Fish oil in dog diet. Danger of overdose!?!

[chilover]

I have been giving my dog fish oil in his food to improve his immunity. But I just read an article in the Whole Dog Journal about benefits and dangers of fish oil. It is very good for dogs. It helps grow strong bones, good for skin and fur, etc., but if given too much can kill a dog. It said that dogs on homemade diet can greatly benefit from it, but dogs on comercial food can be in danger of overdosing on vitamins A and D. I feed my dog Neura Meats lamb canned food that already has vit. A and D added to it. In fact, all canned dog foods have vitamins added already. Should i stop giving him fish oil all together or just reduce the dose? Anybody knows anything about the subject? How much should I give? There is no information on how much vitamins A and D are already in the food, so it makes it even harder to determine proper dosage.
I just don't want to give my 5 lb Chihuahua too much of a good thing....

[SHADOW_THE_STAFF]

I was wondering about this too. I used to feed my dog sardines in oil once a week but she's gone off them. I know she likes tuna, and I wanted to start feeding her this once a week along with the commercial dog food she eats. Any info would be great.

[Athe]

what the WDJ was referring to was fish "liver" oil. It can be dangerous in large quantities for the excess vitamin D and Vitamin A. These vitamins are already added to a kibble/canned diet. So, the rule of thumb I go by is, if I am feeding raw home made long term I will add fish liver oil (cod liver oil). If I am feeding any kibble I just add fish body oil, it's marked clearly on the supplements.
I add canned sardines, canned salmon etc. as these are the whole fish and you are getting the benefits of the omega fatty acids etc. I add these to my dogs kibble a few times a week. I like the whole foods instead of the vitamins or capsoles of fish oil. That is just my preference.

Kibble - no fish liver oil....fish body oil is OK
Raw - yes, you can add fish liver oil (cod liver oil) and fish body oil.

[Athe]

Just to add, if you are trying to boost your dogs immunity try using the herb Astragalus. I use it for my dogs and it works great. I even use it myself during cold and flu season and havent been sick or even a sniffle for 4 years!

[Athe]

As for Tuna, I am leary about giving too much Tuna to my dogs (there is a reason, but I can't think of what it is off the top of my head! )
I prefer to give Sardines (packed in spring water), or Wild Alaskan Salmon as my fish sources.

[SHADOW_THE_STAFF]

So are any tinned whole fishes (sardines, pilchards, anchovies) ok to give to dogs? Its just shadow wont eat sardines anymore and she used to love them. I have some tinned sammon and tuna. is that ok?

[showpug]

On a little side note, be weary of the type of salmon you give your dogs. Remember salmon poisoning in dogs.... I live in the Pacific Northwest and we have a TON of salmon here and unfortunatley a lot of salmon poisoning in dogs. I stear clear of fish with my dogs, but I do give salmon oil on a daily basis.

[SHADOW_THE_STAFF]

where can I get salmon oil? Is it in liquid form or like in a capsule? I gave Shadow salmon this morning for her breakfast, tinned wild pacific pink salmon. she really liked it.

I am amazed that no one has commented on feeding a dog on a strictly canned food diet. Canned food has no nutritional value in spite of what it says on the can. It is 78% water, and generally only has 8% protein. The best diet for any dog is a high quality dry dog food. Canned food is excellent as a mixer, to get the dog to eat the dry food. Best if mixed in with warm water.

If the story is that it is too small a dog to eat dry food, the dry food can be pulverized in a blender, then mixed with the canned food and water to the consistency of porridge.

This is not just my personal opinion---it is based upon 30+ years of feeding dogs. Including pregnant and lactating dogs, as well as puppies! And of course the wisdom of a couple people with degrees in canine nutrition.....including Jaima Youngblood, breeder of historically top winning Dobermans (Ch. Initiator v.d. Bross!) I did disagree with her somewhat. She insisted that all the protein a dog needed was 16%. I prefer 21%.

Speaking of dog food, gotta go to Walmart and get some extra bags in case Dennis hits and the roads are impassable. Everyone have a good day.

[Renee750il]

I was wondering where you'd got to!

Have you visited Mordy's site yet? There's a link in her signature. I think you'll appreciate her work on The Dog Food Project . . .