Recently 3 studies were done by The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) that have indicated that diets rich in fatty acids may reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis in dogs and improved mobility and showed less pain. This is excellent news because we finally have the clinical proof that fish oil is beneficial to our dogs diets.
One paper titled, “A multicenter study of the effect of dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on carprofen dosage in dogs with osteoarthritis”, studied whether dogs with supplementation ended up receiving less of the anti-inflammatory drug carprofen. The dosage of carpofen was decided based on investigators’ assessments of 5 clinical signs and owner assessments of 15 signs of osteoarthritis. In dogs with supplemented diets, the dosage of carprofen they received decreased significantly faster over the 12-week study period that in the control group. The teams conclusion was that where dogs are receiving carprofen to reduce pain, a diet with increased omega-3 fatty acids will decrease the carprofen dosage required for alleviation of symptoms.
A second paper, titled “Multicenter veterinary practice assessment of the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on osteoarthritis in dogs” had researchers investigating the effect of food containing high concentrations of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids and a low omega-6–omega-3 fatty acid ratio on the clinical signs of osteoarthritis in dogs. According to the owners of dogs on a supplemented diet, their dogs had a significantly improved ability to rise from a resting position and play at 6 weeks and improved ability to walk at 12 and 24 weeks after starting feeding.
The last paper, titled “Evaluation of the effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis”, investigated the effects of a food supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis. The team concluded that dogs eating the supplemented food had improved weight bearing.
These studies did not state the type or grade of fish oil they used. However, most experts recommend supplement your pet’s diet with a pure pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Inferior fish oils can be contaminated with mercury and other toxins so it’s best to research the fish oil supplement you will be using.
On a personal note, we have used SeaLogix Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil with our dogs for over 6 years. We started using it, combined with a supplement called Agility, with our dog Storm who had severe hip and elbow dysplasia. Storm had both surgeries but we needed to keep him pain free. By the time he was 8 years old (he had both surgeries before the age of 1) he cried when he stood up or sat down. I believe, due to these two supplements, that Storm lived a pain free life for his last 3 1/2 years. He no longer cried and actually ran around our 5 acre property with the younger dogs. Many people have asked “why not just feed a food with fish oil in it or glucosamine or msm already in it?” My answer to this is that the food supplement with these items is great, however what happens when your dog needs more because he or she is still in pain? Do you just increase the amount of food? When you use supplements you can add extra (example in those harsh cold winter months) if your dog is hurting or decrease the amounts if your dog is feeling fine. If you increase the amount of food you’ll only end up with an overweight dog which in turn will cause more problems.
Learn more about SeaLogix Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil and how to compare your fish oil to Sealogix
