I recently contacted my vet and talked to him about putting Major back on Rimadyl because his hip dysplasia is getting worse. He talked to me about trying tramadol instead so I currently am trying that out. Anyway, I told him I give him salmon oil and E everyday. He suggested I double the dose of oil but keep the E at 400UI, does this sound ok? Is it ok to raise dose of oil but not raise dose of E? So I am currently giving around 3 pumps in morning meal and 4 at night. Also, I asked him about my other dog Sampson who has allergies, he said not to increase the salmon oil with him but increase E to 800UI a day? But I've read several threads here that say extra salmon oil is good for dogs with allergies? any thoughts on that?

Major weighs approx 90-95lbs
Sampson weighs 115lbs

Thank you

Yes, it's OK IMO to raise the fish oil and keep the E at 400 IU, as the vet suggested.

I don't know why he said not to increase the fish oil with the allergic dog.

Connie,

I thought it was alittle strange too thats why I was asking - thanks for responding.

He seemed to think the Vitamin E was more beneficial for my allergy boy then the oil but that didnt seem entirely right to me. Do you see any harm in increasing the E to 800 UI with him since he is a big dog anyway? Is there really any benefit with allergies with an increase of E? In your opinion. I couldnt really find anything on the board that said E was a helper with allergies, just was needed when you give oil.
thanks

I can't answer for your vet, of course. There is material that suggests some relief from seasonal allergies with supplemental doses of E.

I have increased my own allergic dog's fish oil beyond the usual recommended dose (by a lot) and have seen majorly decreased atopy. That's a pretty small sampling, though: one dog.

You might want to ask your vet about increasing the allergic dog's fish oil and seeing what happens.

Kathy,
I just wanted to give you my 2 cents on what I do with my allergic dog. I have been slowly increasing her salmon oil and she has been on a therapeutic dose for around a year now. Before that, she was on the maximum recommended amount for an 80 lb dog.

I just wanted to say that the high quality salmon oil has been tremendously helpful for her and now since she has been diagnosed with FCE, I upped her salmon oil one more pump. I truly believe in the superior anti-inflammatory effects of the salmon oil and can tell you that it has truly been such a help with both her allergies as well as her neurological(spine) problems as well.
It is all my own opinion, but I have seen great things happen for my girl, FWIW.

One more question,

Is it OK to go ahead and give all the salmon oil at once? (say 8 pumps) Or is it better to give 1/2 in morning and then rest at night? - It just seems like alot of oil for them to have at once

thanks

I give it all at once. I did work up to the higher level over a week or so.



eta
Healthy dogs handle raw fats very well; I just tend to work up to any big diet change gradually.

Don't forget to treat your oils like the volatile PUFA source that they are: Cool dark storage, or if that is impossible, then refrigerating. If you ever smell rancidity, chuck it immediately.

Rancid oils don't just lose their benefits; they become potential carcinogens.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (04/16/2010 02:27 PM)
Edit reason: eta

My 58 lb dog with skin allergy gets 10 pumps of Grizzly salmon oil a day, and I keep her at 400 IU Vit E/day.

Her derm vet recommended 1170 mg EPA/day, with the 10 pumps, I think it is closer to 2300 mg EPA/day, so it is even higher than what the derm vet had recommended. She has been on that dose for about 13 months, and her skin allergy has improved significantly (along with allergy shots twice a month, frequent baths and paw rinsing). I was able to back down her oral allergy medication (Atopica) from once daily to once a month

I split her salmon oil between 2 meals, so 5 pumps am, 5 pumps pm.

I'm so glad that folks are mentioning vet recommendations about increased fish oil for atopy and other inflammation problems.

I'm not a health professional and have therefore refrained from posting the amounts I have upped my dogs to. A gram of fish oil per ten pounds of dog can be backed up very easily and authoritatively. The amounts I'm now using (and others have mentioned) should be OKed by the vet (as responders here have said).

For folks reading the thread:

Remember that if the vet specifies a dose of EPA (or DHA, or a combo), some label-reading will be needed to comply. For example, two teaspoons of the oil I use would be needed to supply 1600 mg of EPA.

In addition, your vet can (and should) help with dosages for any dog on a long-term med like a blood thinner.

Also remember that a crucial part of these amounts being mentioned is the weight of the dog.

And last but not least: a "pump" is not a universal measure. Even with the product of one manufacturer (Grizzly), a pump of one size bottle is different from a pump of another size bottle. If we talk about 7-8 pumps and we're using their 8-ounce bottle, that translates into only about 4 pumps of the larger-size bottles. That is, the difference is very significant, making the number of pumps a meaningless measurement without that crucial added information.

So we need to speak in terms of grams or milligrams or milliliters or measuring spoons (and milligrams or milliliters if we talk about EPA and/or DHA as opposed to the fish oil as a whole).

PS
Kudos to the owners and vets who are tailoring the dosages to the individual dogs!

Haha, Connie, you are right.

I didn't mention it, but I did check with her primary care vet about the about of fish oil to make sure I was not over-dosing her. I have blood work done on her 2-3 times per year to make sure everything looks good. I also stopped the fish oil temporarily before she was spayed. So yes, always check with your vet before using supplements and products "off label."