Fish Oil

Hi dog Lovers

I have just have been reading advise from the ark in this issue (108) "Unexplained pain" and it has reminded me of a lot of readings i came across when learning how much fish oil to give to my dog.

I found out that fish oil can deplete a dog from vitamin E this causing Muscular dystrophy and Muscular degeneration. Below are some abstracts i found on the internet, there seems to be plenty of sites to take these from.

• Supplementation with fish oil can result in decreased levels of vitamin E; therefore, fish oil supplements have extra vitamin E added to them. http://k91training.tripod.com/id27.html
• Definite clinical cases of vitamin E deficiency have been well documented in dogs. Particularly prominent indications of vitamin E deficiency were degeneration of skeletal muscle associated with muscle weakness, degeneration of testicular germinal epithelium and failure of spermatogenesis, failure of gestation, weak and dead pups, and brown pigmentation (lipofuscinosis) of intestinal smooth muscle (NRC, 1985).
• Blaxter (1962) reported that muscular dystrophy seemed to be the one syndrome commonly encountered in all species.

I give my dog fish oil to help with allergies and some skin conditions, not for arthritis. I read the label and make sure there is vitamin E in my fish oil, it took a bit of finding but found Melrose Omega fish oil to have 4mg of Vit E in it. This i could only find in oil form and not tablet, but she seems to look forward to her dose every night.

I am not sure if i should be relating this to the recent article in advise from the ark but when I read pain, unsteady and arthritis, it reminded me of my findings on fish oil and felt I should share my findings.

Hope you all have a happy day

Tania