I have just taken on a 1 year old male Doberman. I wish to give him Dr.Sear Omega Rx. He is around 30kg. How much should I give? I cap a day too much? also anyone know any good sites for recipes in making homemade dog food. I dont trust any of the compaines that make dog food. I think it to be rubbish. Any help much appreaciated!! Simon

Hi Iceman, Congrats on your new dog. What color is it? Fawns, blues, and whites tend to have more skin troubles, so that would affect my advice on dosage. (I would up it). I have a 55kg (120 lb) Great Dane, 15 months old, and I give him 2 caps of PGFO daily. It's expensive, but he is a show dog, and his skin has never looked better! I started him on one cap per day, and after a week increased it to 2. I was watchful for diarrhea, etc. From all the research I could find, one should dose their dog at the same dosage as for humans, by weight. However, due to cost, I have decided the benefits at 2 caps a day for him are fine, so I'm not going to increase him to 4. I have read that you can split open the caps and squeeze the oil out for them to lick, but mine won't touch it then. However, a cap stuck in a tablespoonful of yogurt does the trick. Good luck!

[quote:c6f2410eb7="Cowlover2"]Hi Iceman, Congrats on your new dog. What color is it? Fawns, blues, and whites tend to have more skin troubles, so that would affect my advice on dosage. (I would up it). I have a 55kg (120 lb) Great Dane, 15 months old, and I give him 2 caps of PGFO daily. It's expensive, but he is a show dog, and his skin has never looked better! I started him on one cap per day, and after a week increased it to 2. I was watchful for diarrhea, etc. From all the research I could find, one should dose their dog at the same dosage as for humans, by weight. However, due to cost, I have decided the benefits at 2 caps a day for him are fine, so I'm not going to increase him to 4. I have read that you can split open the caps and squeeze the oil out for them to lick, but mine won't touch it then. However, a cap stuck in a tablespoonful of yogurt does the trick. Good luck![/quote:c6f2410eb7] Hi Lisa! Thanks for you advice. He is a red. Should I start him with 1 cap? I am a little worried about diarrhea as well. Is he prone to get diarrhea for good or will his body adjust to the fish oil? also do you feed your dog commerical dog food? I hear making your own at home using human grade ingrediants is the best. I use Eukaneba and my other Dobe puppy at 6 months always got pimple like bumps all over his body. I believe it to be the food. Any good sites you know of that is good for recipes on home made food? Thanks!

After doing a lot of research for a different reason, I came to the conclusion that coconut oil is very good for us. NOT what we've been told. So I started taking it, about 2 tablespoons or so a day. I have a golden retriever, about 80 lbs., that licked it off me every chance he got. So he became guinea pig #2, with me being #1. He gets about 1-2 teaspoons daily. After 2 weeks, his fur is [b:11b4160db6]unbelievable!!!!!! [/b:11b4160db6]And he has quit scratching himself all the time. And he's got a lot more energy, too. I've noticed a lot of very positive changes for myself as well. I'll not stop taking it! hth Bob

[quote:cd0768a80b="Cowlover2"]I started him on one cap per day, and after a week increased it to 2. I was watchful for diarrhea, etc. From all the research I could find, one should dose their dog at the same dosage as for humans, by weight. However, due to cost, I have decided the benefits at 2 caps a day for him are fine, so I'm not going to increase him to 4. I have read that you can split open the caps and squeeze the oil out for them to lick, but mine won't touch it then. However, a cap stuck in a tablespoonful of yogurt does the trick. [/quote:cd0768a80b] Requirements may also depend on the breed. It appears that Akitas, being of Japanese origin, have higher omega-3 requirements. We started our Akita on 2/day, now she's on four/day. Will up it to six shortly, and watch the stools. Coat has come back remarkably well from the pitiful state she was in a few months ago (see Sebacious Adenitis post).

Interesting... Scott, you said in the other post that treatment for your dog was EFA supplementation and oil baths. But you treated her with FO. Translation: Treatment is with omega-6 but you were successful with omega-3. That's a huge change. What am I missing? (Only answer that with regards to this question!!!! :) ) And I'm glad to hear your Akita is doing much better. That's really good!!! Bob

[quote:2f0fa078e4="Fatboyslim"]Interesting... Scott, you said in the other post that treatment for your dog was EFA supplementation and oil baths. But you treated her with FO. Translation: Treatment is with omega-6 but you were successful with omega-3. That's a huge change. What am I missing? (Only answer that with regards to this question!!!! :) ) And I'm glad to hear your Akita is doing much better. That's really good!!! Bob[/quote:2f0fa078e4] In my opinion, the oil baths were treating the symptom (destroyed oil glands), rather than the underlying cause, inflammation. So, I was going to use the OmegaZone approach. With regards to EFAs (which are both n-6 and n-3), that seems to be a catch phrase in the area of nutrition and supplements but I question whether people really understand the mechanisms behind using EFAs. Also, the recommended treatment doesn't work in a lot of cases. In my opinion, the n-6/n-3 ratio in many products is too high. I think what's happening is that omega-6 may provide benefit to the extent it increases DGLA and antiinflammatory eicosanoids, but omega-6s can be readily turned into arachidonic acid and the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Thus, inconsistent results unless you are managing the intake of omega-6 with omega-3s. I'll post the results of this approach so far in the adenitis post. And yes, it is a great relief to see her doing so well. :)

interesting stuff! Thanks guys. Coconut oil I never knew about. cheers!

