Part of caring for your canine companion is making sure that he gets all the nutrients that he needs. Best Fish oil for dogs is a great way to supplement your dog’s regular diet with some extra omega fatty acids and other nutrients and giving your pooch this oil can lead to benefits in his health and appearance. The problem for many pet owners, however, is choosing which fish oil is the right one, considering that there are dozens of options. Keep reading to make the selection process incredibly simple.
Contents
Comparison Chart of The Best Fish Oil For Dogs
| Picture | Name | Essentials Included | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Petz Pro Wild Icelandic Fish Oil | Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty acids, Vitamin E, EPA, and DHA | $$ | 5.0 |
 | Welactin Natural Omega3 Supplement | omega3 fatty acids | $$$ | 4.9 |
 | Plato Treats Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil | omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids | $$$ | 4.9 |
 | Newflands Hoki Fish Oil Natural Food Supplement | EPA 62mg/ml, DHA 105 mg/ml, Species Macruronus Novaezelandiae and Hoki oil | $$$ | 4.8 |
 | Pets Pro Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil | Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty acids, Vitamin E, EPA, and DHA | $$ | 4.8 |
 | 100% Norwegian Cod Liver Oil | vitamins and fatty acids | $ | 4.8 |
 | Ample Nutrition Daily Omega-3 Fish Oil | $ | 4.7 |
Independent Reviews of Some of the Best Fish Oil For Dogs
Instead of searching through the various fish oil products yourself using the above information, consider one of these products. These best fish oil for dogs items meet the above criteria and can give your pooch a glowing coat and more.
#7 – Fish Oil For Dogs By Ample Nutrition
This particular fish oil can help dogs as well as cats of any size; the dosage will just vary depending on the weight and size of your pooch. The oil has been approved by a veterinarian so you know it is high quality and will not do any harm to your canine. The fish oil comes from small fish that were caught in deep water in the wild and have been chosen for their low impurity levels. The omega-3s within the oil meet high standards for purity as well as quality and the omega-3 fatty acids all come in their natural form. You don’t have to worry about dioxins, PCB, mercury, or lead as this product has no detectable levels of these harmful substances. Best of all, your dog will love the taste of the supplement.
#6 – 100% Norwegian Cod Liver Oil
This cod liver oil tells you exactly where it comes from, letting you trust the source. It provides your dog with fatty acids and essential vitamins to help improve your canine’s overall health as well as the luster of his skin and coat. It is completely natural and also contains vitamins A, D, and E along with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and linolenic acid. The bottle comes with dosage instructions for dogs of all sizes, so you can use it on puppies or adult dogs as well as your cats and birds.
#5 – Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil For Dogs And Cats
Made by the same company as the number one product on this list of the best fish oil for dogs, this one is produced from wild Alaskan salmon. The Alaskan salmon oil used is free from heavy metals, toxins, and GMO and the formula is humane-grade, meeting all pharmaceutical requirements in the United States and Europe. This product contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids along with DHA, vitamin E, and EPA. The large pump bottle makes it easy to use; just pump some of the supplement on your pooch’s food.
#4 – Newflands Hoki Fish Oil Natural Food Supplement
Dogs greatly enjoy the flavor of this natural fish oil supplement and the pump lets you control the dose, only dispensing the exact quantity you want without wasting any. The ingredients are human-grade and this product was produced in New Zealand. It can work well with medical treatments to enhance their effects and give your dog relief from itchy, scratchy, and flaking skin or even assist with heart problems, arthritis, and eye issues.
#3 – Plato Treats Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Dog Treat, 32-Ounce
As the name of this product implies, your dog will think it is a treat since it tastes so good, but it also contains nourishing fish oils to improve his health. The ingredients include rosemary extract which serves as an antioxidant and the product was made in the United States. The salmon used to get the fish oil are fresh and come from the pure Alaskan waters and you won’t find any preservatives mixed with the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This liquid supplement comes in a pump bottle so you can easily dispense it.
#2 – 3PACK Welactin Natural Omega3 Supplement
The omega-3 fatty acids in this fish oil come from salmon along with other fish found in cold water. This allows the product to offer naturally-high levels of the ideal fatty acids to boost your pooch’s overall health and the health of their skin and coat. Like many of the products on this list, this supplement is easy to give your dog as canines enjoy the flavor of it. They may even see it as a treat when you add it to their regular food.
#1 – Wild Icelandic Fish Oil For Dogs
This is yet another of the best fish oil for dogs that is also safe to give to cats. The formula includes vitamin E for its antioxidant and nutrient properties. This particular fish oil also has omega-3 plus omega-6 fatty acids in addition to EPA and DHA. The fish in the product comes from the wild cold waters in Iceland to provide the highest quality fish oil from organically-raised fish. The oil comes in the form of a liquid, which most pet owners agree is easier to give to their pooches. To prevent spills, the container also has a pump closure and cap.
