Omega 3/6/9 suppliments for cats - Bertie has alopecia

[Mark]

I jst placed an order with VetUK and have ordered some of these Greenleaf tablets for Clapton. They are cheap so I thought I woud give them a try. If herbs help, they have to be better than meds? http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3371

[Philip]

No I'm pretty sure its an allergy problem.

It improves with steroids.

My vet has just given me 100 prednisolone tablets and I have restarted treatment.

He only had 2 weeks worth and his fur started to grow back.

Perhaps 2 weeks wasn't enough and I'm hoping a longer course will allow the fur to grow back to such a length that he wont be irritated by the feeling of no fur.

I think in the beginning he got an allergic reaction to flea bites, started overgrooming and causing a hot spot and then it became a vicious circle of overgrooming becoming habit forming.

[Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's)]

Is he still entire? Could it be a hormone issue?

[Philip]

Bertie has stopped taking the steroids and in on the viacutan, but the alopecia is returning.

Need to talk to my vet again tomorrow.

The steroids were working, but don't know if that is a good idea long term.

[Mark]

Forgot to say - if you are buying tinned salmon, buy the (cheaper) on that has skin & bones in it. The calcium in the bones helps to balance out the phosphorus in the flesh.

[Mark]

I always check the cans as some are Canadian (eg Sainsbury's own) so I don't buy them  - The Tesco one is Alaskan. Alice seems to prefer the Tesco one and also I struggle to open the John West one with my posh "no sharp edges" can opener 

Canned red Salmon always reminds me of Grandma & Granddad coming for tea. We would have salmon & cucumber sandwiches with battenberg or french fancies (I hate both of them  )

[Janeyk]

Alice's coat is in good condition and she just has about 1/4 - 1/5th of a can of Salmon every day. I buy the Tesco wild red salmon and she loves it. I is only about £1.30 a can - it actuallly says "high in Omega 3" on the can

Mine have some tinned salmon just once a week and they go mad for it.

[Mark]

Alice's coat is in good condition and she just has about 1/4 - 1/5th of a can of Salmon every day. I buy the Tesco wild red salmon and she loves it. I is only about £1.30 a can - it actuallly says "high in Omega 3" on the can

[Philip]

According to what I just read,  Viacutan contains fish oils so it must contain omega 3.

[Fire Fox]

The Viacutan appears only to contain omega-6 no omega-3 which is equally essential, the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 is just as important as the quantity in the diet. Too much omega-6 is actually inflammatory, it's omega-3 that has the anti-inflammatory properties.

Udo's choice is good but being vegetarian not as good as fish oil - humans only convert 5-10% of the Omega-3 from vegetarian sources, we use most of the omega-3 from fish. I am not not convinced by your health food store man, Mark, it is perfectly acceptable for humans to get their omega-3 from canned oily fish which has been heated and pressurised. My understanding is that short chain polyunsaturates such as those in flax are very delicate but the long chain ones are more resistant to heat. Speaking personally I have taken the H&B high strength fish oils for a couple of years and my skin cleared up (eczema/ contact dermatitis), why I stopped I will never know. 

[Philip]

Many thanks for the info.

Have just ordered the Viacutan Plus 500mg EFA Capsules.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I puncture the capsules and add the contents to food.  I generally use the pump spray now though.

[Mark]

How do you get them to take the capsules as they seem quite big. I bought Clapton some last year. I couldn't hide them in food so I tried cutting the capsules and mixing in food. He then refused to eat the food  - I just looked and Hills senior active longevity has added omega 3 & 6 - whether it is of good enough quality or in sufficient therapeutic quantity is another question.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I use viacutan from vet uk.

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_15&products_id=344

[Mark]

I was thinking viatcutan as well. I heard a programme on the radio a while back and it said that often when (processed) food says it comtains Omega 3, that it is vegetarian and therefore not suitable. AFAIK, the cheapest way to buy omegas is to buy whole fish oil capsules. Having said that, the man that owns a local nutrition centre told me that you need to buy a decent brand and things like Holland and Barrett own brand have been denatured (destroyed). He said that they are made on such a large scale, they are superheated to make them thin enough to fill the capsules quickly in factories. He claims that only oils bought in brown glass bottles that are kept in a chiller are any good - ie Udo's choice. A bottle would last ages though and work out cheaper than capsules. One thing I am persoally wary of is Omega oil that says it is "marile sourced". The reason being that I read that Canada is selling seal oil to try to make up revenue lost of selling seal pelts. Personally I wouldn't support that "industry"

This is the oil http://www.udoschoice.co.uk/
He says that heat and light both destroy long-chain EFAs and this is the most potent way to take it. I have it myself (when I remember  ) as part of my IBS treatment - it is supposed to be a real superfood. It has a slightly nutty taste. I'm sure 1/2 teaspoon mixed in cat food wouldn't even be noticed.

[Fire Fox]

I am qualified to give nutritional advice to humans and, where possible, I try to avoid supplements but rather get the nutrient from food. AFAIK there are only two polyunsaturated fats essential to cats, no requirement for mono-unsaturates (omega-9) and in humans omega-9 can compete with omega 3 and 6, tho Mark or your vet would be the best person to confirm.  For omega-3 you would definitely want fish oils as my understanding is cats are unable to convert vegetarian omega-3 to the useable form. For omega-6 a cat needs animal fat.

May I ask what you are feeding at present, wondering if perhaps it isn't high enough fat for your cats needs? EFAs (essential fatty acids) are changed by the heat process so maybe you could try some raw meat supplemented with oils or a less intensively heated product such as Orijen? Grass fed cattle and seed fed chickens as opposed to grain fed livestock produce meat which is higher in higher in EFAs - you can also buy omega-enriched eggs - but unfortunately this tends to be the expensive free-range meat! Lastly how is your cats digestion? Might be worth trying a probiotic (beneficial bacteria) supplement to improve digestion and absorption of nutrients generally?

This company has a salmon oil supplement:
http://www.fish4dogs.com/Categories/cat-shop.aspx
VetUK also seen to have quite a few cat-friendly omega supplements:
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5_15

[Philip]

Does anyone know of a specific Omega 3/6/9 supplement suitable for cats ?

My Bertie has alopecia at the base of his tail and is being treated with steroids, but have done some research and there has been some benefit to cats taking omega oil supplements.

My local pet stores don't have these in so if anyone has seen them please can you let me know.

Thanks.