Hey Iceman, Yes, I'd start with one cap a day. Watch for diarrhea, but if you are changing his diet at the same time, you might see stool changes from that......you'll just have to play it by ear. If he gets diarrhea that you think is caused by the fish oil, then I would reduce the dose...either try half a cap (squeezing it out) or a cap every other day. But you know, dogs handle fats better than us anyway, so probably this won't be an issue. Scott mentions that there may be breed differences, with regards to PGFO supplementation. This may be so........we know that certain breeds are more sensitive to certain things than others, so why not fish oil? So far, the best advice I have found is to start low and tweak it upwards. I used to feed Eukanuba to my dogs when I lived in the States, and swore by it. The pimple-like bumps you mentioned on your other dobie can be typical for Dobes, regardless of food, but it'd be interesting to see if it would clear up with PGFO, too. I raised my dane on Euk large breed, but have recently switched to a special hypoallergenic dry diet made from salmon, rabbit, and barley. My poor dog has recently suffered from urticaria (hives), and we have yet to figure out why. My vet believes it could be diet.........if not (and it seems not), then it could also be a seasonal allergy similar to human hayfever....it should resolve itself soon once our ragweed season is over. Anyway, I was also interested in a homemade diet, but I have so far decided against it. I can't remember any websites, but I just did a search on Yahoo and got lots of hits. I found several problems with homemade diets. First, the amounts I would have to make up and feed and store for such a large dog are pretty sizeable...........I already have to do the same for a husband and a growing boy! Second, protein costs would be high compared to a premium dry diet, and thirdly, probably most important, is the mineral content. You have to be careful to get it right, or you can do great damage to growing bones, etc. Who knows, though.........I still toy with the idea. I like the fact that I could control the ingredients, and the protein quality. I wish I could find coconut oil here.....I have read about the benefits, and would try it if I could!

Brilliant Lisa thanks for that! :wink: What about brands such as these; California Natural http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=cal-home are there better than Eukaneba? I heard they use really bad quality ingredients. What do you think? Yes I understand the problem with homemade food. Could be time consuming and perhaps risky. But would like the best commerical dry dog food. Thanks

[quote:92b4d4cb39="ICEMAN"]I have just taken on a 1 year old male Doberman. I wish to give him Dr.Sear Omega Rx. He is around 30kg. How much should I give? I cap a day too much? also anyone know any good sites for recipes in making homemade dog food. I dont trust any of the compaines that make dog food. I think it to be rubbish. Any help much appreaciated!! Simon[/quote:92b4d4cb39] Hello, You can purchase pet food endorsed by Dr. Barry Sears at http://www.healthypetnet.com/ CN

has anyone tried this food with their dogs?? looks interesting.

Hi Ice, I looked at both the Ca Natural brand, and the Life Ab. endorsed by Sears. Interesting if you compare them to Euk Lamb & Rice. When you evaualte a dog food, there are several things to look at, and you need to keep your goals in mind. (ie--general health, allergies, very active) The first ingredient should be the protein source(s). Any P sources located down the list of ingredients will be in small enough quantities to not be worth comparing. The best P sources will be listed in whole form (ie "lamb", or "lamb meat", "chicken", or "chicken meat"). This is skeletal meat only, not intestines, etc. With the exception of whole egg, this is the most bioavailable type of protein for your dog. "Meals" such as "chicken meal" or "lamb meal" are 2nd best.......they can include the more expensive skeletal meat, but usually it's scraps, guts (minus gut contents), tendons, etc., dired and then ground into a meal. Not as bioavailable as meat. "By-products" are crap. Not literally, but it's whatever's left over from processing, and the protein availability is less.......therefore it's a cheap product, and it's what you'll find in the really cheap grocery store foods. Corn, soy, wheat are the 3 main allergy causing grains (and soy can cause major farts in a dog!), and are not easily digestible. The better foods are now using rice, barley, oatmeal. Euk Lamb & Rice has lamb meat as it's P source (a rep once assured me it was restaurant quality lamb.........probably why it ain't cheap!). However, it does contain some corn, egg, and chicken...if you're looking for a food to help with allergies, this won't be good. If you just want an excellent general food, this is it. California Nat. L & R contains lamb meal, not meat. Doesn't make it a bad product, just not as desirable as the Euk, from the standpoint of someone like me who is trying to build muscle on an active young dog. But on the whole, it seems like a good food, especially for allergic dogs. It should be in the mid-price range. Life's Abundance, the food endorsed by Sears', is interesting. I don't like the fact that the P source is chicken meal.........for the price they're asking, it should be the best quality skeletal meat. The advert exclaims how the P source is from wonderful human grade chicken, fish, and egg sources, but the fish and egg are in so far down the ingredient list that the amount of P they will contribute is negligible. "Potato product" would not seem to be a favorable C choice hormonally, but there it is, the 2nd major C source. Then they threw in some fruits and veg that you could supplement at home if ya wanted, plus a probiotic and vitamin supplement. I don't see this food as the best in it's field. I was just reading some more on the Life's Ab. site....they are promoting it as a weight loss food, so again, not something I would feed to my underweight Dane. [quote:640520a0c0]are there better than Eukaneba? I heard they use really bad quality ingredients. What do you think? [/quote:640520a0c0] Well, they have to do things legally, such as following the truth in labeling law. According to the reps and the label, they use the highest quality ingredients. But how do you [i:640520a0c0]really[/i:640520a0c0] know? By feeding it to your dog and watching the results. I sold Euk and Iams products for years back in the States, and very rarely ever had a dissatisfied customer. I witnessed many transformations myself........the most recent being my own kitten..from a crappy little mutt kitty to a beautiful glossy coated mutt kitty (eating Iams kitten food), with her littermates at the dairy on commercial food all still crappy little mutt kitties. Experiment with foods to find what you and your dog like............just do it smart. Whew.......a novel. Gotta go, baby's crying!! Lisa

