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Nutritional supplements do not fall under the scrutiny of the FDA and the USDA, leaving them with no regulatory agency assuring product quality or even if product ingredient label claims are even true. Omega-3-fatty acids are no exception. Thus, when choosing omega-3-fatty acids for your dogs and cats for general wellness, it is important to understand the difference between a good supplement and a bad supplement.
Many people who engage in dietary nutritional supplementation have experienced the unpleasant “fish burp” some time after swallowing an omega-3-fish oil supplement. The fish burp results from a product that oxidized to the extent that it has gone rancid and getting burped up after the capsule has dissolved in the stomach.
Oxidation of fish oil is far more than unpleasant. Oxidation converts omega-3-fatty acids into omega-6 and omega-9 forms. These forms go beyond being ineffective for the invaluable anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3, but are actually PRO-inflammatory. Amazingly, companies that produce oxidized supplements such as these even count on a customer base that does not know that difference and go so far as to even admitting on their labels that their product is a “rich source of omega 3, 6, and 9.”
Since I do not write to be a cheerleader for any brands, I advise in order to protect your families and pets from useless – or worse, even harmful – health supplements, ask your veterinarian for brand recommendations. Since supplement labels are not held to any semblance of substantiation, unfortunately, label and ingredient criteria are not reliable, so it is pointless for me to list them.
Brands that have a big stake in product integrity because of historical quality control, reputation, and having many other product lines in the veterinary health market that do fall under the scrutiny of the FDA and USDA, are usually the best sources of high integrity supplements. Your veterinarian is the best source for recommendation of these products having extensive experience in the industry and intimate knowledge of quality (or poor quality) products.
Dr. Roger Welton is a practicing veterinarian and highly regarded media personality through a number of topics and platforms. In addition to being passionate about integrative veterinary medicine for which he is a nationally renowned expert, Dr. Welton was also an accomplished college lacrosse player and remains to this day very involved in the sport. He is president of Maybeck Animal Hospital , runs the successful veterinary/animal health blogs Web-DVM and Dr. Roger’s Holistic Veterinary Care, and fulfills his passion for lacrosse through his lacrosse and sport blog, The Creator’s Game.
