The diets of our pets, like citizens, tend to include more omega 6 fatty acids rather than omega 3. This is an imbalance that needs to be addressed.

Omega 3 fatty acids are requisite because they assist with the proper formation of cell membranes, cardiovascular functions, nourish the lining of the digestive tract, and work to  keep your cat or dog’s skin and coat smooth, soft and shiny . Another requisite function of omega 3 fatty acids is that they work to reduce inflammatory problems inside the body. If you discover the coat is dull and brittle or if he/she tends to have dry skin and scratch a lot, it may perhaps be due to a lack of this particular fatty acid.

There are different types of required fatty acid supplements that are available, however which selection you decide to supplement your dog or cat’s diet can be a bit of a dilemma.

Pure plant oils such as flax oil, evening primrose oil, safflower oil or a blend of plant oils is a wonderful alternative to fish omega-3 fats. These must be “cold-pressed” oils, because opposed to oils that are typically extracted with chemical solvents. The trouble with plant oils is that animals have a harder period converting the fatty acids to a form finest used by the animal’s system.

Fish oils, such because salmon oil, halibut liver oil, or cod liver oil are more simply converted and used by an animal’s body. The downside is that fish oils often contain deadly toxins, including high levels of dangerous PCBs, dioxins and detectable levels of mercury. Farmed salmon is the worst for contamination and contains less omega 3 acids than wild salmon. At this moment nearly 30% of all fish are farmed, with salmon being in the 90% farmed range. As well, farmed salmon are often carriers of disease and parasites. When supplementing diet using fish oils, you want oils that come from wild sources, not farmed.

There are also blended fish and plant oil supplements available. These often include a mixture of salmon or cod liver oil and flax, safflower or other such oils that make available a mixture of 3 to 4 parts omega 3 oils to 1 section omega 6 oils. Giving your animal a combination fish/plant supplement may perhaps be a excellent alternative to believe, since they must contain fewer toxins because they are not strictly fish oils, yet always should be better assimilated by the animal’s body than straight plant oils.

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Dog and puppy owners need to be sure they understand a few dog health problems basics so they can help their pets if by chance they contract one of the common dog health problems.

Take a look at  Dog Secrets for a list of common pet health problems and treatments you can apply

An oldtime belief, still held onto by many people, is that if their dog has a cold and wet nose, the dog is healthy. The plain truth here is that no one can tell with any scientific certainty from how cold or wet a dog’s nose is, whether or not the dog has any hereditary heart issues, parasites, worms, deafness or any other health condition.

Pet owners should totally repudiate such beliefs that have no scientific basis and instead pay strict attention to the physical condition of their dog in general making sure they regularly check for disease symptoms or signs in the eyes, teeth, ears, mouth and skin regions. The dog owner should also be responsible to make sure their dog eats well, gets regular checkups and is groomed on a regular basis so that their dog will stay healthy for a long time to come.

Symptoms of Dog Health Problems

There are a number of signs and signals that might be telling you that your dog has specific dog health symptoms or problems or diseases. Owners of dogs should be sure they know about these signals of potential health issues in their dogs so they can prompt action if needed.

• Your dog’s fur needs to be fluffy, soft and shiny. If your dog has a wiry coat, the strands should spring back up whne touched and should be thick. Breeds with double coats should have no indication of thinning on the undercoats.

• Redness, sores, scabs, scales, flakes, lumps and growths on the dog’s skin can be signs of health problems. Its importatn that both your dog’s fur and skin remain free of parasites – little organisms like fleas or ticks or mites. Frequent scratching or even biting of the skin is an indication of potential parasites.

• Just like us, bright, shiny eyes in your dog means good health. Around their eyeballs, dogs have an area that needs to be pink to show that they are healthy. This area is called the conjunctiva and a pale color in this area could signify some underlying health problems. Make sure there are no out of the ordinary discharges seeping from your dog’s eyes, particularly nothing green or yellow.

• A foul smell or bloody discharge from your dog’s ears means something is not right with your dog’s health. Its important to keep the ears clean and free of parasites like mange mites.

• Gums that have a healthy pink color which may contain some black pigmentation is a sign of good health. Pale colored gums can be a sign or symptom of anemia. Reddish gums that leak droplets of blood can often be signals that there is something amiss peridontally and this combined with a rank breath odor can spell trouble with a hidden health problem.

• Remembering back to hearing about the belief about a dog’s nose, that a healthy canine almost always has achiily, damp nose but this is really caused only by a relatively clear and runny nasal discharge that is fairly common in dogs. If your dog has a bad smeling and icky colored discharge coming form the nose, you need to have your dog looked at right away. Such discharges in young pups can be a sign of canine distemper and may prove to be fatal.

There are still other factors to consider and to look at to determine the health of the dog, and these include his weight, bodily temperature, the appearance of urine and feces. The most important thing is to understand these symptoms of dog health problems so that the minute you spot something out of the ordinary, you can take action right away.

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