If you have a cat or dog with itchy dry skin, you know how hard it can be to watch them struggle with the discomfort it causes.
You may also notice that her coat lacks luster, with a dullness that just doesn't look as healthy as you'd like – which may make you wonder about her overall health.
Unfortunately, this is all too common with the cats and dogs I see when they first come into my clinic. Oftentimes, I find they're lacking some specific nutrients – certain essential fatty acids (EFAs) and vitamins, to be exact.
Cats and dogs need omega-3 fatty acids in their diets, not only to support healthy skin and a smooth, shiny coat, but also to maintain healthy function of cells and organs throughout her body.
Unfortunately, it can be challenging for your pet to get enough of these essential fatty acids from a typical modern pet diet. And that can make it difficult for her to enjoy optimal health.
Let's take a look at what's going on with commercial pet food diets and your pet's omega-3 intake…
Standard Processed Diets Typically Rob Your Pet of These Vital EFA's
Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in your pet's health and longevity. They're vital for his skin and coat, and they play key roles in his cardiovascular, neurological and skeletal systems.
But is your pet getting enough?
The majority of commercial pet foods provide few omega-3s, if any. This is especially true with highly processed foods like kibble and most canned foods.
In general, it's very difficult to get these fatty acids from a diet that's been processed. Omega-3s are heat sensitive, so the high temperatures used in the kibble and canning processes typically destroy them… if they are even present in the food to begin with.
A food manufacturer may sometimes add omega-3s to the food, but unfortunately, they're not always in a form that your pet's body can use..
If they do survive the heat process, they may not make it through storage. Omega-3s can become rancid when exposed to oxygen for extended periods.
So how do omega-3s work in your pet's body to support healthy skin and coat? Let's take a look .
More Than Skin-Deep – How Omega-3s Can Benefit Your Pet's Skin and Coat
Omega fatty acids are also called essential fatty acids (EFAs) because your pet's body can't make them, so it's essential that she get them from her diet.
There are two types of EFAs – omega-3s and omega-6s. Most pets get plenty of omega-6s in their diets but, due to the reasons we discussed earlier, they often fall short on omega-3s.
There are three main types of omega-3s.
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) is important for promoting a normal, healthy inflammatory response in the cells and brain.
- Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is especially valuable for cognitive support.
- Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) plays a key role in heart health, but it has some issues related to optimal utilization by cats and dogs.
These EFAs play a crucial role in maintaining your pet's skin and coat. Found in fish oil and a few plant foods, they:
- Support a normal healthy inflammatory response – This can be especially beneficial for cats and dogs prone to skin irritations like redness and itchiness.
- Are needed to maintain healthy cell membranes – Omega-3s play an important role in keeping your pet's skin cells healthy and functioning well, including keeping her skin cells hydrated. Hydrated skin means a healthier, shinier coat.
- Promote the repair of skin cells – A healthy, normal skin repair process means quicker recovery.
- Contribute to a lustrous coat – Omega-3s nourish your pet's fur, helping keep it soft and shiny for a healthier-looking animal.
Supporting healthy skin and coat aren't the only roles omega-3s play in your pet's health. They also have an impact on other areas of her body.
Omega-3s Are Essential Throughout Your Pet's Body
While omega-3s are famous for supporting healthy skin and a lustrous coat, these important fatty acids work all over your pet's body to maintain the health of many other organs and body systems.
Canine and feline research shows omega-3 fatty acids help:
- Promote joint comfort.
- Support ear health.
- Promote healthy retina and visual cortex development for healthy eyes.
- Promote optimal cardiovascular health.
- Promote the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes – substances that help support immune response.
- Support healthy cell growth.
- Maintain healthy, normal kidney function.
- Support healthy overall growth and reproduction.
Making sure your pet receives enough omega-3 fatty acids is a great strategy for supporting health throughout his body.
What Form of Omega-3s Is Best for Your Pet?
What your pet really needs is EPA and DHA – the essential omega-3 fatty acids most important for supporting her health. I believe the most ideal source for these two fatty acids for cats and dogs is marine oils.
Fish and krill oils, such as salmon, sardine, squid, herring caviar and cod liver oils, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA and EPA.
