Nutra Sea Canine Omega-3 (Smoky Meat Flavour) - 500ml

What your Furry Friend can Expect from Ascenta Canine Omega3
- Smoky meat flavour that dogs love
- Balanced EPA & DHA formula satisfies dietary requirements
- 1290 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per serving
- Third-party tested for quality, purity, and label claims
- Natural antioxidant blend improves freshness
- Suitable for dogs of all ages and breeds
- Used by leading veterinarian institutions

The Benefits of Omega Fatty Acids
Omega 3-6-9 oils are a combination of three types of essential fatty acids. "Essential" means that the body does not produce the fatty acids on its own and therefore they must be taken in through the diet. The standard North American diet is deficient in essential fatty acids, especially omega 3s.
Every cell needs essential fatty acids for its cell membrane where the fats make the important barrier that lets other molecules into and out of the cell.

Without the healthy fats cells become porous and chemical or nutrient imbalances can occur. The essential fats also produce chemical messengers, such as hormones, in the body thus, omega 3-6-9 oils help to optimize hormone levels in both men and women. Essential fatty acids have been used to treat eczema, psoriasis, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, menopause and PMS. They also improve hair and skin, prevent blood clots, improve memory and regulate hormone levels.

There are three categories of EFAs, omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. Vegetable-based combination oils usually contain alpha-linolenic acid, ALA, for omega 3, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), for omega 6 and oleic acid, for omega-9. The sources of the oils are several of the following: flaxseed, borage, black currant, hemp, pumpkin seed, primrose, sunflower or safflower. Some combination oils include fish oils derived from fish such as herring, cod, mackerel, tuna or salmon. These oils give the added benefit of containing docosahexanoic acid, DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, two other types of omega 3 fatty acids.

Ensure your omega 3-6-9 supplement is not processed with heat because it damages the acids and creates free radicals. Some of the damaged fats turn into trans-fatty acids, which are well known for their promotion of cardiovascular disease. Refrigerate all liquid 3-6-9 supplements and keep capsules away from heat because they can become rancid. Using liquid EFAs is much more cost effective than capsules because numerous capsules must be taken to make an equivalent amount of liquid oil.

For more information on essential fatty acid sources see the articles on each type of fatty acid or oil.

Omega-3 Canine Studies - Joint Health
- Hall JA, Henry LR, Jha S, Skinner MM, Jewell DE, Wander RC. Dietary (n-3) fatty acids alter plasma fatty acids and leukotriene B synthesis by stimulated neutrophils from healthy geriatric Beagles. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2005 Nov;73(5):335-41.

The study objective was to determine the effect of feeding food enriched in omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FA) on plasma FA profiles and leukotriene B (LTB) synthesis by stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils from dogs. For 36 weeks, two groups of dogs (n = 5) were fed food that contained either a low ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 FA (1.31:1; fish oil-enriched food) or a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 FA (40.6:1; corn oil-enriched food).

Consumption of food enriched in fish oil resulted in higher plasma concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and lower concentrations of arachidonic acid. Neutrophils from dogs fed fish oil-enriched food produced 7.6-fold more LTB(5)(P = 0.002), and the ratio of LTB(5)-LTB(4) concentrations was 8.3-fold higher (P < 0.001) compared with dogs fed corn oil-enriched food. Dietary FA can modulate leukotriene production by neutrophils in dogs, and suggests that foods enriched in omega-3 (n-3) FA from fish oil may have value in the treatment of canine inflammatory diseases.

- Hansen RA, Harris MA, Pluhar GE, Motta T, Brevard S, Ogilvie GK, Fettman MJ, Allen KG. Fish oil decreases matrix metalloproteinases in knee synovia of dogs with inflammatory joint disease. J Nutr Biochem. 2007 May 23.

This study was designed to determine whether dietary fish oil affects the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), tissue inhibitors of MMP-2 (TIMP-2) and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in synovial fluid from dogs with spontaneously occurring stifle (knee) instability in a single hind limb resulting from acute cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury. Two groups of 12 dogs were fed diets from 1 week prior to surgery on the affected knee to 56 days post-surgery. The fish oil and control diets provided 90 and 4.5 mg, respectively, of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/kg body weight per day. Plasma and synovial fluid, from both surgical and nonsurgical knee joints, were obtained at start of the diet (-7), surgery day (0) and 7, 14, 28 and 56 days post-surgery.

Plasma total EPA and DHA were significantly increased, and plasma total arachidonic acid (AA) was significantly decreased by the fish oil diet. In synovial fluid from the nonsurgical knee, fish oil treatment significantly decreased proMMP-2 expression at Days 7 and 14, and proMMP-9 expression at Day 56, and uPA activity at 28 days and significantly increased TIMP-2 expression at Days 7 and 28. There were no differences in MMP expression or activity, TIMP-2 expression and uPA activity in the surgical joint synovial fluid at any time throughout the study. These results suggest that dietary fish oil may exert beneficial effects on synovial fluid MMP and TIMP-2 equilibrium in the uninjured stifle of dogs with unilateral CCL injury.