We love having a multi-generational dog family! Our oldest boy, Jackson, is 12; our weimeraner, Finley, is in his adolescent phase, and our youngest Miles, is still just a puppy. As you probably know by now, we adjust each of our dogs’ meals with supplements that address their unique needs. For each of our boys, we use a blend of our favorite Mercola supplements to keep them active and healthy. One supplement we use for all of our boys is fish oil.

You may even take fish oil for yourself! Commonly found in both liquid and capsule form, fish oil is a supplement that provides a whole host of health benefits for those who consume it. For dogs, fish oil provides support for the heart, skin and coat, joints, and immune systems. 

Why is Fish Oil So Great?

Fish oil is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are “good” polyunsaturated fats that support both the body and the brain. Dogs and humans alike can’t produce omega-3 fatty acids on their own, which is why taking a supplement is critical for their overall health and wellness. Fish oil can be used as a temporary booster or as part of a comprehensive health and wellness plan for your dog. As with any new supplements or diets, be sure to consult with your veterinarian before you start giving your dog fish oil.

How Does Fish Oil Benefit My Dog?

As we mentioned above, fish oil offers a plethora of nutritional benefits to dogs and humans alike. Often, if a supplement promises to help too many different systems at once, the professionals dismiss it as snake oil, but the benefits of fish oil are easy to see once they’ve been added to your dog’s diet. 

Fish oil is one supplement that can benefit a dog from puppyhood all the way through its senior years. For puppies, this supplement helps direct proper development of the brain and eyes. It helps your dog maintain cognitive function throughout adulthood. For seniors, it has been shown to help combat canine arthritis and chronic kidney disease. At every age, it also helps improve the appearance and quality of their skin and coat and wards away flakes and itchiness.

What Should I Look For in Fish Oil for My Dog?

According to the AKC, fish oil is commonly available in 3 varieties: natural triglyceride oil, ethyl ester oil, and synthetic triglyceride oil. Each variety comes with its own benefits and setbacks that affect ease of absorption and bioavailability of nutrients. Your veterinarian should be able to recommend the right type of supplement for your dog based on their lifestyle, size, age, and breed. 

For dogs who refuse to take supplements, our bone broth is a miracle worker. Simply mix in the proper supplements with your dog’s food and pour a little bone broth over the top. Our dogs love it and eat all their supplements without batting an eyelash! If you give fish oil to your dog, leave us a message on our Facebook page!

Have you found yourself begging your dog to swallow their pills? Have they outsmarted you and picked their meds right out of a glob of peanut butter or cheese? Veteran dog owners know that medication time is not always the easiest of tasks. However, the experts at CompoundingRX USA have smart and easy tricks to try the next time your furry friend needs to take their meds:

Your pet’s immune system is surprisingly susceptible to environmental factors. Think of all the different allergies and itch-causers they experience in a given day: their immune systems are on overdrive as their bodies work to keep them safe and fully functioning amidst a slew of allergens. While a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to combat these allergens, sometimes your dog’s immune system needs a little help.

Here are a few more Mercola products we use on a regular basis to help our dogs’ immune systems stay healthy and strong:

Immune Balance for Pets

Immune Balance for Pets harmonizes immune function, boosts cell, tissue, and organ repair to help slow cellular aging, supports liver and digestive health, helps restore a healthy gut microbiome, and much more.

• Arabinogalactan from Western larch trees, a prebiotic fiber that ferments in your pet’s gut, supporting colon health, protecting your pet’s intestinal lining, and promoting a healthy normal inflammatory response

• Bovine Colostrum with standardized IgG (150 mg/serving) from American dairy cows not fed synthetic hormones or routine antibiotics; contains important immune factors, growth hormone, and probiotics

• Certified Organic Moringa leaf powder contains abundant vitamins and minerals as well as valuable antioxidants to promote a normal healthy inflammatory response, helpful for flexible and comfortable joint movement

• Yeast Fermentate grown, harvested and manufactured in the U.S. (contains no active yeast!), increases Natural Killer (NK) cell activity and antioxidant protection within only hours of consumption

Juggling four different supplements on your own can be challenging, especially getting them in the right proportions for your pet. Pet Immune Balance offers a simple option for providing ideal immune support for dogs and cats.

Organic Mushroom Complex

This proprietary blend of 8 mushroom mycelium…

• Contains 100% Certified Organic, biologically active, whole food mushroom and mycelium (not isolated extracts) to optimize the life cycle of the mushroom

• Is an excellent source of fermented foods for digestive and immune health

• Contains protein and high levels of natural whole food vitamin D2, B6, B12, beta glucans, chelated minerals, fiber, antioxidants (including L-ergothioneine) and natural glucosamine

• Is grown and produced entirely in the U.S.

• Uses oats instead of rice for its substrate, adding valuable plant beta glucans and enhancing the mycelia's bioactivity

• Retains its bioactivity through carefully controlled processing methods

• Contains an array of beta glucans, each with its own beta glucan structure

• Does not contain additives, fillers, gluten, and unhealthy levels of heavy metals

Spirugreen

Spirulina is one of the richest beta-carotene ingredients, with ten mixed carotenoids. Including orange carotenes, alpha, beta, gamma, and yellow xanthophylls, these powerful antioxidants work synergistically in different sites in your pet's body.

Studies on both cats and dogs show that spirulina supports good health in several ways:

• Helps support a strong, healthy normal immune system

• Helps promote a healthy coat and skin

• May help promote comfortable movement and flexibility

Healthy Pets SpiruGreen truly packs a one-two punch with all the nutrient value of spirulina, including carotenoids, phycocyanins and enzymes, plus all the goodness of microalgae astaxanthin, one of the world's most powerful fat-soluble antioxidant carotenoids.

Whole Food Digestive Probiotics

 Whole Food Digestive Probiotic provides general nutritional maintenance support for your healthy pet’s immune health, digestion and gut health, normal cell growth and development, and overall vitality.

This “all-in-one” nutritional supplement contains four key blends:

• Probiotic blend of 8 valuable strains of gut-friendly probiotics to help promote a healthy nutritional balance of gastrointestinal bacteria for healthy normal immune function, brain health, digestion and utilization of nutrients

• Digestive nutrition enzyme blend from papaya, pineapple and porcine pancreas to help break down protein, fats, fiber and carbohydrates into usable components

• Superfood and green food blend, including spirulina, fermented chlorella, broccoli sprouts and turmeric root to provide valuable nutritional antioxidant support for cellular, detox, gut, joint and immune health

• Mushroom blend of highly-valued Reishi and Chaga mushrooms to help maintain your pet’s nutrition through healthy normal immune function, healthy blood flow and circulation, and a healthy liver