[newmom]

Please help..Charlie is 40-50 lbs. a rescue pet. He is just over 3 yrs old. I know he can benefit from Omega3 or salmon oil or another type. Shedding like crazy ad dry skin. How much should he have and how often? Where can I purchase it and is human type safe for pets? The costs seem to go all over the map in pet stores and vit. stores. Cost is a factor due to major medicinal needs of spouse and I. I have no idea how to use oil supplements.
I appreciate any advice you can share.

[anonymously]

Supplements are not medication, they are not FDA approved. They are food supplements, not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure….read the fine print.
Perhaps you will find some helpful information here:
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

PS: Consult with a local vet, tell him your financial concerns, he will advise you accordingly.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by anonymously.

[anonymously]

Your dog may have environmental allergies, that will cost a few bucks to get under control, it just doesn’t go away. Perhaps that was why the dog was given up. See what a veterinarian that has examined the dog recommends.

[newmom]

Thank you to all who responded. I am aware of the purpose of supplements as opposed to medicine. Charlie does not have allergies, he has been checked by his vet regularly. He is a shedder…thick, rich full coat 12 months of the year. When he is bathed and given a good conditioner, it adds softness and luster to his coat but this is temporary Brushing is also his favorite pastime….I’m ready to create his clone with all the hair. I was hoping that some type of oil would help. I mentioned the financial aspect only because the same bottle/containers of oil(s) can double in price from one outlet to another. I hoped someone had a suggestion for a reasonable cost…I look for value for my dollar. I should not have mentioned our personal medical costs, the factor is practicality. Thank again for the responses.

[anonymously]

Malaseb shampoo is gentle, my dog with allergies is bathed once or twice a week with it (per instructions from her dermatologist).
Check Chewy.com

What breed is Charlie? Some breeds just naturally shed a lot…

PS: A fish oil capsule per day may help, I just use the human kind from the local drugstore.

[newmom]

Thank you so much..I will definitely look into the shampoo. Charlie is a Black Mouth Cur, the AKC also refers to the breed as Black Mountain Cur. Their coats are very thick all year round as they were bred for the outdoors–herding, hunting…(not your pointer type dog, he basically searches for quarry and keeps it at bay) guard duty (boy, is he good at that!) and general outdoor work. He is happiest roaming the fields and “helping” when my husband goes out to work. He has become a bit spoiled as he spends the snowy winter days in the house more than outside as he does in the other three seasons. He doesn’t mind the cold, but he hates the snow.

I’m glad to know that the human capsule of fish oil is okay for him. He has his own peanut butter jar, now he will have his own fish oil bottle. He’s kinda special!

I will check out Chewy.com right away.
Again, thanks a bunch.

[anonymously]

Is he drinking enough water? Maybe add a little to his kibble.
He sounds like my Corgi, she shed constantly, but was easy to groom otherwise.

PS: About once a week give him a grooming outside, I used a thing called a shedding blade.
Anyway, a ton of hair would come out. I occasionally caught the birds carrying the fur away for nesting material. So, it went to good use.

Example:https://www.chewy.com/conairpro-dog-shedding-blade-large/dp/43160

[Jackie B]

My vet advised Omega 3 supplements for my dogs’ cardiac health, and I’ve been using whole canned sardines (packed in water, no salt). One sardine is the right daily dose for a 20 lb dog, according to several websites I used for research (a 3.5 oz can has 2 sardines). The trick is finding no-salt sardines! My local groceries have about 10 brands of sardines, but only one of them is water packed with no added salt. I think mackerel or salmon would also work– but all of those sold near me have salt.

[Donna V]

If Fish Oil is too costly, you can try using Coconut Oil. You do need to slowly build up to the suggested serving size for your dog’s weight or it can cause loose stools. If you start increasing the dosage and you notice loose stools, simply back down on the dosage. Coconut oil is beneficial for their skin, digestive, and immune systems; metabolic function; and even their bone and brain health!

For dogs:

Large-medium sized breeds: 1 measuring teaspoon to start, gradually increasing to 1-2 full, generous tablespoon size (measuring or eating type) over the course of 1-2 weeks. Add to food once a day and serve.

Small-toy dog breeds and puppies: 1/2 – 1 measuring teaspoon to start, increasing to 1 full tablespoon over the course of 1-2 weeks. Add to food once a day and serve.

