# Why am I adding Omega 3 to Orijen 6Fish???



## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

I have been supplementing with 1800 mg EPA & DHA daily. The 6Fish label claims 1.6% EPA & DHA which translates to 6000mg per day. I have always assumed that label claims are unreliable so I supplemented. However, Orijen is a high quality food so maybe I should stop supplementing? What do you think?


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Rarely can foods contain enough EPA/DHA to be effective (this is also true for glucosamine/chondroitin). I looked at the label of your food and it only lists Omega-3/EPA/DHA as a percentage, so you'd have to do some fun math to figure out exactly how much is supposed to be in the food. Another issue is that Omega-3s oxidize pretty rapidly, losing potency. I would keep supplementing.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

IowaGold said:


> Rarely can foods contain enough EPA/DHA to be effective (this is also true for glucosamine/chondroitin). I looked at the label of your food and it only lists Omega-3/EPA/DHA as a percentage, so you'd have to do some fun math to figure out exactly how much is supposed to be in the food. Another issue is that Omega-3s oxidize pretty rapidly, losing potency. I would keep supplementing.


Rocky eats 380 grams per day which translates to 6080 mg of EPA+DHA. Thanks for reminding me. I now remember my theory that even if Orijen puts in the EPA/DHA, I have to assume some amount will degrade. However, considering the fish content and salmon oil added, I am sure the 6Fish leaves the plant with the claimed amount of EPA+DHA.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Mine eat Wellness and are supplemented with 2000 mg of fish oil/day and with dasuquin w/msm.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

In my personal opinion, dog food that touts it has Omega 3's or Glucosamine is just a marketing ploy. The amounts are usually insignificant and not enough to make a difference.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

True, Sally's Mom. Here is the nutritional analysis.6 Fish Dog Analysis The EPA/DHA is about equal to the amount of calcium and I highly doubt that he's getting over 6000 mg of calcium/ day. Looking at the glucosamine/chondroitin, it's listed as mg per kilogram which is around 2 lbs. When you divide that out, it's not much.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Yikes! Champion is a well respected company. Many would argue that Orijen is one of the best, if not THE best dog food out there. If you can't depend on their label, how in the heck are you supposed to evaluate dog foods? The verbal description of the 6Fish analysis is clear and believable. For example, the only source of glucosamine/chondroitin is the fish. This compares with other foods that add a tiny bit and then claim their food helps dogs with bad joints. Orijen makes no claims that 6Fish will improve joint health.

I don't know how quickly EPA & DHA degrades in the bag. I do know that Orijen is the only dog food I have seen that is vacuum packed. I believe 6Fish leaves the plant with 1.6% EPA & DHA. With the first 4 ingrediants being fresh salmon. salmon meal, herring meal and fresh herring and salmon oil added as an additional fat source, the stated amounts of EPA & DHA makes sense.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> True, Sally's Mom. Here is the nutritional analysis.6 Fish Dog Analysis The EPA/DHA is about equal to the amount of calcium and I highly doubt that he's getting over 6000 mg of calcium/ day. Looking at the glucosamine/chondroitin, it's listed as mg per kilogram which is around 2 lbs. When you divide that out, it's not much.


You would expect high calcium in a high protein, salmon/herring based food. In fact, Orijen attempts to allay concerns that this food is inherently too high in calcium, as some high protein foods are.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Penny and Maggie are currently eating Timberwolf and their food is vacuum packed.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

You posted a similar thread almost 2 years ago. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...pes/72376-acana-pacifica-epa-dha-content.html

Maybe this link might help answer your question. The Dog Food Project - Nutrients: Essential Fatty Acids

To quote a small part of the above link:

"All the better foods contain (depending on the ratio) at least 2.2% Omega-6's and 0.3% Omega-3's. There are very few exceptions where true quality foods do not fall within these numbers, but it shouldn't discourage you if your dog does well on them - you just might consider supplementing some EFAs to improve the diet. In addition to drastic improvements to skin and coat, high levels of Omega-3s improve cardiovascular health, fight inflammatory diseases, retard development of certain cancer cells, inhibit progression of kidney disease, enhance the immune system, reduce the symptoms of allergic dermatitis and reduce joint stiffness, which is especially beneficial for older dogs."


I took a quick look at Orijen, TOTW, Fromm, Wellness, Timberwolf and the amount of Omega's are all really close, less than 1% difference between them all. Insignificant to the point of splitting hairs.

I feed Fromm which is 0.4% EPA for Duck&potato or 0.5% EPA for the salmon. Your Orijen is 0.6% The DHA is not as important as you already know.

I supplement Fiona with fish oil. It is 775 EPA 515 DHA with 200 IU of vitamin E per tsp, once a day. I have absolute zero worries I am doing anything wrong.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Thanks GoldenCamper. Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember asking this question before. I can't find any reference which says DHA is more or less important than EPA in dogs. In humans, EPA is readily converted to DHA but not vice versa. Don't know if this is true in dogs.

Please let me know where you found a discussion of the relative benefits of EPA and DHA in dogs. I would enjoy reading it.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

When Anne and I went to a seminar given by a vet who specializes in sports medicine for dogs, she said fish oil is the one supplement she recommends across the board. To be therapeutic, she said you should use 300 mg of EPA/DHA per 10 lbs of body weight. Also make sure any supps you use don't have any added vit A and of course that it is certified heavy metal free.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> When Anne and I went to a seminar given by a vet who specializes in sports medicine for dogs, she said fish oil is the one supplement she recommends across the board. To be therapeutic, she said you should use 300 mg of EPA/DHA per 10 lbs of body weight. Also make sure any supps you use don't have any added vit A and of course that it is certified heavy metal free.


That's my recollection as well. 

I learned both with myself and with Toby that you need to stop omega 3 supplementation about 5 days before any surgical procedure because omega 3s thin the blood and clotting abilities. Both an MD and a DVM said to restart them about a week after.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> When Anne and I went to a seminar given by a vet who specializes in sports medicine for dogs, she said fish oil is the one supplement she recommends across the board. To be therapeutic, she said you should use 300 mg of EPA/DHA per 10 lbs of body weight. Also make sure any supps you use don't have any added vit A and of course that it is certified heavy metal free.


Any discussion about EPA being more or less important than DHA? I give Rocky the same stuff I take. It has 2:1 EPAHA.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

No, from my notes she just said combined DHA/EPA.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

artbuc said:


> Thanks GoldenCamper. Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember asking this question before. I can't find any reference which says DHA is more or less important than EPA in dogs. In humans, EPA is readily converted to DHA but not vice versa. Don't know if this is true in dogs.
> 
> Please let me know where you found a discussion of the relative benefits of EPA and DHA in dogs. I would enjoy reading it.


I should not have said DHA is not as important as EPA, sorry. My mind was stuck on senior dogs and with that being the case EPA is more beneficial than DHA for reducing inflammation, joint pain and improving mood. DHA is more beneficial for the fetus and a young growing body for brain and eye development (IMO)

There is some good info on this site: Fish Oils: The Essential Nutrients

I am certainly no expert on this stuff. I would like to assume dogs process the Omega's the same way as we do.

Some other links for you regarding omega's in dogs:

Fish Oil (Omega-3 Fatty Acids): a Proven Treatment for Canine Arthritis « Speaking for Spot’s Weblog

An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie <-don't know why it says that, links work for me. They are JAVMA articles.

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DogAware.com: Supplements for Dogs

DogAware.com Articles: Pancreatitis in Dogs

DogAware.com Health: Arthritis in Dogs


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