The Missing Piece in Your Pet's Diet

Regardless of How Good Your Food is, Almost All Are Missing a Critical Piece

There’s one supplement we recommend for almost every dog and cat who walks through our doors, regardless of what they eat. If you tell us your furry family eats....

Kibble? It's 100% yep!

Freeze dried or gently cooked? You bet.

Raw? Believe it or not, still a yep!

We're talking about Omega 3s. And before my raw feeders start yelling, “But Carly, there are already Omega 3s in my pet’s food!” let me explain.

Everyday we talk to pet parents who are doing all of the right things! They're feeding a great diet, they're incorporating supplements, they're using natural flea and tick products, they're mindful of chemicals being used in and around their homes, but they're seeing one or more of these common issues:

• Dry, flaky or scaly skin, including dandruff

• Dull, dry or brittle coat that has lost its shine

• Increased shedding or poor coat quality

• Itchy or irritated skin

• Slower skin or wound healing

• Recurring skin problems or greater susceptibility to skin infections

• A greasy or smelly coat

Now you're likely thinking, if they're doing everything right, why does everything look so wrong? Or maybe your furry guy is dealing with some of these issues and you know you're doing exactly what you're supposed to!

Here's the thing, even with the best food on the market, there's one critical component they all fall short on and that's Omega 3s. Our furry guys need omegas from the sea. They don't absorb omegas from plants the same way and almost all diets lack sufficient, beneficial levels of Omega 3s from the sea.

🎙️ If you'd prefer to listen to this blog, you can find it here anywhere you love listening to podcasts! Look for S1 E43: "The Missing Piece in Your Dog's Diet"

Omegas Are Fragile Little Things

The Omega 3 fatty acids we’re really interested in are EPA and DHA. They play an important role throughout the entire body, helping support healthy skin and coat, joints and mobility, brain and cognitive health, cardiovascular health, immune function and a healthy inflammatory response.

In other words, they’re kind of a big deal!

The problem is that these fats are incredibly fragile. Heat, oxygen, light and storage can all contribute to oxidation and degradation. That obviously matters when we’re talking about highly processed foods, but it’s also why we can't assume that simply because Omega 3s were present in an ingredient when a food was made, our furry guy is necessarily getting all the fresh EPA and DHA we want them getting by the time that food hits their bowl.

And yes, this is something I think about with raw food too.

Freezing helps us preserve food, but these delicate fats can still oxidize during processing and storage. That’s why even though Zaner eats a fresh, whole food diet, I still add a fresh source of marine Omega 3s directly to his bowl.

It’s one of those little nutritional insurance policies I don’t like leaving to chance.

Fish Oil or Seal Oil?

For years, fish oil has been one of our go to recommendations because it provides those incredibly important EPA and DHA fatty acids.

But not all fish oils are created equal. Remember how I just told you these fats hate oxygen and light? That means I don’t particularly love the idea of opening the same giant bottle of fish oil over and over again for months. It's also why the packaging of fish oil is critical to it's freshness. Nothing is worse than rancid fats.

Packaging is one of the reasons we love our Fam Pets Wild Icelandic Fish Oil Spray. The oil is protected inside the can, so you spray what you need onto the food without repeatedly exposing the remaining oil to air and light.

Easy peasy.

But now there’s a new kid on the House of Paws Omega shelf.

Carino Seal Oil

If you read my previous email about seal oil, you already know this one took me THREE YEARS to bring into the store. I had some unresolved feelings about it and I needed to do my homework before I was comfortable putting it on our shelves.

You can read that whole story here.

Apparently you guys didn’t need three years to make up your minds because we can barely keep the stuff in stock. 😂

And I get the excitement! I'm just as excited and kicking myself for not brining it in sooner after seeing the improvements in Zaner now that seal oil is always on the menu!

What Makes Seal Oil Different?

Like fish oil, seal oil gives us EPA and DHA. But seal oil naturally gives us another long chain Omega 3 called DPA.

DPA doesn’t get nearly as much attention as EPA and DHA, but it’s an interesting fatty acid that researchers are continuing to study for its roles in areas like cardiovascular health and inflammation. I consider DPA like the shapeshifter of the omegas! Basically it determines where the body needs additional support from either EPA or DHA and goes to help!

For me, the attraction is pretty simple. I’m getting a broader spectrum of marine Omega 3s in one oil. An oil that's easy on the tummy and more bioavailable because it's mammal to mammal, versus fish to mammal.

And I’ve become a pretty big fan. Actually, so has my mom. 😂

If you read my first seal oil email, you might remember that I told you my mom was taking it too. She’s currently waiting for knee replacement surgery and her knee has really limited what she’s been able to do. Well, about a month ago she WALKED THE GOLF COURSE. That might not sound terribly exciting until I tell you she hasn’t been able to do that in months because of her knee. She was pretty darn happy and told me she genuinely believes the seal oil has helped how she feels.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting seal oil miraculously repaired my mother’s knee. It did not. But I thought her experience was pretty cool and she’s certainly not planning to stop taking it anytime soon.

And then there’s my little man. Zaner gets seal oil in his food every single day and lately I’ve been watching him tackle the stairs like they personally offended him. 😂 Stairs are literally NO ISSUE for the little seal oil swilling man right now.

At his age, and any age, supporting joints and maintaining mobility is a huge priority for me and for most pet parents. There isn’t one magic food or supplement responsible for that, because that’s not how nutrition works. But I absolutely believe the nutritional support I give Zaner every day matters and his seal oil has become an important part of that routine.

Does That Mean You Should Ditch Your Fish Oil?

Nope! If your furry guy is already getting a good quality fish oil, you’re providing EPA and DHA and I absolutely want you to continue giving it.

Seal oil simply gives us another option and brings DPA to the party along with EPA and DHA. Some pet parents may choose seal oil. Some may stick with fish oil. We recommend you rotate between the two. But if you have a furry guy who doesn't like fish, or can't tolerate fish, seal oil is an amazing way to provide those essential omegas from the sea!

What I care about most is that we’re intentionally putting a fresh source of marine Omega 3s into the bowl instead of assuming our pet’s food has it covered. Because whether you feed kibble, freeze dried, gently cooked or a beautiful bowl of fresh raw food, this is one nutrient I don’t like leaving to chance.

And if you’re not sure which oil makes the most sense for your furry guy, come see us. Tell us what you’re feeding and what you’re trying to support, and we’ll help you figure it out.