# Question about ZP and Salmon Oil



## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

I've been looking at getting some salmon oil for Max as he seems to be scratching a lot recently so I'm hoping it will help to stop this.

We've been feeding him the ZP lamb and venison flavours and I've just got him the venison and fish flavour to try next so I was wondering if you think I will still need to give him salmon oil when feeding this flavour or will it have enough in it? I'm not sure if it is bad to give too much oil? If there is enough in this flavour already then I'll just give him the oil when feeding the flavours that don't include fish. 

If anyone can advise on this I would really appreciate it!


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

All varieties of ZP contain green lipped mussel oil which is an oil high in omega 3 so you don't need to give salmon oil as well.


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## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

Thanks for the info Sarah - I suppose that saves a bit of money then! 

Any ideas on anything else I can do to stop the itching? Could it just be because it's a little bit warmer here at the moment? I've checked for fleas and can't see anything..


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

he may be scratching cause he may have allergies ...


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

Amberleah was very itchy until she started on grizzly salmon oil. it has a squiter and I squirt 1 time in her am food. Found out she has lots of allergies and she is also on animals apawthecary ol-immume and wholistic acidphilis. I can let you know where I get it if you want to she has been on a week and so much better already.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

A lot of people still give fish oil with ZP.. It wouldn't hurt to give it to him a few times a week. Mine get 1 1000mg capsule squirted on their food 3X per week.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

I give Toby salmon oil 3x per week. He eats ZP. He is thriving. I also give him Nupro supplement on his food.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

I feed Ziwipeak but I still give Iceland Pure salmon oil about 4 times a week. It really helps with my girl's dry skin, plus I've heard it can help a little with joint problems. Supposedly it helps with inflammation. Plus, I don't think the oil they have will be all too affective considering the fats are probably destroyed in comparison to fresh salmon oil. I believe the amounts in the food aren't nearly as much as what's needed to help with specific problems anyway.

I figure you can't really OD on salmon oil so why not add some more


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> I figure you can't really OD on salmon oil so why not add some more


I respectfully disagree - Omega 3 needs to be balanced in the body with omega 6 for optimum health benefits, too much of one or the other is not healthy. ZP is already optimally balanced so by adding a lot of extra omega 3 you could be throwing out the balance. Too much omega 3 can cause blood thinning and failure to clot so it's not good to over dose on it.

For itchy skin you could try rubbing on coconut oil topically once or twice a week.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

where does everyone buy their salmon oil? I haven't seen it anywhere.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

OzChi said:


> I respectfully disagree - Omega 3 needs to be balanced in the body with omega 6 for optimum health benefits, too much of one or the other is not healthy. ZP is already optimally balanced so by adding a lot of extra omega 3 you could be throwing out the balance. Too much omega 3 can cause blood thinning and failure to clot so it's not good to over dose on it.
> 
> For itchy skin you could try rubbing on coconut oil topically once or twice a week.


I wasn't saying it's impossible to give too much. But it takes an incredibly large amount over time to become a problem, according to my vet. My vet is the one who recommended I give it for her dry skin and allows up to three times the therapeutic dose for severe problems. Most dogs are fed an incredibly high amount of omega 6 and not much omega 3. We all have our own opinions on what's best for our dogs  and I personally prefer to trust my vet who specializes in canine nutrition.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

teetee said:


> where does everyone buy their salmon oil? I haven't seen it anywhere.


I order mine from healthypets.com but Petco, Petsmart, and other pet stores carry some brands. Most human fish oil is also safe for pets and many people here prefer it over pet specifc oils.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> I wasn't saying it's impossible to give too much. But it takes an incredibly large amount over time to become a problem, according to my vet. My vet is the one who recommended I give it for her dry skin and allows up to three times the therapeutic dose for severe problems. Most dogs are fed an incredibly high amount of omega 6 and not much omega 3. We all have our own opinions on what's best for our dogs and I personally prefer to trust my vet who specializes in canine nutrition.


The original question was about adding salmon oil to ZP. If your dog is only eating ZP then it's not getting an incredibly high amount of omega 6 because ZP does not have a high concentration of omega 6, it has balanced omega 6 and omega 3 so that's why I would not recommend adding a lot more omega 3 to ZP. That's the issue with supplimentation (for humans and dogs alike), unless it's done carefully and with well rounded information we can easily do more harm than good. At best anything above what the body requires will be excreted into expensive pee and poop and at worst the natural balance of the body can be upset and health problems that we hadn't anticipated can arise.

What you choose to suppliment your dog's diet with is up to you and if that's the advice your vet gave you and it works for your dog then keep doing what your comfortable with.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

OzChi said:


> At best anything above what the body requires will be excreted into expensive pee and poop and at worst the natural balance of the body can be upset and health problems that we hadn't anticipated can arise.


Well, thank you for letting me know I may be wasting money for nothing (no sarcasm). How do you know if a dog food has the correct ratio of omega 3 to 6? Different dog foods have different amounts so does this just apply to Ziwipeak and foods with similar amounts, or is it a waste to give fish oil while feeding any complete and balanced dog food? Thanks.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

Sarah, thanks for the info. I only changed to Ziwipeak two weeks ago, so I am still adjusting. I think I'll stop his fish oil- it'll save me some money too!!!


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> Well, thank you for letting me know I may be wasting money for nothing (no sarcasm).


It's a pet peeve of mine! Companies are making millions of dollars from pushing vitamins and supplements on well meaning people when our bodies do a great job of getting all the vitamins and minerals we need from our diets as long as we eat well (minimum 5 serves of fruit and veg per day, whole grains, red meat and fish a couple of times a week each, little to no processed crap). Now it's stretching to our pets too! *Unless we or our pets are deficient in something from previous poor nutrition or the failure of one of the systems in the body* there is no need for extra supplimentation beyond a healthy diet, the problem is a western diet and most commercially prepaired pet foods are not nutritionally balanced.

The 5+ star foods should be properly balanced and need no further supplementation than a few bones weekly for dental health (which ZP recommends on their website). The ZP site states that it includes the recommended theraputic doses of fish oil, glucosamine and condroitin so anything else you give above this is probably just being excreted because your dog's body has already absorbed what it needs.


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