Is There a Better Alternative to Fish Oil for Dogs?

December 9, 2017

Krill oil is a better alternative to fish oil for dogs because it is easier to digest and offers more beneficial nutrients as well as fewer toxins. The omega-3 essential fatty acids in fish oil are in triglyceride form, while the omega 3s in krill oil are in phospholipid form. This is important because dogs are more efficient at using omega-3s bound to phospholipids. As a result, krill oil is 48 times more potent than fish oil for dogs.

There’s only one omega-3 krill oil supplement made especially for sport and work dogs. Made by hunters for hunting dogs, Vitality is your dog’s ticket to Maintaining Alpha Status.

Are There Toxins in Fish Oils?

Fish oil is sourced from cold-water oily fish like anchovies, salmon, herring, and sardines. Unfortunately, these fish contain high levels of mercury, PCBs, arsenic, and other toxins, which can interfere with the benefits of the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil. To make matters worse, fish oils sourced from farm-raised fish can contain 9 million times the number of toxic residues of fish naturally found in nature.

The National Resources Defense Council reports predatory fish like mackerel, large tuna and salmon, can contain dangerously high levels of mercury in their bodies, measuring as much as 10,000 times higher than the mercury levels found in their immediate habitat.

Why is Krill Oil Cleaner?

Mercury moves up the food chain, starting with smaller fish and then building up in bigger fish as other fish consume one another. Mercury doesn’t break down and dissolve, instead it builds and builds. That means the smallest and shortest-lived fish on the food chain (hello Krill!) contain the lowest mercury levels.

Krill oil is beginning to gain popularity over fish oil as more people discover it offers a cleaner source of omega 3 fatty acids for dogs, among other favorable reasons.

Sustainability of Fish Oil for Dogs

In 2008, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) set a sustainable catch limit on krill at 6.6 million tons. Since then less than 2% of this limit has been caught and harvested each year.

Meanwhile, 90% of large fish species fished for food or used to make oils are fished out. That means if we continue at this rate, there will be no fish left! Making the switch to krill oil is good for your dog and the health and sustainability of our oceans.

Benefits of Krill Oil

Reduces arthritis pain
Reduces inflammation
Calms overactive immune systems
Slows progression of arthritis
Improves coat and skin health
Reduces side effects of allergies
Slows growth of yeast infections
Aids in development and healing
Can prevent some heart problems
Regulates blood pressure, decreases triglyceride and blood cholesterol levels
Can slow some cancers

Fish oil and krill oil both provide a digestible form of omega-3 fatty acids, but the benefits of krill oil outweigh fish oil for several key reasons:

Krill oil is easier to digest
It offers a cleaner source of omega 3s with lower levels of mercury and other toxins than fish oil
It is sustainably sourced while fish oil comes from highly overfished species
Krill oil contains more potent levels of vitamins A, E, and D; as well as the cancer-protectant carotenoid astaxanthin

What About Other Sources of Omega-3s?

Omega-3s are found in oils and veggies, but researchers have found dogs respond best to omega-3 sourced from fish or krill. For example, take a look at the results from a 2012 study conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal’s Department of Veterinary Biomedicine. Researchers added omega-3 sourced from fish oil to one group of arthritic dogs’ diets for 13-weeks. At the same time, researchers fed another group of dogs with arthritis the same diet in every way except they substituted omega-3s from a different fat source. Dogs in the study fed omega-3 fatty acids sourced from the sea were “markedly improved” compared to dogs given omega-3 from other sources.

Vitality for Canine Athletes

Vitality means life, energy, vigor; all things Vitality by Alpha Dog is specially formulated to offer the world’s most active canines. Vitality targets your dog’s heart, joints, skin, and coat, and packs enough DHA and EPA for active or working dogs. After all, it was made by hunters for hunting dogs. See the difference the right nutrients can make...