Ok one quick chemistry question.
Is it better to give salmon oil or the omega 3 gel?
An omega 3 is an omega 3 (molecular structure of the tail end of a fatty acid) What is on the fatty acid is an other question.

I was shopingfor some salmon oil but it smelled like a rip off!
I can get pur salmon oil it would cost me about 30$ for 10 days as per the dosage on the bottle. There is on information as to omega content or where is the salmon from.
The other one I found is a pur atlantic salmon oil extract. This one say ritch in omega 3 but does not state how much. It would cost me 25$ for 20 days.
There is a fish oil, with an analysis of the content, their dosage for omega 3 is 3 X what it is recommended on this site. It is made in an HACCP plant. There is an ingerient list. Salmon come first but after there is a lot of and/or and I don't like that best. This one is 25$ for 40days.

So I checked the drug store Gel cap from salmon would cost me 20$ for 125 days. Even cheaper if I take plain omega 3.

So is there a benefit to use salmon oil other then the omega3?
And why salmon oil over the other possible source? (allergies, digestibility...)

For now I got the gel cap as I am also taking them.

You need to link us to both products, unless your question is actually "gelcap or liquid."

Also, " ... why salmon oil over the other possible source? " can't be answered unless you specify what other source.

You are looking for long-chain 3s (EPA, DHA) from marine products for the dog. That's the big category. Beyond that, you want a named fish, wild, of a type that is low in mercury and other metals (and both wild salmon and small fish like anchovies and sardines fall into that subcategory).

But all in all, you're going to get a much more precise reply if you link us to the products you are considering.

And as to gelcap or liquid, gelcaps in general are of course more spendy, but liquid requires more careful storage (although I personally would store either one very carefully, in the fridge).

As far as what you yourself are taking, there is a factor that might make it less appropriate for your dogs than for you. That is, if you're taking plant sources (shorter chain) 3s, maybe because you are a vegetarian or whatever reason, you should know that the mechanism of conversion (to the very beneficial long-chain 3s), inefficient as it is in humans, is far less helpful in dogs (their conversion percent being about zero). Dogs need their long-chain 3s to "come" in the product and not to be converted from shorter-chain 3s. So for practical purposes nowadays, this means marine sources.

I thought I had read, that mackerel had more 3's than salmon?

I'm talking fish, as in canned "Pacific Mackerel"; which I feed weekly, w/ vit E, in place of that days salmon oil or fish oil capsules.

I don't think that's really the question you want to ask. Or at least, not the only question. For example, king mackerel accumulates a lot of heavy metal (mercury).

However, Atlantic salmon has more DHA and EPA than mackerel.


It's just that it's not a one-question question.

All else (quality, handling, sustainability) being equal, the fish oil I want to consume and provide to the dogs would be either wild salmon or small fish (herring, anchovies, sardines).

OTOH, giving fish "on the hoof" once a week, as you do, is a great way to provide protein variety.

Adding sardines to the menu is another possibility, and they (like mackerel) can sometimes be had for around a dollar(!) if you keep watching sales.


PS

The title of this thread is misleading. There really is no "salmon oil versus Omega 3," because Omega 3s are what we're looking for when we buy fish oil.

Specifically, DHA and EPA.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (02/04/2011 05:56 PM)
Edit reason: ps

TY for this info!!

I wasn't thinking of the mercury; although I should have, being that is what I think of with tuna.
I have been feeding the canned from the "Dollar" store, that is a $1;
Thinking twice now!! & as always, my dog seems to know Better!
She turns her nose up alot to the Mackerel, but luvs the canned salmon, it states: Wild Caught Alaskan, on the label.
I hope this is the rite salmon to feed, & I don't mean to be off topic; very interesting thread.

One of my salmon oil product is repackage from bulk. The only info is pur cold press salmon oil. The clerk at the store ask some question but all he got is that it is salmon oil. It is a 250ml bottle and with the dosage on the pack I should feed 25ml per day.

The other one it say extract so pur atlantic salmon oil extract. No info again just a phone number. I call and they said it is a concentred oil???

The fish oil at lest add detail information. I will go get the full name and web address.

I am now giving omega 3 gel cap made from salmon oil and from a well known trusted brand.

All canned salmon is wild, and even the kind that could cause salmon poisoning in a dog if it was raw, is fine if it's canned, because canning involves cooking.

Oh, didn't know this: so my raw fed dog is getting some "cooked" food in her diet!
I take that it is minimal "canned cooked" so not all the "good" stuff is lost, pertaining to a dog?

 Quote: theresa macdonal

Oh, didn't know this: so my raw fed dog is getting some "cooked" food in her diet!
I take that it is minimal "canned cooked" so not all the "good" stuff is lost, pertaining to a dog?

Canned food is not what I'd call minimally cooked. But fish is probably being fed to the dog mainly for the protein and the good oil, and those are still in there.

What I've concluded so far is that canning fish does not damage or destroy the Omega 3s. Totally JMHO. But this is an area of great interest for me, and I read everything I can find on the topic.

So far I have not seen any authoritative conclusions about serious damage being done by canning fish. It's true that it often has a lot of sodium added, but even this isn't across the board.

I think for me, the bonuses of an amino acid profile quite different from that of poultry, plus the good fat, even though it's cooked, plus the elimination of any concern over possible ricksettia poisoning, trump most concerns about canned fish (except the possible metal toxicity from certain fish).

All 100% JMO.

TY. Good info;

From another tip, from You Connie, regarding the salt (that it is packed with) I double "rinse" with water in the can, with lid used to drain.

Again, thanks for the info!