[Hound Dog Mom]

When it comes to fish oil and coconut oil you can’t really say one is better than the other because they both contain different types of fat. I use both and would recommend using both.

Fish oil is rich in omega 3’s in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Omega 3’s are an essential fatty acid for dogs and it’s important they dogs obtain at least a portion of their omega 3’s from animal sources (fish, fish oil, eggs) as omega 3’s derived from animal sources contain the usable long chain form of omega 3s (EPA and DHA). There are many plant sources of omega 3 (such as flax) but omega 3 fatty acids derived from plant sources (algae being the exception) are in the short chain form of alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA must be converted to EPA and DHA to be utilized and dogs are very inefficient at making this conversion – their ability to convert short chain omega 3s to long chain omega 3s continues to decline as they age. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and thus are beneficial for dogs with arthritis, it’s also speculated that consumption of a diet rich in omega 3’s can help lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. The proper balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in the diet also helps the skin and coat.

Coconut oil consists predominantly of saturated fats, the reason coconut oil doesn’t get the bad rap that some other forms of saturated fat get is because the saturated fats present in coconut oil are in the form of medium-chain triglycerides which are easier to digest than the long chain saturated fatty acids present in foods such as butter. The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil consist mainly of lauric acid. The lauric acid helps to give coconut oil its natural antibacteral and antifungal properties. Coconut oil is also beneficial to the immune system, for digestion and for the skin and coat.

I give my dogs cod liver oil (Carlson’s brand only) and coconut oil daily. Lately I’ve been adding sardines, oysters and cage-free eggs to their food for their omega 3’s, but when they aren’t getting whole food sources of omega 3 I supplement with sardine or anchovy oil. I use cod liver oil because it’s a rich source of naturally occurring vitamin d and it does contain some omega 3’s in the form of EPA and DHA. Coconut oil mainly for the immune-boosting and anti-bacterial properties and fish/seafood/eggs/fish oil for the EPA and DHA.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.