Dietary supplements can be a great boost for your pet’s health, as they offer nutrients that the regular diet might lack. Multivitamins, supplements for skin and coat, joints, and nerves – there are plenty of high-quality choices on the market, but also some dubious ones. In this era of mass production and many available options, picking the right supplement takes a little research.
One popular supplement not just for pets, but people too, is fish oil. At some point in your childhood, you must have heard the age-old advice: “If you want healthy bones, take fish oil!” And there’s certainly truth to that. The benefits of using fish oil has been known to nutritionists for centuries, and it’s been included in various products like pills, gels, and capsules.
What Is It?
As the name tells us, fish oil is derived from oily coldwater fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and shellfish like oysters, squid, shrimp, lobsters, etc.
The reason why fish oil is so lauded is because of its fatty acid content. Namely, this oil is packed with Omega-3, fatty acids with excellent anti-inflammatory properties that improve health and brain function, joint health, skin quality, etc.
We won’t get too scientific here, but we’ll mention the two main Omega-3 acids: DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). What good do they bring? The former is essential for growth in the early stages, and the latter is beneficial throughout the cat’s life. Omega-6, such as linoleic acid, is also important, but the main sources are walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, eggs, etc. rather than oily fish.
Another interesting fact: fish by themselves can’t produce fatty acids. They receive them through their diet by eating mainly plankton and microalgae. Then, they store these Omega-3 in their tissues, becoming a rich source of fatty acids.
A Number of Benefits
Cats can often experience skin problems, causing them great discomfort and frustration. It could be dermatitis, hair loss, allergies, fleas, parasites, various infections, etc. To ease their trouble, they start scratching and biting their coat, which can lead to bleeding or scars.
Besides enhancing aesthetics, like making the fur shiny and smooth, Omega-3 helps inflammation by reducing cytokines, and proteins that affect the immune system.
Arthritis can be a real pain behind for cats, especially those over 10 years old. It limits mobility, causes pain and distress, and is simply no fun at all. Common symptoms include slow movement, stiff walking, reluctance when climbing, sore joints, etc. Being anti-inflammatory, fatty acids lubricate the joints and make movement easier. Even if your feline has been highly active and energetic, arthritis can still happen, and that’s when Omega-3 is your best friend.
It also helps with certain cardiovascular conditions. If you notice lethargy, sudden weight loss, small appetite, or heavy breathing in your pet, it might have a heart problem. Fatty acids can help by reducing triglycerides, regulating heart rhythm, and preventing blood clots in cats. They are also known for reducing blood pressure and improving blood flow. By adding fish oil to your furry friend’s diet, these problems can improve drastically in a short period.
Let’s not forget about kidneys, either. Being very small and fragile in cats, they are prone to disease. Fish oil slows down kidney illness to a great degree; besides decreasing inflammation, it prevents protein loss in the urine. Research shows that cats with a higher intake of EPA, the eicosapentaenoic acid we mentioned, live longer and healthier.
Last, but definitely not least: the brain. Fatty acids, particularly DHA, can greatly improve neuro-development and cognitive functions in cats, and dogs as well. When they’re kittens, learning and absorbing the world around them, fish oil speeds up the process, basically making them smarter. Felines with higher DHA intake achieve better results in games than those who don’t take fish oil.
Potential Issues
As with any supplement, the cat owner needs to take caution and look for side effects. Luckily, fish oil belongs in the safe category, and if administered properly in small doses, it can hardly harm. Sometimes we can go too far with dosing unintentionally; in that case, your feline might experience vomiting, fishy smell (skin or breath), laziness, or diarrhea. However, these are very rare occurrences.
Although known for improving blood circulation, fish oil can sometimes lead to bruising or excessive bleeding, in particular nose and gum bleeding, or more extreme cases, causing or worsening ulcers. But for this to happen, your cat would have to intake way too much fish oil, which a responsible cat owner would never allow.
If your feline has diabetes, excessive fatty acids might increase the level of blood sugar as they stimulate glucose production. So in case of diabetes, fish oil would be off the menu, replaced with some quality herbal supplements.
Administering Fish Oil
The first step when feeding your pet fish oil would be determining the dosage. This should be done in consultation with your vet, and it depends on the cat’s weight, regular diet, and of course, product guidelines. Shady supplements often lack clear guidelines and it’s best to avoid them. Also, supplements don’t mesh well with some medications, so the vet will decide whether it’s safe to use them.
Next comes the actual choice of fish oil. As you know, cats don’t really dislike seafood, so the smell or flavor will be more than welcome. Tablets are considered a great choice for introducing fish oil to felines: they’re tiny, easily digestible, and easily masked in food. Vets often recommend greenlip mussel oil in tablets, packed with fatty acids.
Besides pills or capsules, fish oil can be in liquid form, too. If the taste and smell are too much, your pet might be put away. Instead of dropping directly into the mouth, try a few drops on their snack. Masked by the food taste, the pet will swallow it without even noticing.
Conclusion
All things considered, fish oil supplements are a great way of boosting your cat’s health, but only if they’re necessary. It’s up to the vet to decide this: your task is to read labels and guidelines carefully, watch your cat’s behavior, and stick to proper doses. If this is done right, you’ll have one happy furball in your household.
