How Much Omega 3 for Your Dog + Cat?
Omega 3 Flaxseed benefits your Pet!

How Much Omega 3 Flax Seed Should You
Give Your Pet?

When you first start giving flax seed to your pet, it is important to start slow so that your pet's digestive system can get used to the added fiber in their diet. It is also ESSENTIAL to be sure your pet is getting enough water in her diet as flax seed bulks up in the digestive system and this is what helps it cleanse the digestive system, but it cannot do this without enough water in the pet's diet.

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Remember that flax is food and you will not see results overnight; however, healthy diets pay off for you and your pet as prevention will save you heaps of money! After ~ a month of eating flaxseed your pet should have relief from skin problems: itching, eczema, dandruff, excessive shedding and dry, flaky skin and itching.

You may also notice that your pet has a healthier, shiny, full coat. If you aren't noticing improvement, you may want to increase the amount of ground flax seed slowly in your pet's diet as your pet may just be severely deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids.

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How much Omega 3 for your pet? There is not a fixed or precise amount of flax to give your pet; however see below for some recommendations.

Dr Julian Whitaker is founder of an alternative medical clinic and a proponent of alternative medical therapies including flax seed. Dr Whitaker suggests humans eat 1/4 cup of ground flax seed per day, so based on this, here are suggestions for how much to give to our pets.

How Much Omega 3 Flaxseed for your Pet? Suggestions for pets: Small kittens + puppies -Start with 1 tsp Small cats + dogs -2 tsp Based on weight: 20-40 lbs -give 21/2 tsp 40-60lbs -give 1 Tbls 60-80lbs -give 1 1/2 Tbls 80-100lbs -give 2 1/2 Tbls 100lbs or more -give 1/4 cup

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Dr. C. Leigh Broadhurst, PhD has studied and published articles on essential fatty acid needs of pets. Studies have shown that dogs with skin + coat problems may need higher doses of essential fatty acids, including supplementing with some fish oil if your pet can tolerate it. In Nutrition Science News Dr. Broadhurst said that, "because dogs have long coats + an excellent ability to burn fat for energy, they need 5 - 10 times as much oil as humans to achieve measurable clinical improvement."

Based on her recommendations, here are suggestions for How Much Omega 3 Ground Flax To Give Your Pets Daily: Weeks 1-6 Based on weight: <20 lbs, 1-2 Tbsp 20-50lbs, 2-4 Tbsp >50lbs, 4-6 Tbsp After Week 6, or once improvement is noted, reduce amount to 1/3 or 1/2 every day.

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Flax is a food and just like any other food, it is important to pay attention to your pet's response.
If your pet has other health concerns it is especially important to check with your veterinarian as you would before starting your pet on any new nutritional supplement, but research shows that the vast majority of pets can easily tolerate flaxseed. And above all remember, our pets need good nutrition just like we do!

There are different qualities of flax seed, if it tastes or smells bad, it IS food and is likely bad! Flax seed should have little to no smell and have a light, nutty flavor.

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References:
Broadhurst, C. Leigh, The essential PUFA guide for dogs and cats. Nutrition Science News, 2001; 6(10):366-376.