Lisa you are great! Thanks so much. I guess I will stay with Euk Lamb and Rice for puppies for a bit for my Dobe. Would it be good to give some extra Omega 3 Dr. Sears? say start off with half a cap a day and work up to a cap a day after a week. What do you think? Also should I give Glucosamine? I have the Beverly International "Joint Care" for humans. Dosage for humans is 3 caps. I was thinking of giving him one cap a day. This is the serving size for 3 caps: Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 60mg Vitamin E (as d-Alpha-Tocopherol) 10.I.U Manganese (as Manganese Aspartate) 1mg Boron (as Boron Citrate) 1.5mg Evening Primrose Oil 250mg MSM (Methyisufonylmethane) 750mg Chondrotin Sulfate 200mg Glucosamine Sulfate 2KCL 1000mg Tell me your thoughts. Thanks again!

Hey Ice, Glad to help! I think you should supplement with the Sears oil, and your dosage plan is good, IMO. As far as the glucosamine supplement.............I don't have much experience here. I can tell you that Dobes aren't especially prone to joint disorders, unlike german shepherds, labs, etc. www.glycoflex.com sells glucosamine supplements for dogs, and they have formulas with 500mg, 750mg, and 1000mg of glucosamine. The 500mg is for prevention, and the higher doses are therapeutic. So...I would think that 1 cap a day of your stuff would be fine for your dog. The only thing is the morning primrose oil. I know this is a source of GLA....there is a relationship between GLA and the omega's, but I can't recall if it's pos or neg. Maybe Scott can reply? You might do a search, to make sure you don't counteract the PGFO dosage. I'll try to find out, too. Gotta run! Lisa

Thanks!

You're welcome Iceman! My best friend in the States used to breed Dobies.....she had all colors including white. They're one of my favorite breeds. Good luck with your two!

Just a couple observations and comments. It was mentioned several times about different breeds needing different things. Certainly not unreasonable. Would there be a change in the dog's attitude when it was offered? For me, it went like this. Before I started on pgfo I was taking cod liver oil. My dog was always begging for it, so I gave hime some also. Like Scott's dog, his coat improved quite a bit. As long as he begged, I gave him some. But now, he's quit the enthusiastic begging when I get it out. That either means he doesn't want it, doesn't need it, doesn't want what's in it(Vit A), or the stuff has gone bad. No matter, I'm throwing it away. It could also be a matter of dose. But if he's to get any more, it'll be Scott's good stuff. I'll open a cap and check his reaction. Lisa mentioned her dogs won't touch pgfo when she opens the cap. Can it be bad? It will go bad(oxidize) if exposed to heat, light, or air is my understanding. So the question of storage becomes important. Yes/no/maybe??? There is still "the hammer". He begs for coconut oil. And it appears harmless

There is no perfect dog food that is right for every dog. Most dogs that are on a high quality food have a more nutritionally balanced diet than most people. It is very difficult for someone to formulate a diet at home and have it nutritionally complete. ALot of the time, the dogs pick out what they like even if you create a nutritionally balanced meal. The BARF and other raw diets are dangerous to human and animal health. Ther is a significant percentage of dogs eating raw bones and meat diets that cultured positive for Salmonella and severa lstrains of e coli. If you would like more information on homecooked diets, there is a web site where a board certified veterinary nutritionist will help create a diet for your pet's needs. You can also read many of the common myths regardin animal nutrition at www.petdiets.com. There has been extensive research on omega 3 supplementation in cats and dogs with some animals benefiting from them. We use fatty acids for allergies, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoarthritis (in fact Hills just created a food with extensive research, called j/d which is supplemented with high levels of epa, for arthritis). Remember dogs are actually omnivores like people are so many of their nutritional needs are similar to people and they can definately benefit from Omega 3 supplementation. With regard to food allergies, the reason the most common allergies are chicken, corn and wheat is that they are used most frequently in pet food. We see animals allegic to rice, lamb, beef, etc also. As potato, barley, fish, venison, turkey, lamb are used more and more in pet food, we will see food allergies to these things as well.