pinkspore
Bat Ears Only
What's your most cost-effective source of decent fish oil?
Economical source of cheap fish oil?
- Thread starter pinkspore
- Start date
Dogdragoness
Happy Halloween!!
I order my fish oil from chewy, its called "aller G-3", its great because it is supposed to help with seasonal allergies, and since Lincoln gets loratadine, it helps that work, too. It really has helped us a lot, his skin was so so dry when we first started feeding it a few months ago.
I give him one pump a day (he is 30 lbs) and I still have the first bottle I bought, it has lasted that long! Since it is very concentrated, you dont have to give them very much and it lasts forever, also, provided it is stored correctly (away from heat and light so the label says) it doesnt go bad! I have had mine for three months now, like I said and the oil doesnt go rancid like the Grizzly salmon oil sometimes can. It also is balanced with vitamin E and all the essential omega's so you dont have to worry about giving too much fish oil, and not enough E, or whatever.
Here is the link: http://www.chewy.com/dog/vetoquinol-vet-solutions-allerg-3/dp/57314
Chewy has great prices, and GREAT customer service! I highly recommend them!
Hope this helps you and your pups.
I give him one pump a day (he is 30 lbs) and I still have the first bottle I bought, it has lasted that long! Since it is very concentrated, you dont have to give them very much and it lasts forever, also, provided it is stored correctly (away from heat and light so the label says) it doesnt go bad! I have had mine for three months now, like I said and the oil doesnt go rancid like the Grizzly salmon oil sometimes can. It also is balanced with vitamin E and all the essential omega's so you dont have to worry about giving too much fish oil, and not enough E, or whatever.
Here is the link: http://www.chewy.com/dog/vetoquinol-vet-solutions-allerg-3/dp/57314
Chewy has great prices, and GREAT customer service! I highly recommend them!
Hope this helps you and your pups.
MicksMom
Active Member
I just bought the human Salmon Oil capsules at WalMart for Caleb. For some weird reason, nobody around here carries Salmon Oil capsules anymore. They all have fish oil or krill ones.
SpringerLover
Active Member
Liquid is going to be the best bang for your buck, you need to give gobs of capsules. I use the Grizzly Pollock oil as it is the most concentrated I could find for the cheapest price.
pinkspore
Bat Ears Only
Yes indeed! When I've done capsules I end up giving Briz a dozen or so. My vet suggested increasing the dose until it bothered his stomach and his digestive tract is made of cast iron so we never found that point. I'll check out the allerG3 and the Grizzly stuff.
ThatCrazyGroomer
Member
I've quit using fish oil and started using flax meal. I get it in bulk from Sprouts at about $1.00 a pound (it takes a ton of it to make a pound, holy crap!) and the dogs seem to like it better than the fish. Plus it doesn't stink.
Capsules are generally cheaper
I also assumed that the bulk oil would be cheaper, but decided to check out the difference. After doing the math, I was surprised to find that the capsules were actually cheaper. Probably because of sales volume.
So if you think the bulk is cheaper, double check on that.
I also assumed that the bulk oil would be cheaper, but decided to check out the difference. After doing the math, I was surprised to find that the capsules were actually cheaper. Probably because of sales volume.
So if you think the bulk is cheaper, double check on that.
Flaxseed
"Flaxseed oil is predominately alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that must be converted inside the body to EPA and DHA (the fatty acids found in fish) in order to be utilized. Dogs can’t do this conversion very well, so flaxseed oil provides limited benefits for most dogs, although it may help with dull, dry coat in some dogs. ALA can also be provided from ground flaxseed. Both ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil should be refrigerated in dark containers and used within a short period of time, maybe a month or two. Whole seeds will keep longer and are best if ground fresh daily or every few days."
quoted from this article http://www.dogaware.com/articles/suppsoils.html
"Flaxseed oil is predominately alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that must be converted inside the body to EPA and DHA (the fatty acids found in fish) in order to be utilized. Dogs can’t do this conversion very well, so flaxseed oil provides limited benefits for most dogs, although it may help with dull, dry coat in some dogs. ALA can also be provided from ground flaxseed. Both ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil should be refrigerated in dark containers and used within a short period of time, maybe a month or two. Whole seeds will keep longer and are best if ground fresh daily or every few days."
