Essential Fatty Acid Supplements For Dogs

Coatex essential fatty acid supplement is administered as a solution to dry scaly or itchy skin.

Essential fatty acid supplements for dogs.

Essential fatty acids for dogs include omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids. Omega rich food supplements are particularly effective when it comes to helping your dog s dry skin. Omega 6 is the only fatty acid that can withstand the high heat in which dry commercial dog food is processed. As such dogs rely on their food to get this essential fatty acid.

However dogs are not very good at transforming ala into either epa or dha. Essential omega 6 fatty acids include linoleic acid la gamma linolenic acid gla dihomo gamma linolenic acid dgla and arachidonic acid aa. Omega 3 fatty acid is a type of fat that has numerous health benefits both for canines and humans. You can also find efas in nuts and seeds such as flax seed chia seeds and walnuts and in plant oils including flax seed oil rapeseed oil and sunflower oil.

Fatty acids are further grouped into categories including omega 3 and omega 6 each with its own specific biochemical structure. Essential fatty acids or efas are those fatty acids that a species requires that it can t make from other sources. By choosing omega 3 6 supplements for dogs you ensure that your dog will receive the necessary essential fatty acids. Vegetable oils including flaxseed oil canola oil walnut oil and soybean oil can provide dogs with another omega 3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid ala which is a precursor to epa and dha.

It s polyunsaturated fat meaning that our furry friends are not physiologically capable of making their own. Key omega 3 fatty acids are alpha linolenic acid ala eicosapentaenoic acid epa and docosahexaenoic acid dha. Omega 3 and omega 6 are mostly found in fish oils especially in those from cold water fatty fish such as salmon mackerel tuna herring and sardines. Omega 3 controls hormones that aid the immune system.

Essential fatty acid supplementation has been used in the management of sebaceous adenitis in some dogs in conjunction with topical shampoos as this approach is likely to be safer than using immunomodulating drugs that could have adverse effects. Omega 6 fatty acids are good supplements for conditions such as allergies diabetes osteoporosis cancer high blood pressure and heart disease. Essential fatty acids are not only beneficial for humans but for dogs too. Omega 3 and omega 6 in dog food.