their evening meals cuz both my dogs [one in particular] suffers from itchies that don't manifest in any particular circumstance [but heat and or humidity aggravate the situation] nor does it have any particular appearance on the skin [ie, no flakes, no spots, no redness, but maybe some flushing] and both appear to leave the occasional scratch mark on parts of the body --- i've been told [and have read] that fish oil [and acv] will help their immune system and skin barrier and so i'm doing what i can to work it into their diets and to have the greatest impact without detriment...

my feeding routine is based on the same principle as yours, but i wish it were that simple

[Skruffy n Flea]

Cod liver oil doesn't provide Omega 3, (it supplies Vitamin D) and shouldn't be fed constantly. I would not feed it more regularly than every alternate month.

Tomato paste is loaded with salt and nightshade family vegetables are not great for dogs. I'd suggest a better source of Vitamin E. Sunflower oil is one.

I suggest rather than going for every meal balanced, go for balance over time. If the Blackhawk has Vitamin E and other supplements, then I'd say you don't need to feed another Vitamin E one.

How about just giving chicken wings or other RMBs every few meals and cracking the odd egg into the raw food? Or buy a balanced oil blend from the health food shop.

thank you poodlefan for your advice --- oddly, i thought CLO contained omega 3 and i've now got a mamoth bottle of the stuff! cor blimey, the mistakes we make huh? i've not used it since reading your post in the wee small hours of saturday morning but i am very interested to know how much and how often i can feed it to my dogs; to not feed it more regularly than every alternate month isn't so clear to me...

if what julesp [above] wrote about black hawk is true [and it makes good sense] and if i need to add omegas to my dogs' evening meals then i need to ensure that i am balancing that with vit e, and tomato paste [cuz i had it available and the dogs were already accustomed to it*] and from what i read, is one of the foods that is said to contain the highest form of vit e:

Types of Vitamin E Foods

•Many foods are rich in vitamin E, particularly green vegetables. But to receive the recommended dose of vitamin E, you would have to consume nearly 3 lbs. of lettuce per day. As such, fortified foods and particular foods that are high in Vitamin E offer a smart alternative. Foods containing the highest levels of E include fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, nuts, vegetable oils, turnip greens, tomato paste, pine nuts, peanut butter and avocados.

Read more: Food Sources of Vitamin C & E | eHow.com

*it also helps with tear staining

i'll be glad to stop with the tomato paste and use instead sunflower oil and if i can get my head around it, go for balance over time...

as for being able to buy fish oil with vit e; i've looked and living in sydney, you'd think i wouldn't have a problem and you're right, i don't, except that i can only get it [or can only find it available] in capsule form --- neither of my dogs eat them like treats and so i am left to pierce one or two or three each and that's messy business, tiresome, laborious, tedious and time-consuming...

i give my dogs every few days a lamb rib or a pizzle stick each during the day as a treat --- as for the raw egg; i am working on it as i am with introducing sardines *puke* to their diets...

[Skruffy n Flea]

i am taking a long time to post replies because i am also researching some of the poster's suggestions

[Skruffy n Flea]

Try Melrose Omega Pet Oil instead, its a balanced blend of Omega 3, 6 and Vit A, D and E.

http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/health_pro...e-Omegapet.aspx

THAT is exceptionally brilliant!!! why, in all parts of sydney that i shop, did i NOT find that product available last friday!??!

As for your diet I agree with PF - forget the tomato paste it's way too salty.

yup, it's off the list --- i'm now gunna try my hand at making pizza!

I'd either give some BARF patty or raw mince/meat chunks and veg mix or a small RMB (chicken wing or neck, small piece of lamb flap, etc) or a couple of sardines with a little plain yogurt or cottage cheese and/or a raw egg. Balance over time, not all in one meal

it's not like i've not read these things before but for some reason, the way you've put it seems doable --- kind of like a weekly menu!

ACV is good for replacing lost electolytes, you can add it to water or meals. Probiotics are also good (IMO). However if you're already feeding dry in the morning there's no real need to complicate things by adding extra supplements all over the place. Your dogs don't need a huge amount of Vit E either.

i used to add ethical nutrients probiotics to their evening meal and yup, with everything else, it got really complicated so i stopped what i could and got back to close enuf to basics and started again --- it's the vit e component that has me mostly concerned BUT if i can get my hands on that melrose product, then my worries are over in that regard...

thanks

[Red Fox]

S&F-

You can buy the Omega Pet oil online if you're having trouble finding it. I get mine from the local health food store so check them out. Most stock Melrose products and should be able to order it for you if they dont have it already.

I use the Ethical Nutrients Probiotics Powder too, it's great, really easy to use as you just sprinkle a little over the food each night. If you are wanting to boost your dogs immune system probiotics are a good idea IMO.

as for being able to buy fish oil with vit e; i've looked and living in sydney, you'd think i wouldn't have a problem and you're right, i don't, except that i can only get it [or can only find it available] in capsule form --- neither of my dogs eat them like treats and so i am left to pierce one or two or three each and that's messy business, tiresome, laborious, tedious and time-consuming...

Try piercing the capsules with a splinter picker then squeezing them into the food. It's still a PITA, but not messy