Most people have never thought about using salmon oil for their dogs. We’ve all been pretty well educated about the benefits for humans, but salmon oil for dogs is a great supplement to give them that can have all sorts of benefits and help cure or prevent multiple different diseases and conditions as well. Salmon oil is high in the omega-3 fatty acids DHA, and EPA that are both essential fatty acids that are necessary to keep everything working the way it should.

Salmon oil helps older dogs keep their brain function sharp and can have a huge effect on arthritis and is well known as an anti-inflammatory supplement. It also helps the brain development in younger puppies as well. But there is a whole host of other benefits of giving your four-legged bestie some salmon oil.

• Salmon oil has been shown to improve the overall health of your dog. DHA and omega-3s are so important for so many different functions. Liver, kidney, and heart health and function all have been positively affected.
• Fights heart disease in your dog.
• Cancer seems to be on the rampage lately, even in animals. Salmon oil not only will help prevent cancer but it can also help slow down the spreading and progression of cancer once it’s been diagnosed. There are also some other conditions that are caused by cancer like cachexia (muscle wasting) which have been helped with Salmon oil.
• Overweight dogs are helped by Salmon oil as it helps promote weight loss.
• Fight inflammation. Dogs are also prone to inflammation caused diseases like arthritis. Salmon oil helps a ton! If your dog has swollen and painful joints, then this will help a lot. The oil will also help with other conditions because it fights inflammation throughout their entire body. So itchy skin conditions and gastritis are helped as well.
• Skin allergies are not just an inconvenience, they can be painful too. Salmon oil will actually help build a barrier of healthy cells in your dog’s body so when they come in contact with grass, pollen, dust or some other allergen, their skin is less likely to have a negative reaction.
• If you love a shiny and soft coat on your dog as much as we do, then again, Salmon oil to the rescue. Because you are giving your dog something that will help their coat and skin from the inside out, it’s easy to see why their coat would be beautiful and soft.
• Salmon oil is great for maintaining healthy immune function in your dog. Because of all the other great things the oil is helping to prevent and support, your dog’s immune system will naturally be less taxed trying to fight all of the other negative things off and they will have a higher immune function.
• Brain and cognitive function is improved and salmon oil is essential to help older dogs maintain their cognitive function, and in puppies it is essential for healthy brain development. DHA is a huge factor for developing pups and their development.
• Omega-3s play an important role in helping the cell membranes throughout your dog’s body stay healthy. If you want a healthy dog, then start with healthy cells.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease is helped significantly with Salmon oil.
• Lowers triglycerides and blood pressure in your dog.
• If your dog has an overactive immune system or other autoimmune diseases, Salmon oil will help calm their immune system.
• Helps dermatitis.
• Helps improve renal function and kidney problems.
• Helps with Eczema and other skin conditions.
• If your dog has gout, or poor wound healing, Salmon oil will even help with that.
• Help produce more collagen for your dog.

What are the recommended doses for a dog?

Good question. You definitely don’t want to overdose your dog on Salmon oil. If you overdo anything, even a good thing, there can be really harmful consequences. For example, small doses can help the healing process if your dog has just had surgery or has an injury. But if you give them too much, it can actually have the opposite effect because it’s an amazing anti-inflammatory and will divert the white-blood cells that should be going to the injured area. That means possible infection and a very slow healing process. There are other things as well to watch out for when giving your dog Salmon oil. Different dogs may have different reactions. If you give your dog too much oil it may cause gastric issues, diarrhea, weight gain, bad breath, dizziness or nausea. Watch your dog closely when you start to administer the oil to them and watch for any reactions. Also, if you are using the oil to treat a specific condition, make sure you are working with a knowledgeable veterinarian instead of trying to treat your dog by yourself.

Salmon oil can go bad. Make sure you have checked the expiration dates and also tell your veterinarian everything that you are giving your dog.

Fish Oil vs. Salmon Oil for Dogs: They are the Same Thing Right?

That’s a good question. Both of these oils contain DHA and EPA, which are essential fatty acids. However, the amounts of both of those in the different oils are different. Usually, with Salmon, they only use certain parts of the fish and they cold press the oil at low temperatures to keep the high concentration of essential fatty acids undisturbed and intact. If you are using fish oil that was manufactured to be used for animals, invariably it’s going to be made from several different sources of marine animals. It may be made from krill, anchovies, herring, sardines or mackerel and is also probably mixed with other non-fish oils like evening primrose or sunflower oil which certainly lowers the quality of the oil and the amounts of essential fatty acids that are present. They also usually boil fish oils and ruin the essential fatty acids and so your levels of omega-3s are going to be lower as well. We suggest you use only Salmon oil and not other types of lower quality fish oils. As always, check your sources. If you buy your Salmon oil from a reputable high-quality source, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing you are giving your dog a top quality product.