Still A Use For Home Remedies!

Sometimes the easiest solution is the best. It’s not always right to spend money needlessly on Supplements as this recent conversation with one of our customers shows.

From: Maria

Message: Hello, following a check up with our vet yesterday where I pointed out that my almost 9 yr old flatcoated retriever has developed dry flaky skin, my vet advised that maybe I would like to supplement her diet with Lintbells Yumega Dog Salmon Oil. I was wondering if your Trimega Omega 3 Granules would be a better option but one thought did occur to me – will she have Omega 3 overload.  I feed Nutriment raw and feed all the flavours so she gets lots of variety including the fish variety with sprats once a week. Nutriment food is supplemented with both Salmon Oil and Coconut Oil.  I also use your Plaque Away product daily and am about to use your Flexsprinkles. Would adding an Omega 3 supplement have the potential to be too high a level for my dog but if it is what should I be using to treat her dry flaky skin?

Your advice would be gratefully received.  Many thanks. Maria.

Hi Maria,

These things are very difficult to fathom sometimes and so I can quite understand your dilemma.

If we think about it logically, if the vet has said supplement with oils, then he is discounting the common triggers such as food allergies/skin parasites/bacterial infections. By default he therefore may think the most likely cause is dietary insufficiency.

The diet you are feeding (and I know Nutriment products because we use them ourselves) is not particularly likely to be deficient in oils and is not likely to have a bad Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio. A bad Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio simply explained means that there is too much Omega 6 in the diet or too little Omega 3. A “bad” ratio of these oils can cause skin conditions.

Feeding some extra oil of one kind or another is an easy and inexpensive way to either improve the condition or show that the condition is in fact nothing to do with a dietary deficit. Avoid any oils that are high in Omega 6 and these include corn, sunflower and  soybean oil. The only disadvantage to feeding additional liquid salmon oil is not the oil itself but the trace contaminants in it. Cold pressed oils, though sounding beneficially natural do contain more trace metals and dioxins (both bad things) than refined fish oil!

If I were you and I was trying to see if my dog would benefit from more oil in the diet I would first try OLIVE OIL. This is low in Omega 6 and high in Omega 9. It is a well-used home remedy and the only risk is an upset tummy through overindulgence. A small teaspoonful on each meal will tell you within 3-4 weeks if it’s helping.

If it isn’t then try Salmon oil. Either liquid or granule, you won’t do anything dangerous as long as you stick to the recommended amounts.  Trimega granules do not contain any heavy metals or dioxins as they are not made from pressed salmon oil.

Hope this helps and I would love to hear how you get on. We never stop learning.

Regards

Jon