[gmcbogger38]

Ok, so I have looked at Grizzly Salmon Oil and Alaska Naturals Salmon Oil. I like with Grizzly I can buy a 64oz pump bottle, since I have 3 dogs that is very nice. With the Alaska Naturals, though, they have a formula that also has glucosamine and chondroitin, but only comes in a 16oz bottle. My question is this: is it really worth buying the salmon oil with glucosamine and chondroitin or would it be best to buy them separate? I’m asking because I know some people think combos like that are gimmicks and I just want more opinions. Does anybody have any favorites? Also, would giving pollock oil be better or not?

[pugmomsandy]

Actually I would purchase one in an amount that could be used up in 3 months because they can become “old” with exposure to oxygen and light. My bottle of Nature’s Logic sardine oil suggests that. You would need to look at the dosages for the glucosamine and chondroitin per serving of oil to compare it to some other plain supplements and see if there would be enough. You can also alternate types of fish oils instead of using just one type. Right now I’m using krill and sardine oils.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, makes sense. I have a bottle of Nature’s Made Fish Oil for humans, so I want to use that first, anyway. I work at a pet boutique and a co-worker suggested going to an asian market and buying a giant tub of fish oil for cheap, but I figured that stuff would go bad eventually. There are just so many different kinds available and it is hard to decide what is best, but I like the idea of rotating. I can’t believe I never thought of that myself. Thanks!

[pugmomsandy]

You’re welcome. Same goes with dog foods…variety! Kibble, canned, raw, freeze dried, dehydrated, RMB. You can even just feed them some sardines from a can or whole raw for their dose of omega 3. I have 15 lbs of sardines in my freezer.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok. I want to get my feet wet with raw, so I want to rotate with premixes and add my own meat. Thing is the more I read about premixes the more it seems everybody’s dogs have more frequent stools from eating premixes. Will this not happen if I rotate?

[pugmomsandy]

Well…so far my dogs stools on various foods are pretty consistent and range from medium to extra small. I have dogs from 30 lbs to 13 lbs. When they eat reconstituted foods, they’re medium, when they eat kibble/canned, their poops are small, when they eat raw food, they poop out little bird eggs! For my dogs, the frequency is not increased as they are used to the changes and they are use to their p/p times. My foster who is regularly getting dehydrated/freeze dried foods mixed with some kibble has medium sized stools but not more frequent. He’s an unusually large pug at 30 lbs. Just poops 2 x/day. I always give digestive enzymes with these foods due to the veggie content.

[gmcbogger38]

Oh ok. I will definitely be giving digestive enzymes as well. Thanks again!

[DieselJunki]

I’ve head if you are going to use salmon oil that you should be making sure it says “from wild caught salmon”. Wild caught salmon aren’t fed grains like those ones that are mass farmed, making the oil better. I read it somewhere. I’m pretty sure there might have been other benefits too I just can’t remember.

[DieselJunki]

You don’t need the premixes. Honestly I think it would be a waste. I know it’s scary with the ratios but look at it like this. You want meat, meat, more meat, some edible bone, and some organs (not including heart, heart is considered a muscle meat). Bigger food is better as the dog has to rip and tear at it which helps with teeth cleaning.

[gmcbogger38]

I talked with a co-worker of mine this morning and have decided not to go with the premixes. I found a local butcher that can order meat in bulk and it is not very expensive. He told me to feed 80% muscle, 10% bone and 10% organ. Is this a correct ratio? It’s not that I don’t believe him, but I thought I read somewhere else online to feed only 5% organ meat. Would a whole chicken (neck and insides included), a turkey neck and a whole fish be considered one single meal for a 115 pound dog? I have 2 other dogs, 60 pounds and 20 pounds, so I know I can just figure out the amounts to feed them based on how much I feed my 115 pound dog. I just don’t know how to formulate a meal. I know how much, in pounds, to feed based on the 2-3% of body weight and I know it is beneficial to fast them one day per week. I just don’t know how to plan the meals out right now and that is what is worrying me. Would I even need fish oil if I feed fresh frozen fish 2-3 times per week? Would I even need any other supplements or will the diet cover that?

[theBCnut]

I’m in a rush, so I’m going to quickly say it’s 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs. More later.

[pugmomsandy]

gmcbogger38,

Check out the Raw Dog Food Menus section for some ideas. Also some good reading is “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown and some books by Tom Lonsdale “Work wonders, Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones”, Dr Pitcairn, nutritionist Lew Olsen. There’s a recipe book by Becker/Taylor “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” that I used when I first started making my own raw. You can also buy quality items from Hare-Today Gone Tomorrow and My Pet Carnivore.

[pugmomsandy]

Here’s a calculator: (I had to give it a few extra seconds to fully load)

https://docs.zoho.com/sheet/published.do?rid=b0tmj473545ba069b41f7a257419f949ed7a5

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely check out those books and that calculator is really helpful. Thanks!!

[theBCnut]

I add in a superfood of some kind, usually 3 to 5 different ones actually, like seaweed/algaes, berries, sprouted grasses, etc. for the micronutrients and antioxidants. I also keep a premix on hand for those times that I am in a hurry or I don’t feel like fiddling with all of it. I started with one recipe that was easy and then got a couple books, Steve Brown and Dr. Karen Becker. That gave me something to feed until I had done enough research to fell comfortable and something to research. At first I just modified the recipe I had with different meats, then I tried a few more recipes, then I started out making my own. I probably have some or 6 or 7 different recipes in my freezer right now.

