At the time. I was a subscriber to the American agility magazine Clean Run where I came across an article on fish oil for dogs entitled The 5 Supplements Every Dog Needs - Part 2 (January 2006) where salmon oil was regarded as the second most important supplement for dogs.

I was already interested in the effects of salmon oil and Omega 3 & 6 as I was taking them myself for the various health problems. I knew that Omega 6 fatty acids are naturally found in grains, and other plants and animal-based fat sources. The normal dog's diet is rich in these oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oils and flaxseed oil. Unlike humans, dogs lack the enzymes necessary to obtain it from flax seed oil.

I had already done quite a bit of research into the types of oil and the ways different manufacturing methods affected it, so I was fully aware that not all oils were the same. The Grizzly Salmon Oil, recommended in the article, seemed even better than the oil I was taking which, I might add, was rather expensive!

Research indicated that salmon oil can increase the survival time of cancer patients by 30-50% and it can increase the length of remission for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

We decided to start all our dogs on it, not just Henry.
Two of our dogs compete in agility, and the first thing I noticed with the agility dogs is they ate their food! They have a specialist food for performance dogs, and will not eat it dry. I was making a special chicken stock for them twice a week but then they would go off it! No problems with the fish oil though, and it was easier for me, too! We also put Henry on a low carb diet with Grizzly Fish Oil Supplement as I had read that if can increase the survival time of cancer patients by 30% - 50% and can increase the length of remission. 

Henry came to agility training and loved it, especially the contacts. He also competed at an Agility Addicts show and got a clear round! He was half bald from the chemo. The hair never completely grew back and had sterile cystitis another problem he was left with from the chemo, but we do believe that the salmon oil supported him through cancer treatment as it really takes its toll on the body. Without the salmon oil, I believe he would not have survived nearly as long and in as good a health as he enjoyed.

Henry died in April this year, 18 months after being diagnosed. He'd gone for seven months without treatment and, I have to say, until the last three days when he went downhill quite quickly, he was in considerable good health.

Then in May this year I found myself with two - think I must have forgotten to take my salmon oil, my brain must have been starved -  Miniature Schnauzers puppies. I have started them both on salmon oil, because DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid found in high potency natural salmon oils such as Grizzle has been shown to improve learning in puppies. They love it though I am not sure how much gets absorbed into those beards as they gobble up their food! I am hoping they give me many years of fun in agility.

The 5 Supplements Every Dogs Needs (Part 2)
Clean Run (January 2006)

Because of the recent research on EFA’s, some pet food companies are supplementing certain select diets with fish oil. This is a step in the right direction. The effectiveness of this new development is questionable though because due to their chemical structure, EFA’s are inherently unstable and reactive. This means that they easily oxide (go rancid).

In fact, EFA’s are rendered useless by exposure to heat, light, and air.  So, even if there are plenty of EFA’s in the food to begin with, if it withstands processing and sitting around on the store shelf, as soon as you open the bag and expose the food to air, EFA’s begin to deactivate. For this reason, I prefer that my patients be supplemented with fish oil that can be properly stored and applied to the food, fresh with each meal.

It is important to carefully research any fish oil supplement to see how it is harvested, packaged, preserved, and tested. To maintain the integrity of the EFA’s the oil must be processed with as little exposure to heat, air and light as possible. Also, because fish can be a source of mercury and other toxins, it is imperative that the fish used come form unpolluted waters and that testing is done on the oil to ensure purity.

My fish oil supplement of choice is Grizzly Salmon Oil. This supplement meets the above requirements and has stood the test of time, helping many patients at my office regain health.

By Douglas Knueven DVM

Reprinted with the permission of Clean Run Productions LLC, www.cleanrun.com