quoted from this article http://www.dogaware.com/articles/suppsoils.html
pinkspore
Bat Ears Only
Ok, now I really need to know. Making a spreadsheet...
pinkspore
Bat Ears Only
Ok, so far I've determined that the Vetoquinol uses a smaller dose size than the Grizzly Pollock Oil. The recommended dose for Brisbane is 2ml for the Vetoquinol Aller G-3, versus 7ml for the Grilly Pollock. However, the Grizzly Pollock has a much higher concentration of EPA, so at a dose of 20mg per pound of body weight, the Grizzly would cost $0.20 per day for Brisbane while the Vetoquinol would be $0.25. Math!
I'll let you know what I come up with on the capsules as soon as I finish researching quality issues...https://labdoor.com/rankings/fish-oil
I'll let you know what I come up with on the capsules as soon as I finish researching quality issues...https://labdoor.com/rankings/fish-oil
Dogdragoness
Happy Halloween!!
It's also worth mentioning that I have heard from a lot of folks that the grizzly will go rancid if left for too long, I have two medium dogs who wouldnt use it up fast enough because they each only get one pump, and even though it is cheaper, I would be wasting a lot by having to toss it a lot. Like I said I have had my smaller bottle of aller G-3 for like .... oh, I guess it's been about 4 months now and I am just now approaching the last 1/4 of the bottle (just now thinking about having to order more).
Also, the aller G-3 really doesnt have a smell, surprisingly, because when I was opening it, I got it on my hands and I was like "Crap! now I am going to smell like a fish all day long!" but I was shocked when there was like ... no smell at all!
I also give coconut oil to my dogs, they love it and it helps with their coats and skin.
It's a little more expensive than the grizzly but IMO so so worth it! You could try both, one bottle first, then the other and see which you like best.
pinkspore
Bat Ears Only
Ok, here's what I came up with based on what's readily available in my area (the Vitamin Shoppe) and the product ratings here: https://labdoor.com/rankings/fish-oil
The Vitamin Shoppe Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules (rated A- for having the levels claimed) cost $0.29 per 800mg EPA dose.
Controlled Labs OxiMega Fish Oil capsules (rated B+) cost $0.18 per 800mg EPA dose.
Grilly Pollock Oil cost $0.20 per 800mg dose.
Vetoquinol Aller G-3 cost $0.27 per 800mg EPA dose.
Conclusion: The amount of EPA in a given product varies a lot, so there's not an obvious cost difference between capsules and liquids.
I've never had oil go rancid myself, but I tend to use a fairly high dosage of it so I don't think it ever has time to go bad. I'd be giving Brisbane 4.5 pumps of the Vetoquinol per day, for example.
I tried coconut oil but didn't notice any difference other than my dog being fatter. I'm pretty sure it's all hype anyway, there's not much in the way of evidence that it actually does anything useful and it's loaded with omega-6 fatty acids. Those need to be balanced with omega-3 fatty acids and I'm trying to up my dog's dose of omega-3's, feeding him coconut oil seems counterproductive.
The Vitamin Shoppe Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules (rated A- for having the levels claimed) cost $0.29 per 800mg EPA dose.
Controlled Labs OxiMega Fish Oil capsules (rated B+) cost $0.18 per 800mg EPA dose.
Grilly Pollock Oil cost $0.20 per 800mg dose.
Vetoquinol Aller G-3 cost $0.27 per 800mg EPA dose.
Conclusion: The amount of EPA in a given product varies a lot, so there's not an obvious cost difference between capsules and liquids.
I've never had oil go rancid myself, but I tend to use a fairly high dosage of it so I don't think it ever has time to go bad. I'd be giving Brisbane 4.5 pumps of the Vetoquinol per day, for example.
