Quote Originally Posted by Nobas Mom
Quick question as it is the weekend and my vet is closed. He recommended giving Noba 1000 mg of Fish Oil a day to help with his hip dysplasia. I take fish oil capsules on a regular basis just for vitamin purposes. Are these are alright to give to him??? Or do they make special ones just for canines??
Your dog can take the same gel caps that we humans take. Dogs will usually gobble them up, as they luv the taste. The only question is how much to give? With my 80 lb lymphoma puppy I typically gave her 4000 mg 2X daily. The most common side effect if too much is given is diarrhea. In which case just give less.

When your Vet recommends fish oil s/he is really recommending the Omega-3s in the fish oil. It matters not whether you get regular fish oil, salmon oil, or cod oil, as all contain the same amount of long chain Omega-3 fatty acids. There are now preparation where they concentrate the Omega-3s from fish oil. Of course they tend to sell at 2X the price of the regular fish oil. The properties of the Omega-3s are:

1. Anti-angiogenic (i.e. inhibits blood vessel growth). This is important in cancer puppies.

2. Mild anti-inflammatory properties. Useful for both cancer, and arthritis.

3. Suppresses T-cell function. Useful for rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Normalizes serum lactic acid levels. Useful in cancer puppies.

5. Inhibits blood clotting. May be contradicted for Hemangiosarcoma.

All of the above properties are documented in scientific studies as opposed to blog sites. Do not substitute in flax oil for fish oil. In fact flax oil has the potential for increasing inflammation due to precursors to Omega-6 fatty acids. So indeed stick with the fish oil as the Vet suggests.