Fats are the second most important component of your dog’s diet, right after protein. Your dog needs both saturated and unsaturated types of fat in their diet. We’ll discuss the polyunsaturated type (omega fatty acids) because this is where your choice can make a difference for your pet.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) are fats that remain liquid at room temperatures. There are 2 main types – omega 3 and omega 6. Omega 3 is typically anti-inflammatory and omega 6 is pro-inflammatory. Remember, the body needs inflammation to help fight off any potential invaders like bacteria and viruses. The inflammatory response is an important part of immune system function, so your dog needs inflammation at times. The problem occurs when there is too much inflammation in the body over a period - weeks, months and even years. This is called chronic inflammation and it is a contributor to most degenerative and inflammatory health issues like allergies, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and liver and kidney diseases.

So, your dog needs both types of omega fatty acids, but it’s most important that they are balanced. If they are not balanced, then your dog’s immune system will not be balanced.

Animals in our domestic food chain today (cows, chickens, pigs etc.) are fed a fabricated diet consisting of grain, corn, and soy. Even if an animal is grass fed, they are usually ‘grain finished’ to add weight. This type of diet changes the fat composition in their bodies, and they become imbalanced with too much omega 6. It’s important to understand this because these animals are consumed as a pathway of energy and nutrition for the consumer – your pet. So, if you feed meats that are not pasture raised and finished, they will be high in pro-inflammatory omega 6, as are most commercial pet food diets. The long-term state of imbalance puts your pet at risk for chronic inflammation and disease. The good news is that you can help this situation by supplementing your animal’s diet with oils that are heavy in omega 3, thereby creating a better omega balance. A small change can equal big results for your pet.

There are 3 main kinds of omega 3 fatty acids – ALA, EPA and DHA. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is
considered ‘essential’ meaning the body cannot make it by itself and it must be provided from food.
Camelina oil is high in ALA and although dogs do not convert at high levels, they do convert ALA into EPA and DHA as well. There has been a lot of research on ALA and its health benefits. These superpowers include how efficiently it removes heavy metals from the blood stream (heavy metal chelator) and its usage for cardiovascular, cognitive, and neuromuscular deficits. ALA has demonstrated anti-ageing, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective properties. It’s vital for brain, eye and immune system development in puppies, helps reduce anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and improves skin and coat health. Additionally, it’s a powerful free radical scavenger (free radicals cause damage and dysfunction in the body). ALA offers multiple health benefits over a broad scope.

We’ve touched on the benefits for physical development and preventing dysfunction and possibly. We’ve touched on the benefits for physical development and preventing dysfunction and possibly
disease in the body. But did you know that many pets are displaying omega deficiency or imbalance symptoms that are going unrecognized? These symptoms are often suspected of being allergies or age-related issues with joints or cognitive function. There is skin, coat, mobility and gastrointestinal issues that often show up as well. With the right fatty acid supplementation, many pet owners have seen meaningful change and improvement with their pet’s physical symptoms. They solve a problem they didn’t know existed - an omega deficiency/imbalance. If your pet has no symptoms and is healthy –great news! Let’s keep them this way as they age by supplementing with an omega 3 oil now. It’s not enough to say, “my dog looks fine’ because remember, inflammation (and disease) cannot be ‘seen’ inside the body as it is developing.

We recommend our camelina oil as an excellent choice to add fatty acids and create omega balance.

Camelina oil is 90% omega fatty acids, with 38% being omega 3. It’s a sustainable source with no risk of heavy metal contamination. It also contains naturally occurring vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant and a stabilizer for the oil. The vitamin E protects the fragile omega fatty acids from ‘oxidative rancidity’ which is a primary concern with other types of omega oils (flax and fish). Oxidized oils contain free radicals and they contribute to inflammation, which we’re trying to reduce with oil supplementation. So, in addition to the omega benefits you get an antioxidant on board as well. Heck, fish farms even feed camelina to their fish to raise their omega 3 levels and reduce free radicals - who knew! Camelina is a powerful choice for adding required fats and balancing the omegas in your pet’s modern diet.

So, go ahead and add a squirt of camelina to your pet’s meal. They will thank you for it. 😉