You can make large batches and portion it out and freeze it. You can get grinds that have all the meat, bones, and organs, so all you have to do is figure out what extras you want added. There are endless ways to do raw. The thing to remember is that like with a human diet, every meal does not have to be balanced as long as they balance over time.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for the advice! It is just that some raw feeders feed raw with a whole lot of supplements, some feed with less supplements and then others say no to supplements. I guess I just want to make sure I don’t over do it or under do it. I know I am probably over analyzing this, but I know that raw fed incorrectly can be detrimental to a dogs health. But since my dogs are still eating mostly kibble, should I just switch one meal per day with raw and then after a week or so switch all to raw? Or just fast one night and then start raw cold turkey?

[theBCnut]

For going all raw a lot of places suggest fasting and switching cold turkey. I still feed some kibble due to the rest of the family being squeamish, so I started by using raw as a topper for kibble, then increasing the amount.

As far as supplements go, if you are feeding whole prey, head and all, everything your dog needs should be in there. Any part that is missing takes away some necessary nutrients. Even then, due to pollution and environmental factors, I still want my dog to get extra antioxidants.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thanks!

[InkedMarie]

If by chance you have a dog with allergies, be careful what you buy. I’ve been told that the mixed tocopherols in some of them contain soy. I have an allergy boy who can’t have soy. I buy sockeye salmon oil from Vital Choice, more costly probably but it’s just salmon oil.

[GSDsForever]

Interesting point, InkedMarie, re the mixed tocopherols/Vit E — wouldn’t have thought about that.

I’m using Trader Joe’s . . . wonder what theirs is from . . . though my dogs haven’t had problems with soy. I just know it’s natural vitamin E, unlike the competitive priced Costco one, and non-GMO sourced (as all their labeled stuff is).

[GSDsForever]

gmc,

I use Grizzly’s wild Alaskan salmon oil, don’t recommend the combos. No, Pollock is not better; it’s inferior & cheaper (cf guaranteed analysis), offered instead because Grizzly’s experienced a wild salmon shortage this past season apparently.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thank you!!

[theBCnut]

Non-GMO pretty much leaves soy out of the equation. At least you would hope.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by theBCnut.

[pugmomsandy]

Mercola just got stocked with non-soy E just a few months ago.

[InkedMarie]

Sandy,
I don’t know if I’m missing it but I can’t find the salmon oil you mentioned above, at Mercola. Can you link it? Thanks!

[pugmomsandy]

Oh, the one just above was just me saying Mercola got in non-soy vitamin E (since Patty mentioned soy above that). I use Mercola krill and Nature’s Logic sardine oil.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t use any fish oil sold in pumps and/or marketed to pets. My dogs get Carlson brand fish oils only. I get the capsules, store in the fridge and puncture with a thumbtack and squirt on their food. They’re currently getting one capsule of cod liver oil and two capsules of salmon oil complete (with astaxanthin). I throw out any capsules I haven’t used within three months. Good fish oil is expensive and should have no odor.

[InkedMarie]

HDM: I use a pump, for humans, by Vital Choice. I would think that’d b okay by you. I store it in the fridge, too.

[Hound Dog Mom]

With pumps I worry about air leaking in and causing oxidation. I’ve never seen pump oil sold for humans, that’s interesting, but the only two pump oils sold for pets that I know of with airtight pumps are Mercola’s and Welly Tails’. I’ve seen the Vital Essentials products on Swanson and they look high quality, I haven’t seen their pump though – as long as it’s airtight it should be fine.

[InkedMarie]

HDM: this is the only human pump I’ve ever seen. Vital Choice used to have a pet pump but they don’t anymore. The bottle comes without the pump; only an 8oz bottle so it doesn’t last long!

[gmcbogger38]

I have a whole bottle of Nature Made fish oil caps. Will that be ok to give them?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Definitely.

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thank you!

[Andrew B]

Both Virgin Salmon Oil and Krill Oil are excellent sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. I have use virgin salmon oil from last 1 year for my dog in regular diet. It works well.

[Audrey C]

Hi Andrew. Are you using salmon oil from the health food store–the same you would use for yourself as a supplement? How much does your dog weigh and how much do you mix into his/her food? Thanks, Audrey

[Andrew B]

Hi Audrey, Many brands of salmon oil are available in the market. I have use Grizzly Salmon oil and Virgin salmon oil for my dog and both are my top choices. And, I use 1000 mg for my 50 lb dog.

[Audrey C]

Thanks, Andrew. I’m going to try this on my dog (same size as yours) and start cooking more salmon for him (and me!). Audrey

[Aaron M]

Has anyone here heard of Kronch Salmon Oil? I met a vendor of the product at a pet show and was thinking of buying it on Amazon — their salmon oil is a little bit more expensive but it’s cold pressed which means it has higher nutrient levels. I used to use Grizzly salmon oil but I got a spoiled one from the store and their customer support wasn’t any good, I’m thinking of switching to Kronch. Has anyone had any experiences with this company before?

[Author]

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