[Cannoli]

Hi Newmom,

I skip the Omega 3 pills most of them are useless as the fish oil has gone rancid and the Omega 3 has degraded and oxidize over time. Time and heat is the killer of Omega 3 and those pills sitting on the shelf are pretty much rotten fish oil you are feeding to your dog.

Big jars of extra virgin organic virgin coconut oil (about 4lbs) can be bought on amazon for less than $20 and it lasts 3-4 months on a daily usage. I rob my 65lb dog with coconut oil every weekend and feed it to him for every meal.

Fresh frozen whole sardines are $3 at the super market. You can get 12 of them for $3 . Which has a tone more none oxidize Omega 3 than human pills.

Mackeral and herring is extremely cheap to buy as most humans don’t like the smell and strong fish flavor. I see those in the supermarket everyday for sale.. They can’t wait to get rid of them

[Susan]

Hi Newmom, follow Rodney Habib on his Face Book page he’s a Pet Nutrition Blogger, or on “Planet Paws” F/B site, https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPaws.ca/?pnref=lhc
I’ve learnt so much about healthy feeding & Rodney has a his videos, how to make frozen Coconut oil with Berries treats & freeze also videos about kibbles being unbalanced & are very high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3, causing health problems in dogs, like skin problems, joint problems etc he has a video at the moment about chicken, “Is chicken bad for your dog” cause chicken is so cheap a lot of kibbles are chicken, the problem is chicken is high in omega 6, Pro anti-inflammatory & very low in omega 3 which is anti-inflammatory & dogs start scratching & people think my dog is sensitive to chicken, like me, every time Patch ate raw or cooked chicken, he got a red swollen back paw & started to itch & scratch his body, but when he ate a premium kibble with chicken in it, he was OK???, now I’ve realized the kibble was probably balanced with omega 3 it was 1/2 of the omega 6 what it should be & Patch didn’t get his red swollen paw & itchy skin….but when he ate raw & cooked chicken it was tooo much omega 6 causing his red hot paw & itchy skin, so now when I buy a kibble I rotate between different brands & different proteins,
I read the Omega 6% & 3 % & make sure the omega 3% is either 1/2 of the omega 6% or nilly 1/2 of the omega 6%. Rodney said if it doesn’t say on the bag of kibble or on the kibbles site then send the kibble companies an email & ask them for their omega 3% & omega 6% & tell these kibble companies what it should be & I will not be buying your crappy unbalanced kibble till you improve it… we need to stand up to these big kibble companies & show them we are not stupid & are educated about our pets diet..
I give raw almonds about 3 almonds a day for a dog a day, I eat 1/2 an Almond & give Patch the other 1/2 of Almonds I give as a treat & his coat has become real shinny, google foods that are high in omega 3, I also give some peeled apple pieces as a treat, dogs that have skin problems also need Vitamin C in their diet…. you can buy Dog Vitamin C in Australia we have Natural Animal Solutions http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php
There’s a lot of good info on Jacqueline Rudans site she’s a animal Naturopath..

Go to Aldis & look for Tin Sardines in Spring Water or Olive Oil you can give 3 small sardines a day added to one of his meal, Sardines have Vitamin, A, C, D, B-12, B-6 Calcium, Iron & Magnesium, sardines are very healthy to add to your dogs food, Aldis sell tin of Sardines for 59c in Australia…I’d add Sardines to a meal instead of buying any fish oil supplements…unless they’re made in New Zealand
They did a study on Fish Oils in America & 70% were rancid they were off before the bottle was even opened, they tested a fresh just opened bottle of fish oil capsules & they were rancid off..then they tested New Zealand Fish oil supplements & the New Zealand made fish oils were fresher & hadn’t gone rancid yet….
I like giving fresh whole foods instead of supplements, also for skin problems make sure your bathing weekly baths in a good medicated shampoo I use “Malaseb” medicated shampoo on my boy, the Malaseb shampoo kills any bacteria on their skin & soften their skin/fur when you bath you wash off any pollens & allergens on the dogs coat, Patch feels so soft after his bath, when Patch is real itchy cause of environment allergies I have to bath him twice a week to relieve his itchy skin & red paws…

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