What about the plant-based alternatives, like evening primrose, borage, pumpkin seed and sunflower oils?
All of these oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which your pet doesn't need supplemented as they're abundant in foods.
The omega-3 content of plant-derived oils doesn't actually include EPA and DHA. Instead, they contain the less bioavailable, inactive precursor form, ALA. For your pet to benefit nutritionally from ALA, it must first be converted to EPA and DHA by special enzymes.
While dogs and cats can convert ALA from plant oils into EPA and DHA, the conversion rate is very low – less than 20%.
This is more pronounced for cats. A kitty's genetic makeup severely limits her from converting ALA into EPA and DHA. For that reason, plant-based omega-3 fatty acids are not suitable for cats.
Plant oils are an inferior choice for dogs, too. In one study, dogs who received high levels of EPA from marine sources experienced a greater impact on skin health than those receiving only ALA.
Marine sources of omega-3s are truly ideal for cats and dogs. They contain rich supplies of both DHA and EPA which can be easily utilized by your pet.
Among marine sources of omega-3s, I recommend cod liver oil for its unique array of nutrients.
What Makes Cod Liver Oil So Special?
While the Scandinavians used cod liver oil for centuries, and they knew it worked, they didn't have a scientific explanation for why.
In the explosion of scientific discovery that took off in the 1800's, that began to change.
There were a series of discoveries about cod liver oil, culminating in the early 1970's with the identification of DHA and EPA. Researchers discovered DHA and EPA not only in cod liver oil, but also other fish oils.
However, there was something special about cod liver oil that set it apart – cod liver oil contains significant amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D.
In fact, scientists thought they had discovered the secret of cod liver oil when they found these two fat-soluble vitamins in cod liver oil way back in 1913 (vitamin A) and 1922 (vitamin D). With the discovery of omega-3s DHA and EPA, they realized that there was even more behind what makes cod liver oil work.
This combination of vitamins and omega-3s makes cod liver oil truly unique, with a “total package” consisting of:
- DHA for memory, mood, brain and eye health.
- EPA for cardiovascular and circulatory health.
- Naturally occurring vitamin D for healthy bones and skin, as well as immune, respiratory, cellular and heart function.
- Naturally occurring vitamin A for immune and thyroid health, heathy eyes, bones and skin, and healthy growth and reproduction.
There may be some exciting potential benefits from giving your pet vitamin D, vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids together, the way they come naturally in cod liver oil.
Synergistic Effects – How Omega-3s Work Together With Vitamins A and D to Support Your Pet's Skin, Coat and More
Just like Omega-3s, vitamins A and D are vital for your pet's health, especially her skin and coat.
Vitamin A stimulates collagen production, which helps keep her skin hydrated from within. It also plays a key role in the production of sebum, and oily secretion that waterproofs your pet's hair and hydrates her skin.
Vitamin D helps regulate the growth and repair of your pet's skin cells. It helps support her immune system and a normal, healthy inflammatory response, helping to ease potential discomfort from seasonal threats.
Omega-3s also help soothe irritated skin by supporting a healthy inflammatory response. They nourish your pet's fur, contributing to a smooth and shiny coat that's less prone to breakage.
When these two powerful nutrients work together, they provide broad support for your pet's skin and coat. With its rich supply of omega-3s and vitamins A and D, cod liver oil offers support for:
- Moisture balance: These two vitamins help maintain the moisture in your pet's skin, while omega-3s help ensure her coat is glossy and not dry.
- More comfortable skin: Healthy moisture levels contribute to more comfortable skin with less itchy and redness.
- Better absorption: Because vitamins A and D are fat soluble, the omega-3 fatty acids in cod liver oil help your pet absorb it more effectively so her brain, heart, bones, joints and eyes can receive the potential benefits.
For optimal health, your pet should receive an appropriate balance of these three nutrients. It's important to remember that an excess of any of them can be harmful.
Also be aware that since your pet is covered in fur, she can't produce vitamin D from sun exposure like you can, so she must get it in her diet.
For these reasons, I recommend talking to your vet about whether your pet would benefit from supplementing with a healthy, natural source of these vital nutrients.
