How to choose the best Omega-3 supplement for your dog

What are Omega-3 essential fatty acids?

Omega-3s are lipids that are in select nutritional sources. The fats are called ‘essential’ because while they are vital to dog health, dogs cannot produce them naturally, they can only be sourced through food and supplements.

Premium dog food brands boast about containing omega-3s, but despite this, most dogs are still omega-3 deficient, so supplementation is needed.

Why are Omega-3s so important?

Omega-3s are necessary to facilitate a healthy inflammation response. Omega-3 deficiencies are implicated in most inflammatory disorders including skin conditions, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and the one that affects the majority of seniors and big dogs - arthritis.

This is why the best joint supplement for dogs and premium raw dog food diet supplements always include at least one high-quality omega-3 source.

how to choose the best Omega 3 for dogs

Not all omega-3s are guaranteed to improve your dog’s health. If you are going to invest in an omega-3 dog supplement you should be confident in its efficacy.

Coastal Canine has created this checklist to help dog parents determine the best sources for their dog supplements.

1. Are the omega-3s bioavailable?

Omega-3s are compounds, made up of a series of chains. The longer the chain, the greater its bioavailability.
Plant sources have short chains, while marine sources have longer chains. Human digestion systems can convert and absorb short-chain omega-3s to make use of these fatty acids, but canine digestion systems work differently.
Dogs are unable to efficiently convert the lipids from short-chain omega-3s. This means that while plants provide other important nutritional benefits for dogs, they are not a good source of omega-3s.
To obtain the valuable DHA & EPA lipids that are bioavailable for dogs, they need to be from a marine source ie. fish oil, algae or Green Lipped mussel extract.

2. Are the omega-3s safe?

Marine sources of omega-3s can accumulate toxins depending on where and how they are grown.
Algae (including kelp seaweed) needs to be grown in clean waters, to avoid pollution residue including radiation residue.
Fish oil for dogs needs to be derived from smaller species to ensure they are low in heavy metals including mercury.

3. Are the omega-3s bioactive?

Omega-3 lipids are extremely delicate. To retain their bioactivity the oils need to be carefully extracted, packaged and stored.
To ensure the product is fresh, and hasn't been sitting around warehouses going stale, choose a local supplier if possible.
Choose a producer that uses careful processing methods, avoiding heat which degrades the omega-3s, or nasty toxins that leave a residue on the final product.

4. Are the omega-3s sustainable & ethical?

The worldwide demand for marine omega-3s is huge. Unfortunately, a lot of the poorly managed sources end up in pet food and lower quality pet supplements where there is less expectation for traceability.
Choose a trustworthy producer who is committed to only using omega-3s that have been sustainably and ethically sourced.

What is the best omega-3 supplement for your dog?

Coastal Canine has combined two of the best omega-3s sources in our Essential Amino Boost supplement: cold pressed Green Lipped Mussel and Kelp seaweed.

They are -

Bioavailable. Green Lipped Mussel extract and Kelp have longer chains than both plants and fish (Kelp is an algae, not a plant) meaning only a small amount is needed each day to deliver the unique benefits. The full omega-3 profile includes DHA, EPA, OTA and the rare ETA.

Safe. Our Kelp and Green Lipped Mussel powder are grown in clean seawater along New Zealand's coastlines. They are low in heavy metals and have been cleanly processed.

Bioactive. Independent scientific testing verifies the extraordinary bioactive profile of our Green Lipped Mussel, contributed in part to its unique lipid content.

Sustainable. Our Green Lipped mussel and Kelp seaweed are New Zealand grown and regarded as having some of the lowest environmental impact of any marine sources, in the world.