I tried coconut oil but didn't notice any difference other than my dog being fatter. I'm pretty sure it's all hype anyway, there's not much in the way of evidence that it actually does anything useful and it's loaded with omega-6 fatty acids. Those need to be balanced with omega-3 fatty acids and I'm trying to up my dog's dose of omega-3's, feeding him coconut oil seems counterproductive.
release the hounds
Active Member
coconut oil is pretty low in omega 6's. it almost all saturated fats and very little omega 6's
Dogdragoness
Happy Halloween!!
coconut oil paired with a balanced fish oil supplement like grizzly or aller G3 is a good combo, that's what we do, with our picky female who doesnt like to eat getting a couple of pumps of wheat germ oil to maintain her weight (she also gets the fish oil and the coconut oil)
A dog supplement called "Nupro" (also sold at chewy) has also done wonders for us!
A dog supplement called "Nupro" (also sold at chewy) has also done wonders for us!
Welactin has a higher concentration of EPA/DHA, but is more expensive, so it balances out more or less I think. If you have a local vitamin store chain, recommend going there and seeing what sort of "membership discounts/bargains" they offer. When I had bigger dogs and couldn't get discounted animal products, I used to get fish oil from vitamin world in my area. They had BOGO sales on most stuff one day every month, with additional discounts for members. I would get 2- 360 count salmon oil bottles for sometimes less than $15- even if you're giving more in quantity, when they're <$.03 per cap, you might get off cheaper that way. There are places that sell both the oil and capsules in bulk quantities, which would reduce cost further if you are good giving greater quantity/volume of less concentrated product (eg: this place sells 6000 caps for $96- at 180mg EPA/cap, you would give around 5/day to get over 800mg, so your daily cost would be a whopping $.08).
Side note- they have capsules that are 70% EPA, I wonder what effect that has on the efficacy? Is EPA available by itself (quick search seems to indicate no), if so, is it alone effective, or does it need to be part of the "oil" to achieve the anti-inflammatory effects? :dunno:
My old dog is currently getting welactin because she won't eat the caps and I won't break them open, two other dogs are both on AllerG3 caps, but a higher dose than bottle recommendations. My two also get some coconut oil, Annie the old goat needs kidney friendly calories, and Bus can use any anti-itch help I can get, though I don't know that it's helped much yet (been back on both for less than a month, still seems pretty itchy).
Side note- they have capsules that are 70% EPA, I wonder what effect that has on the efficacy? Is EPA available by itself (quick search seems to indicate no), if so, is it alone effective, or does it need to be part of the "oil" to achieve the anti-inflammatory effects? :dunno:
My old dog is currently getting welactin because she won't eat the caps and I won't break them open, two other dogs are both on AllerG3 caps, but a higher dose than bottle recommendations. My two also get some coconut oil, Annie the old goat needs kidney friendly calories, and Bus can use any anti-itch help I can get, though I don't know that it's helped much yet (been back on both for less than a month, still seems pretty itchy).
JessLough
Love My Mutt
I've never had the grizzly oil go bad on me, and I only use 1/4 pump a day (when I remember).
MicksMom
Active Member
Caleb only got 1 capsule a day (1,000 mg). I think I was getting 150 per bottle. I can't remember now how much I paid for a bottle, but it wasn't all that much. Under $5.
Dogdragoness
Happy Halloween!!
I wouldn't give human supplement fish oil to a dog, because its just the fish oil and nothing else and dogs need vitamin E to balance out everything (fish oil depletes vita E).
Regardless what you choose, I hope you find something that works for you and your dogs, I know researching supplements is a pain, especially when you have a dog with a sensitive system (like mine).
Regardless what you choose, I hope you find something that works for you and your dogs, I know researching supplements is a pain, especially when you have a dog with a sensitive system (like mine).
SpringerLover
Active Member
That's 1000mg of "fish oil." Anti inflammatory doses are 50-100mg/kg of EPA. If venture a guess that you were only getting 100-200mg of actual EPA per 1000mg total fish oil.
Gabby's therapeutic EPA dose is ~900-1800mg of EPA daily. I can accomplish that in 2 scoops of Welactin. It takes me 4 pumps of Grizzly Pollock. I bought Welactin again because I can get it through work for a decent price. I don't know that I'd pay full retail for it, I'd likely stick with the Pollock.