The Benefits Of Salmon Oil

Dry, flaky, itchy, red, red spots, small cuts and grazes. Sound familiar? Well if you’re a Min Pin owner, it probably does. Dry and sensitive skin is something that can plague this breed and often, Min Pins can get flares of irritation and itchiness which in turn causes scratching, then flakiness then sores…you get the picture. Skin problems in dogs are most often a result of an inappropriate diet or where the dog is allergic to certain ingredients or other chemicals he’s exposed to. As well as allergies, skin problems can also be a response to a deficiency in certain nutrients. A biologically appropriate raw food diet comes with a whole host of health benefits for your Min Pin including healthy skin and a shiny coat.

Usually raw feeders include supplements because they have problems achieving 100% balance in their home prepared raw meals every day. However, even if you are feeding a balanced raw diet either yourself or through premade raw, your Min Pin can still benefit from the inclusion of supplements, in particular if fish sources aren’t suitable for him for any reason. And of course, those dogs fed on kibble diets or other commercial diet options high in carbs being that they are often lacking in omega-3 but high in omega-6, could definitely benefit. Mikki is now fed a high quality premade raw but we were keen to support his skin and coat health and so decided to start supplementing his diet with fish oil. Fish oils contain essential fatty acids. Namely the important and highly beneficial omega-3 fat which is one nutrient that dog’s bodies cannot make by themselves-see here for more. Other sources of omega-3 include those from plants but they are not bio-available for dogs such as those from animal sources e.g. fish oils and therefore should be avoided.

Cold water fish such as salmon, cod, mackerel and herring often have their fats synthesized into supplements. Salmon oil tends to be a popular choice for dog owners. Benefits of fish salmon oil are said to include-

• Anti-inflammatory. Helps reduce inflammation all over the body and therefore joint health and can go a long way to preventing problems such as skin allergies which Min Pins can suffer from
• Omega-3 supports healthy cell, vital organ and cognitive function
• Shiny, soft coat
• Strengthens skin
• Reduction of shedding

Salmon oil is available in the following forms; liquid, capsule and soft chew treats. We found that the most popular way for owners to provide this supplement to their dogs was in a bottled liquid form.

How We Chose A Salmon Oil

We were brand new to buying supplements for our Mikki and we wanted to ensure that we got our choice right. With the mass of competition out there choosing a good brand for your dog’s supplements can be as daunting as choosing their foods (almost). We did our research on what to look out for in a high quality salmon oil and found that the most important thing to remember is that the quality of salmon oil varies greatly according to their manufacturing process. It’s a must that as an owner who wants to provide the best for your Min Pin you source out a salmon oil that is-

• Of premium quality which would be as close to 100% purity as possible
• Contains no added or unnecessary ingredients such as those from plant sources
• Fully traceable and produced to GB and EU laws
• Sustainably sourced

Wee Doggie salmon oil adheres to the above standards and is also-

• 99.5% salmon oil
• Made from fresh human-grade salmon
• Microfiltered for purity
• Free from preservatives, colours and is GMO-free
• Made in the UK

All in all Wee Doggie is a very high quality offering for salmon oil.

How Did We Find It?

Wee Doggie salmon oil comes in a plastic bottle in 3 sizes; we chose the 500ml. The handy pump that comes with it makes the oil easy to dispense. You can choose to add the oil to your Min Pin’s meals (which we do) or on a treat or two. About half to 1 teaspoon or 1 to 2 pumps is appropriate for Min Pins weighing between 4 to 7kgs. We’d recommend starting with the smallest dose if your Min Pin is completely new to salmon oil. The oil itself mixes very well with raw food as it’s moist and soft but as it’s a smelly, tasty food supplement you shouldn’t have trouble getting into your Min Pin at all! The smell isn’t fishy in an overpowering way at all and smells quite ‘fresh’. Even though it doesn’t mention so on the bottle, you must store the salmon oil in the fridge. All reliable, good quality sources of information will tell you this and the reason is that salmon oil goes rancid quickly when exposed to oxygen. Refrigeration will not only keep the oil fresh but will stop you having to throw it out after a week or so!

How Is Mikki Doing On His Salmon Oil?

Mikki had no issues accepting the salmon oil. In the first week we gave him  some on his tongue which he liked. We have noted some benefits that we had hoped for. One was that the dry flaky skin and dry paw pads he had a few weeks ago have disappeared. Although it’s important to note that he is on a new raw diet and still going through the ‘detox’, which can mean itchy skin and plenty of shedding (it’s also autumn aka the shedding season). But salmon oil seems to have cleared these problems up. His coat has become much shinier too. Obviously these are the benefits that we can see however there are a whole host of internal benefits that will strengthen over time as well.

Our Thoughts

So far we’ve found Wee Doggie salmon oil to be trouble-free for our Min Pin, Mikki. In terms of overall benefits, you won’t get them overnight but as a long-term investment for your Min Pin’s health, this product is an excellent choice. It’s a very high quality product at a good price point in comparison to other brands.