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How to choose a supplement for your dog...
 When
choosing an Omega supplement, many owners face the dilemma of not knowing what is best for
their dog. Conflicting advice from the many suppliers along with a lack of overall
understanding of this complex health issue makes it hard to see the wood for the trees. Omega 3
research has shown it to be beneficial to humans and, more recently, to dogs as well - and for
all the same reasons, because, after all, we are after both mammals. So where and why has
nature gone wrong and landed us in a position where we and our dogs need extra Omega 3? Why
hasn’t evolution protected us and what has changed? Jon Szegota of March Laboratories Ltd (Ace
Canine Supplements) explains...
Without doubt the big
change has been agriculture. After more than 200,000 years of eating a hunter-gatherers diet,
we have shifted in only the last few thousand years to a diet based on foods we grow and raise.
Consumption of Omega oils has declined. So where are they derived from you may ask, nuts, meat
and fish - all once the mainstay of our diet - have now been partially replaced by cereals and
sugars.
And this trend has
applied to our dogs. They too show a decline in fresh meat and fish consumption with
carbohydrates and plant oils taking their place.
So what are
they and what do they do?
Omega
oils or lipids, often called fatty acids, occur naturally in most life forms - animals, plants
and algae. The word Omega is attached to them to signify that they are 'unsaturated,' a
meaningless term for the layman I know, but there we are. The three commonly known classes of
unsaturated oils are Omegas 3, 6 and 9, and they are all required by our dogs to differing
degrees for different functions.
The Omega 9 group
contains common oils like olive oil and rapeseed oil. It has been
known for a while that we do not need to eat Omega 9 and that the body can make its own supply
by modifying other fats that we may eat. On the other hand, it has been thought that Omega 3
and 6 are essential because we can't manufacture them from other sources. The latest research
on Omega 6 shows this not to be true for Omega 6 due to significant methodology error in
earlier research discovered by
University of Toronto scientist
Stephen Cunnane.
So forget Omega 6 and
9. Our dogs don't need extra. They will make their own! Indeed research shows that too much
Omega 6 is bad for our dogs because excess can depress many of the benefits that come from
Omega 3. This is because most Omega 6 fats increase inflammation. Therefore, we shouldn't
really consider adding Omega 6 to our dog's diet at all as there is plenty there in meat and in
the vegetable oils added to dried dog food.
So we are left with
Omega 3 – an essential component in their diet because our dogs can't make it for themselves.
The Omega 3 class has been shown to enhance cardiovascular function, reduce inflammation,
improve nerve transmission throughout the body, support the immune system and increase mental
capacity.
Dogs thrive
on the stuff!
Yes,
all the positive research results come from Omega 3 or, should I say, from some of the oils
(fatty acids) in the Omega 3 class. There are about ten common fatty acids in the Omega 3
class. We know for certain that three of them are really beneficial to dogs. These three
beneficial fatty acids are not found in plant oils which are derived from seeds or vegetable
matter.
Plant and vegetable
oils like flax/linseed, hemp, borage, starflower and sunflower etc. do contain a good amount of
Omega 3 fatty acids, but unfortunately not the three really beneficial ones for dogs.
Incidentally, for your information, the only three fatty acids that
have approved health benefits by the European Food Standards scientific review group are EPA,
DHA and ETA found in marine sources. Their chemical names are unpronounceable even for
me, hence the letters.
It was thought that another fatty acid called ALA,
found in flax and hemp oil, was convertible by mammals to give EPA and DHA. Recent research has
shown that this conversion is very limited (0.05% - 0.2%) and consequently supplementation with
plant Omega 3 oils does not raise the levels of beneficial Omega 3. There is a study in the
American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition
(Vol. 77: 226-233 - 2003)
giving evidence of this.
Some pet foods -
especially the kibble type - may have extra Omega 3 added. However, this may be a very limited
benefit because the amounts may be small and only pay lip service to consumer demand.
Additionally, the form of Omega may not be ideal. We have seen that Omega 3 and Omega 6
vegetable oils lack potency. If Omega 3 from fish oil is used, then it can oxidise in the air
both in production and in storage, loosing its effectiveness.
So where are we going
to get our extra good Omega 3s from you may ask if plant sources are a dubious source and it is
impractical to add them to prepared pet food. In nature, we humans get them from fresh meat and
fish - and not particularly from best steak or cod fillet either!
Why?
Because the good
Omega 3s are not found as free oils in nature, they are always bound to another component –
either to glycerine or phosphorous. Omega 3 is bound to glycerine to transport it around the
body to the cells where it is needed. Some is metabolised for energy like other oils, but a
small proportion is converted in the cells to phospholipids which is the only form in which
they do all their important work and convey all their health benefits.
With the exception of
some seafood e.g. the flesh of oily fish, good Omega 3s are only found in quantity in selected
parts of an animal such as the brain, offal and eyes, probably because this is where it is used
most.
Guess what - we don't
eat these much any more either. So to get your daily ration of good Omega 3, you must eat
animal brain, offal and eyes – or get it from seafood. I know where I will get mine, thank you!
Dogs, of course, will take any of the
above!
 So what
are your choices?
What
is the future?
Increased understanding of dog nutrition, often as a result of human health research, has
already begun to change the domesticated dog’s diet. We see an increase in raw meat feeding and
additional nutrients added to prepared pet foods. Reduction of carbohydrate content in pet
foods is on the horizon.
We can now feed
additional good Omega 3s from fish in various forms to suit our own and our dog's preferences:
- soft gels, liquid oils, pills and capsules or now latterly, granulated powder.
All three forms are
effective enough for most dogs, though there will always be a quality and price gradient to
separate them and give owners the ultimate choice.
 About
the author...
Jon Szegota is Technical Director of March Laboratories Ltd, whose Animal Health
Division researches and manufactures animal welfare products for horses, birds and dogs too,
through their Ace Canine Supplements brand.
With four dogs in the
family, he has first-hand experience of our canine friends and he is a keen dog agility
competitor to boot. Jon can be contacted by email at
jon@marchlaboratories.co.uk if you would
like further information.
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