What Makes Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil Special
One of the best ways to help your pet get the omega-3s and vitamin D he needs for optimal health is to give him cod liver oil – but not just any old cod liver oil...
You want to make sure it comes from a wild caught and sustainably processed source, both for his health and the health of the oceans.
That's why I was delighted to find the supplier for Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil.
Truly a sustainable product, this cod liver oil is exceptionally pure and environmentally friendly. The cod are line-caught in the cold, deep waters of the Bering Sea and processed just yards from the dock.
This Alaskan Cod Liver Oil is rich in both DHA and EPA, with a minimum of 17% total omega-3 fatty acids. It also supplies 144 IUs of vitamin D and 2160 IUs of vitamin A.
With this concentration of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D, Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil is a convenient and effective way to help hydrate and maintain your pet's skin, and support health throughout her body.
Here's what makes it's sourcing so special…
For Fresh Cod Liver Oil, It's Gotta Stay Local
To begin, the cod for our Cod Liver Oil are individually caught in the Bering Sea using a “long line.” This method has minimal environmental impact and keeps the fish alive, allowing bycatch to be safely released.
The fish are hauled on board one by one and the livers immediately extracted and flash frozen at a temperature of -35 degrees Celsius.
Then they're brought in to Dutch Harbor, Alaska and sent just up the street to the processing facility, where the oil is extracted using gentle heat and a centrifuge.
Our supplier's quality control and manufacturing processes meet or exceed the most stringent industry standards – both domestic and international.
Remember that cod are not harvested for their livers. Cod are a highly regarded culinary fish, eaten by people all over the world. The liver is considered a waste product and is typically discarded.
Our supplier takes extra measures every step of the way. To ensure the purest quality, they use third-party batch testing to examine every single batch of cod liver oil for more than 250 environmental contaminants, including the following:
- More than 100 pesticides
- 4 heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic/inorganic)
- 6 marker PCBs
- 17 PCD Dioxins and Furans
- 12 WHO PCBs
No other supplier does this – competitors typically test only a few times a year for a limited number of contaminants.
Protecting Oceans and Safeguarding Sea Life – The Importance of MSC Certification
We're proud that Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global nonprofit that works to end overfishing around the world.
Our suppliers line catching methods and processing practices all take place under the watchful eye of the MSC.
When a cod liver oil product receives MSC certification, you are guaranteed freshness and authenticity. Every batch can be traced to the time, date, location and even the vessel of the catch – information you can only get with this unique type of certification.
The blue MSC label ensures the product comes from a sustainable fishery that has met their Chain of Custody Standard certification.
Developed through consultation with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists and experts, these standards meet international best practice guidelines.
With MSC certification, you’re assured of quality all the way to the bottle. Every company that handles the product, from harvesting to bottling, must:
- Be independently audited to make sure the MSC eco-label is only used on certified sustainable products.
- Store MSC-certified items separately.
- Keep effective records of MSC-certified products.
So, with Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil, you can be assured you're giving your pet the best while doing your part to help protect our oceans and ensure future generations enjoy the same bounty you do today.
Bark & Whiskers® Cod Liver Oil Is the Convenient, Effective Way to Support Your Pet's Skin, Coat and Overall Health
Clearly, if you are feeding your pet a processed diet – and even a homemade diet – there's a good chance he's not receiving all the omega-3 fatty acids he needs.
Because his omega-3 levels have likely been low for years, replenishing them may take some time. However, I know you will see signs that your efforts are working before long.
Changes start on the inside – at the level of the cell membranes – and work outwards. The visible signs, such as more comfortable skin and a glossier coat, can be the last ones you notice, once you have successfully improved your pet's omega fats.
Keep in mind, what happens on the inside matters most to your pet's overall well-being.
In addition to the potential benefits of replenishing the omega-3s in his body, your pet can enjoy the potential benefits of rich natural vitamin A and vitamin D in Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil.
Working together, these nutrients support healthy, hydrated skin and healthy function throughout his body.
Help your pet enjoy a healthy coat and skin, and support his overall health, with sustainably caught and responsibly processed cod liver oil. Order your supply of Bark & Whiskers® Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil today.