# Fish Oil Safety



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

With the news today about a lawsuit being filed re: fish oil contamination with PCB's, I suggest that you check your brand against the link here http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16536 .


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks Betty, good info!


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## maggie1951 (Apr 20, 2007)

Thanks for that mine was the best choice thank goodness


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Thanks for posting this. I heard the 'blurb' but not the story. I thought it might be mercury. Thanks.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Thanks for the list. Thank goodness my brand is a good one on that list!


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2009)

Thank You, I use Natrol Omega-3 Fish Oil


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## Tailer'sFolks (Feb 27, 2007)

Mine is not on the list...of course their web site says nothing about "purity"...How can I get more info?


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

I use Finest Natural (sold at Walgreens) and it too was not on the list.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

good grief, what next!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Thanks for posting this. I'm very relieved that both the human and doggie fish oil formulations we buy and take are Best Choices. I used to add a Cooper Clinic formulation but stopped it. They weren't on the list. 

Also a good precaution--check the ingredient lists and make note of added ingredients like Vitamin A....in too high levels it can be toxic to both people and dogs.


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

Yes, our Carlson's Finest Fish Oil is vit A & D free; it does have a small amt of vit E which is needed for absorption.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks for the list. They brand I am using is not on the list, but Costco's Kirkland brand is, so I will be switching this weekend.


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

Here is a further, more current IFOS listing. Not very many there, and unfortunately not mine. I'm going to be researching more. The FAQ section is a good question answerer as far as who they are and what they're doing. http://www.ifosprogram.com/IFOS/ConsumerReport.aspx


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

Looking at the IFOS 5 star products, the omapure seems to be the most economical and is probably close to what I'm paying now for the Carlson's. http://www.omapure.com/ The crew here would be taking 3 capsules/day I think for their 300 mg of EPA/DHA per 10 lbs.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

fostermom said:


> Thanks for the list. They brand I am using is not on the list, but Costco's Kirkland brand is, so I will be switching this weekend.


If you make the switch to Kirkland (we did recently for Barkley), you might want to go with the smaller bottle with the larger doses of DHA and EPA. It's got a blue label and the pills are opaque yellow. Here is the link to the one Barkley is currently on:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
As I calculate Barkley's needs (he's 54 pounds) he takes 2 of these pills in the a.m. and one in the p.m. to get about 2000 mgs of total Omega 3s. It's got other fish oils but they aren't the Omega 3s. I was told 300 mgs per 10 pounds of dog weight for optimal Omega 3 dosing.
Here is what the product description says about purity:
_Kirkland Signature Fish Oil supply comes from deep ocean waters. Our fish oil is not supplied from farm-raised fish. State-of-the-art molecular distillation is used to remove PCBs and dioxins which guarantees purity and potency. Mercury levels are undetectable, less than 0.1 parts per million_.
One Dallas cardiologist buys this formulation in bulk from Costco and sells at cost to his patients.

As soon as Toby finishes the Costco Salmon Oil capsules (he gets about 5 per day) we'll switch him over to this.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Here is a further, more current IFOS listing. Not very many there, and unfortunately not mine. I'm going to be researching more. The FAQ section is a good question answerer as far as who they are and what they're doing. http://www.ifosprogram.com/IFOS/ConsumerReport.aspx


Yippee!! My Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega made the cut! 
Now I need to find out who actually manufactures the Costco/Kirkland high end fish oil so I can check them out on this list.


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

Dallas Gold said:


> Yippee!! My Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega made the cut!
> Now I need to find out who actually manufactures the Costco/Kirkland high end fish oil so I can check them out on this list.


Also, Anne, if you click on the Nordic Naturals and then the product you take, you'll access the actual test results.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

In fairness to the other Omega 3 manufacturers, I found this disclaimer on the website:

_If your brand of preference is not listed, please contact the company and refer them to our program, otherwise request the company's Certificate of Analysis from its Q.C. laboratory._

_Important Note: IFOS testing is done for many companies as a third party quality control testing service. IFOS Consumer Reports should not be confused with IFOS Certificates of Analysis. If you see any IFOS batch reports on other sites or in printed material that are not listed on the IFOS website, they are considered invalid from a consumer perspective. Only those batches listed on the website below are tested at 'consumer ready' state. _

Am I reading this wrong--not all companies contracted with IFOS to test so perhaps some of the companies not listed have products that would otherwise meet these standards, but they just haven't contracted for the testing?

