There have been a few posts I’ve done where I have mentioned the fact that my mom puts fish oil on my food (most recently she’s been using Grizzly Salmon Oil). However, I’ve noticed that I haven’t quite explained why fish oil is a good part of my, or any dog’s or even cat’s diet. So today is all about the importance of fish oil and a little something called omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Fatty acids are incredibly important and can often be made within an animal’s own body. There are fatty acids, however, that need to be supplemented. Those are known as essential fatty acids (or EFA). Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids fall under the category of EFA. High levels of these EFAs, specifically omega-3, have been known to drastically improve many facets of well being for dogs as well as cats. One of the biggest benefits is improvement to an animal’s skin and coat. That is the biggest reason I get fish oil in added to my food every day. I am incredibly prone to dry skin, especially in the winter, due to the heating in our house. By treating the health of my skin with fish oils, my itching goes down and my coat looks glossy and feels soft.
Omega-3 has also been shown to improve heart health and can be incredibly beneficial to aging dogs and cats who are at an increased risk of developing heart problems. Another thing that often effects older animals that can be helped with omega-3 is joint stiffness as well as slow down the progression of certain cancer cells and kidney disease. If that weren’t enough, it has also been shown to maintain and enhance the immune system, reduce the symptoms of allergic dermatitis, and fight inflammation and inflammatory disease!
Not to mention, fish oil is just plain tasty.
So, if you haven’t already, maybe you should look into adding fish oil into your pup’s food. If you have any questions, or have a pup who has specific food allergies, make sure you check with their veterinarian.
Happy tail wags!
Source: The Honest Kitchen, Grizzly Salmon Oil
You see that? No, not my mom’s chipping nail polish; the little green thing. That, my lovely friends, is a dehydrated bean from a green bean. It’s not some unidentifiable grey mush, it’s not an overly processed piece of kibble, it’s an actual piece of a green bean. And you know what else I have seen in my The Honest Kitchen’s Force? The orange pieces of sweet potato, the green of the organic kelp, and little flecks of rosemary. Sure, the best of the kibbles that have whole ingredients like chicken (let’s not even talk about the ones that have by-products. By-products? Really? Would you ever eat an animal’s by-products?) are fine and dandy, but wouldn’t you want your dog to eat food that’s been so lightly processed that pretty much all the nutrients remain in the food, not sprayed on in the end? I don’t know, maybe I’m just being a silly puppy. 
