# How much salmon oil should I give daily?



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

I just asked about this in my thread regarding Gemma's itchy skin, but in case no one sees it, I was wondering how much salmon oil I should give her daily? I bought a bottle of Icelandic salmon oil at the pet store here today and it says to give 1 tsp per 1-10kg of body weight. 1 tsp seems like a lot to give a 1.2kg dog if you give the same to a 10kg dog. I gave her 1/2 tsp tonight, but is that too much or too little? I would like to give it to her daily, especially at least for the next few days because it helps mask the flavor of the antibiotic gel she's having mixed in with each meal.

I don't know how many mg are in a tsp so it's a little difficult figuring this out. Maybe someone here has experience with this form of oil that you actually have to pour and measure out.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't think there is an easy way to convert mg to tsp.. But I am looking at my 1000mg capsules of fish oil, and I would guess that about 1 capsule is roughly 1/4 tsp. I give 1 capsule 3x per week and my dogs have super shiny coats. Maybe you could start at that amount every day and see how she does? I also think 1 tsp would be a lot for a tiny dog. I would think that too much fish oil could cause loose stools, so I wouldn't start at 1tsp/day


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

I give Mylo 1 small squirt per day, which I would say is about half a tsp max but he is a fair bit heavier than Gemma so I'd go with about a 1/4 tsp. if its too much you'll know though because if I accidentally give too much his stools can be pretty loose.


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## Smith (Jun 7, 2010)

When you're feeding fish oil, particularly if you want to benefit from its anti-inflammatory properties, what you really need to know is how much EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) is in a serving. On the back, under the list of nutritional facts, it should say how much EPA 1 serving contains (and make sure you check the top to see what they're considering 1 serving). You want to feed Gemma 20mg of EPA per 1 lb of body weight. So if Gemma is 4 lbs, she should have 80mg of EPA daily. If a listed serving contains more, you can reduce it. If it's less, you'll want to up it.

It's pretty hard to overdose on fish oil, she can get more EPA than she technically needs and be fine. If she's getting less, you may not see the results you want.

ETA: Whups! You use metric measurements over there! For 1 kg, you'll want to give her 44mg of EPA. If Gemma's 1.2 kg you'll want to give her 53mg EPA a day.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thank you, everyone!

I just looked at the bottle and it has 365mg EPA per tsp. So 1/4 tsp per day would be giving her 91mg EPA per day. So maybe I'll give her slightly less than 1/4 tsp per day. Swedes are weird and they don't actually have 1/4 or 1/2 tsp measurements, but they have a 1ml spoon which is 1/5 of a tsp. I think I will give her that to start.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

I know you've got some answers already, but wanted to throw out there that the dosage for the Alaskan Salmon Oil we use is 1/4tsp for a 5lb dog daily. Honestly I don't even measure it anymore, I transferred it from the icky bottle it came in (I think all things smelly are destined to end up all over your hands =P) into a condiment bottle and just drizzle it onto their food. I'm sure it'll help Gemma with her itchiness; as it's had a dramatic effect on every dogs' coat I give it to! Good luck! =D


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I just wanted to reiterate the 20mg of EPA per 10lbs of body weight as being what you want to shoot for (as long as that amount does not cause loose stools). The actual amount of oil is not really relevant. Sounds like you are on the right track.


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## Smith (Jun 7, 2010)

doginthedesert said:


> I just wanted to reiterate the 20mg of EPA per 10lbs of body weight as being what you want to shoot for (as long as that amount does not cause loose stools). The actual amount of oil is not really relevant. Sounds like you are on the right track.


The sources I use say 20mg per ONE lb body weight for dogs. Dogs require more than people, which is why good pet sources will usually have higher EPA and DHA than fish oil capsules for people (though I still find feeding those are cheaper and easier).

Different sources of fish oil will have different amounts of EPA in them, so even if you and your neighbor are both feeding your pets fish oil, depending on the EPA content of her fish oil and yours, you may be using different daily doses.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

20mg per pound seems to be right considering the dosage recommendations on this bottle. She's going to be getting a double dose for the next few days so that I can divide it between her two meals with antibiotics. Then when she's done with her antibiotics, I'll be reducing to just 1/5 tsp per day which will be 73mg EPA. It's a little more than she needs, but I don't think it's going to hurt.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I, too, use Icelandic Pure and I appreciate the pump bottle. I only give them oil every 2nd or 3rd day. I give Ruby and Eden about 1/2 a pump and Hope gets a touch less (given tummy issues). Visually, in their bowls before mixing it looks like 2-3 peas in size. Smaller than a dime (I know, even in Sweden, you remember what that is...haha!).


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Yes! It was a typo, I meant per 1lb of body weight. Sorry about that.


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