Also note only one Pet Product met the IFOS standards--Nordic Naturals.


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

I think that's right Anne. Carlson has the same spiel on their bottles, but I cannot see any test results on the website.


> _ from deep ocean waters. Our fish oil is not supplied from farm-raised fish. State-of-the-art molecular distillation is used to remove PCBs and dioxins which guarantees purity and potency. Mercury levels are undetectable, less than 0.1 parts per million_.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> I think that's right Anne. Carlson has the same spiel on their bottles, but I cannot see any test results on the website.


That is EXACTLY the same quote that is on the Kirland/Costco Signature brand we are using for Barkley. Costco distributes it, doesn't manufacture it, but it uses trademarks including "Trust the Source" that is registered by Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. I'll check my Ultimate Omegas bottle as well. My guess is they have one or two "manufacturers" and the other companies license and market it under their tradenames/trademarks and only some of those companies ask for the IFOS testing. I could be wrong though....


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

I'm betting with this lawsuit out there that many more of these companies are going to be forth coming about their test results. Lots of dollars at stake.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> If you make the switch to Kirkland (we did recently for Barkley), you might want to go with the smaller bottle with the larger doses of DHA and EPA. It's got a blue label and the pills are opaque yellow. Here is the link to the one Barkley is currently on:
> http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
> As I calculate Barkley's needs (he's 54 pounds) he takes 2 of these pills in the a.m. and one in the p.m. to get about 2000 mgs of total Omega 3s. It's got other fish oils but they aren't the Omega 3s. I was told 300 mgs per 10 pounds of dog weight for optimal Omega 3 dosing.
> Here is what the product description says about purity:
> ...


Thanks for that. I know that I have been taking the Salmon Oil pills and Jay and the dogs are taking the Nature's Made pills. I told him we needed to change the pills and he wanted to know if he would be allowed to take the dogs pills or if he had to finish off the jumbo bottle of Nature's Made pills. I haven't decided yet. LOL


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

fostermom said:


> Thanks for that. I know that I have been taking the Salmon Oil pills and Jay and the dogs are taking the Nature's Made pills. I told him we needed to change the pills and he wanted to know if he would be allowed to take the dogs pills or if he had to finish off the jumbo bottle of Nature's Made pills. I haven't decided yet. LOL


Toby loves those salmon oil capsules! He is going to miss them but the mercury issue just isn't addressed as of yet with them.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

Great thread and one that really reinforces the importance of researching EVERY food and supplement that you regularly give your pet, even if 'human grade.' For Grizzly salmon oil users info, here is their response to the contaminants question:

_We test for the heavy metals mercury, lead and cadmium, which are not present in any measurable amount. The test for PCB’s and related contaminants show extremely low levels, – much lower than in most foods. Again, please be aware that the accuracy of analysis is extremely high now, - 10 years ago our oil (and the foods) would have tested negative. We use authorized food and chemical labs only.
_


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Never mind, I found some good info on Krill Oil, which would have been off topic anywho...

Thank you for your time and patience.

Kim


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Kimm said:


> Never mind, I found some good info on Krill Oil, which would have been off topic anywho...
> 
> Thank you for your time and patience.
> 
> Kim


I've read that krill oil is actually better than most omega 3 formulations because the age of the creature (is it a fish or something else?) so the concentration of PCBs and mercury is less.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Hubby and I use Kirkland's but for Ike I use a liquid/pump fish oil. Ike's allergic to soy and my Kirkland's formulation has soy in the gel capsule. Ike's is Alaska Natural's made in Washington State and it's strictly a pet product, I don't see it or the manufacturer in any of the links in this thread. I have some googling to do.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> I've read that krill oil is actually better than most omega 3 formulations because the age of the creature (is it a fish or something else?) so the concentration of PCBs and mercury is less.


For the humans in the home we may be switching to Krill. Krill does have a small amount of Omega 6 I believe. I would like to see if the claims of joint response are true. And I would need to be careful with other medication interactions. If you Google Dogs and Krill they have some information on why in some instances you wouldn't want to give Krill oil to a dog. I have to read more about it, but at first glance, and it was only a glance, I though I would do more research. Shadow loves Fish Oil. He sort of pushes me as I take mine until he gets his.


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