Is it ok to add fish oil to my dogs diet of Acana food. It has a 4:1 ratio of omega 6:3. She has some seasonal itching and I want her coat to look nice. I was thinking of adding grizzly salmon oil. She has had Nordic naturals in the past. The food does add fish oil and probiotics so is it ok that I'm adding additional fish oil and would you also recommend probiotics as well? She has no medical problems. Thanks!

Updated On November 21st, 2017

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 5 years and 5 months old | 17 lbs

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

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Fish oil does tend to make the coat shinier and nicer looking, which will likely be the most obvious benefit you get from supplementing. Fish oil does have antiinflamatory properties that may be helpful with the itching, but I wouldn't expect a drastic change. There has been a great deal of debate about ratios of Omega 6 vs 3, but honestly, the debate is not over, so the 4:1 ratio should be fine. I would just make sure that the omega 3 fatty acids do not get above 1mg per kg of body weight, or you could be giving above the safe upper limit. Probiotics are another supplement that are not bad to give, but is not necessary for a healthy animal. I usually only advise probiotic supplementation for intestinal conditions where there has been some good evidence for its use. Probiotics are also an unregulated product, so depending on the product, it may or may not be have what it claims; or may not have the bacteria that are known to be beneficial. For this reason, I only recommend getting probiotics as directed by your veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Chloe.

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