Why Give Your Dog Fish Oil
Before figuring out how to choose the best fish oil for dogs, you need to understand why you are giving this type of supplement to your pooch in the first place. Simply put, fish oil is associated with plenty of health benefits that you and your dog will love.
- Coat Health
Many people who decide to look for the best fish oil for dogs do so because they want to improve the health of their canine’s coat. Fish oil supplements can decrease the amount of shedding your pet experiences and help give them a glistening coat with healthy skin underneath. It can also add moisture to skin that is dry or irritated. The fatty acids, in particular, can help with itchy skin.
- General Health
Fish oil also provides an incredible range of benefits for your canine’s overall health. It can reduce inflammation and increase stamina while boosting the immune system. This last benefit is why fish oil is so helpful for dogs with overactive or suppressed immune systems while the ability to reduce inflammation means that canines with allergies, arthritis, or inflammatory bowel disease can benefit. The delicious flavor of fish oil appeals to dogs and can also help encourage them to eat if they are suffering from a lack of appetite.
The fatty acid content in fish oils also regular blood triglycerides, improve your pup’s energy, reduce joint discomfort, protect from certain auto immune diseases, reduce the risk of heart problems and stroke, and can even lower the risk of cancer thanks to their antioxidant properties. In dogs that are overweight, fish oil can even help promote weight loss.
What To Look For In The Best Canine Fish Oil
Once you understand why giving your dog fish oil is a great idea, you need to start weeding through the hundreds of products on the market. To make the selection process easier, consider these factors that contribute to the best products.
- Fish Oil Source
Take the time to look at where the fish oil itself is coming from. The best fish oil for dogs will indicate this right on the label or even in the name in a phrase like “fresh Alaskan salmon” or “New Zealand fish.” The exact location of the fish is not incredibly important, but the conditions they are raised in are. The top oils will come from fish which were raised in a natural environment without any contaminants in the water. This way, you can trust that they won’t contain mercury or other similar elements.
Be wary of fish oil that comes from fish raised in factory farms where they are overcrowded, polluted, and fed things like dyes and antibiotics. This can result in higher contamination levels in the oil itself, putting your dog at risk.
- Fatty Acids And Nutrients
The vast majority of fish oils for dogs will market their quantities of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are the most important nutrients to look for in fish oil as they are typically the reason you are giving your pooch these oils in the first place. That being said, many products will have additional vitamins, such as Vitamin E to provide your pooch with further benefits. It can be worth it to spend a bit extra on fish oil with these vitamins, especially if they are from high-quality sources.
- Veterinarian Approval
Although not all fish oil supplements will be veterinarian approved, the best options will. This is a great way to ensure that the product is safe for dogs to use and that it has been medically tested. If a product isn’t explicitly listed as veterinarian approved, do some quick research to see if any vets have written reviews about it. At the very least, check to ensure a particular product doesn’t have any negative reviews from vets.
- Liquid Or Capsule
Looking at the various fish oil supplements for dogs, you will notice that some come in liquids while others are capsules. The most popular options are liquids and this is no mistake as most pet owners find it easier to convince their pooches to drink a liquid. It comes down to personal preference, but it is typically simple to just mix the liquid fish oil with your dog’s favorite food. By comparison, capsules typically require some sort of trick to get your dog to swallow, making them more complicated to give. It is, however, a matter of personal preference and some pet owners find it simpler to just stick a fish oil capsule in a hot dog or other treat and give it to their canine.
- Taste
If you want to be successful in giving your dog fish oil, you need to buy a product that he will enjoy the taste of. Most dogs like the flavor of fish oil, but it is still a good idea to read some reviews and make sure people say that their pooches enjoy the taste. In the ideal situation, your dog will love the flavor of the oil so much that he will see it as a treat that he looks forward to.
- Concentration And Clear Dosage
Fish oil for dogs can come in a range of concentrations so you want to make sure you choose the correct one for your pooch. To actually get the benefits of fish oil, your pup will need to take a large enough dose, which is why you want to make sure you understand the dosage instructions. The best fish oils will give some sort of varying dosage based on weight, whether it is a different dose for various weight ranges or a quick calculation you should do based on your furry friend’s weight. You want to avoid giving your dog too little where you don’t see effects but also avoid giving too large of a dose as this can cause other issues, such as increased bleeding or making inflammation worse instead of better.
Experts typically suggest you give your dog a dose of no more than about 100 or 150 mg of EPA and DHA for every 10 pounds of his bodyweight. If your dog has health problems, you can increase this to 300 mg for every 10 pounds.
- Lack Of Mercury
Anytime you are eating fish or giving it to your animal, you need to be sure that there are no contaminants such as mercury. This will rarely be the case, but is still a concern, especially among fish oils for dogs that have unreasonable low price tags. In most cases, forms that have higher concentrations will have fewer contaminants as well.
Conclusion
Now that you know which products are the best fish oil for dogs, it should be easy to pick. Just select one of the supplements mentioned above and start watching your canine companion get healthier by the day.