Dogs have their special nutritional needs just like their owners. One such, extremely important nutrient is the omega 3 essential fatty acid, which avoids inflammation and inflammatory diseases. First thing to understand here is, that the dog's body cannot produce omega 3 fatty acids and hence, it may suffer from several dog health problems like arthritis and joint pain. Being a loving pet owner and in order to avoid such dog health problems, you must add omega 3 fatty acid in the regular diet of your dog. As a matter of fact, most of the top brands of dog foods are rich with many nutrients but they lack omega 3 fatty acids. Some brands contain loads of omega 6 fatty acids but they miss on omega 3 fatty acids. Such foods can create imbalance in the fatty acid levels of the dog's body. So, which are the best dog foods with omega 3 fatty acids?

Benefits

Omega 3 fatty acid is a real life savor for the dogs. Since it avoids inflammation, acts as a great cancer resisting agent and maintains joint and cardiac health of the dogs. It is a quality fat that must be a part of the best dog food. It is unfortunate that AAFCO doesn't mention omega 3 fatty acid as an essential nutrient. But if your pet is not getting enough amount of omega 3 rich foods, then it is your responsibility to provide the same. You can give omega 3 supplements for dogs as well. However, you need to be pretty specific and careful while adding both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in the dog's food. A healthy dog food must contain 2.2% omega 6 and 0.3% omega 3 fatty acids. Smallest irregularity in this ratio can cause various dog health conditions! Hence, it is an important point to consider for utmost dog care.

Sources

There are numerous sources of omega 3 fatty acids, like fish oil, flaxseeds, soybeans, walnuts and canola. Even though they are inexpensive, avoid using soybeans and prefer using fish oils for dogs. Rather than fish oil, you can also include fish in the regular home cooked dog food. Fish are natural foods with omega 3 and they also contain natural proteins. Most dogs love fish and hence, there should not be any problem for you to include them in their daily diet. Another option is the omega 3 supplements for dogs, that are available in drug stores. These supplements are helpful for treating high cholesterol levels, skin allergies in dogs, joint inflammations in dogs. Many omega 3 supplements for dogs also contain vitamin E, which is a great antioxidant for the dogs.

Finding the Food

You don't need to take special efforts for adding omega 3 into the dog's food. All that you need to do is to add 3 oz salmons/canned salmons in the dog's daily food. You can bring home a regular tin of canned salmons from Bumblebee. A 14 oz tin provides you about 5 servings of canned salmons. The second thing that you can do is to add 2 to 4 drops of vitamin E oil into the dog's food. You can also add glucosamine and chondroitin in the regular dog treats. SeaPet pet food products are pretty good for that. There are many brands that you can consider while thinking of dog treats with omega 3. Honest Kitchen Force Dog Food, Orijen 6 Fish Dog Food, Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream, Canidae's Grain Free Salmon, Acana's Wild Prairie, Wellness's Core Reduced Fat Recipe, Canine Caviar's Venison and Split Pea, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul's Adult Dog Formula, etc., are some of the dog food products that you can find with omega 3 as a significant ingredient.

Precautions

Proper precautionary measures must be taken while adding omega 3 in your dog's food. A general dosage formula for omega 3 acid is - 180 mg omega 3 per 10 lbs of the dog's total weight. This ratio may vary for each dog, hence ask your veterinarian to set the omega 3 dosage for your dog first. Overdose of omega 3 can cause several side effects. The most prominent and severe side effects of omega 3 overdose in dogs include, thinning of blood and lack of blood clotting. Hence, you always need to be cautious about the amount of dog foods with omega 3 fatty acids. In case the dog shows several ill effects after consuming omega 3, then stop feeding it immediately and consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Providing healthy and home cooked food with healthy fatty acids is also a good option to avoid such side effects of omega 3 supplements.

It is agreed that you need to provide the healthiest dog food with omega 3 essential fatty acids to your dogs. But, it is even more important to administer it in a proper dosage, and only after consultation with the veterinarian. All the best!