Flaxseed?

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Flaxseed?

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My dog trainer suggested adding flaxseed oil to my dogs food to help make their coat soft and shiny.......Has anyone else done this?? Does it work well??
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Taz
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Post by Taz »

I don't know what Flaxseed is.
But I do ad som fish oil into Diego's food.
And some vitamins. :)
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Shane
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Flaxseed

Post by Shane »

I myself have never heard of flaxseed but use fish oil aswell. I use cod liver oil. Please note if it makes the coat shinny that is a good thing anbd usually hearing from other people with experience abnout a certain product is a good thing. Rember always to get a second opinion. The negative thing you said about it is that it makes the coat soft. The outter coat of a chow is never suppose to be soft.

So I think that it would be a good idea to find another product from another person that does not soften the coat of the chow.

Shane
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WorknChowz
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Post by WorknChowz »

If your dog's coat looks unhealthy, the dog's body may not be functioning optimally. The outside often tells us that the inside needs better nutrition.

A balance in Omega fatty acids is always best. Missing Link is a good suppliment as well as Solid Gold Seameal. They both contain Flaxseed meal.
I find that if I am feeding a super-premium food, there is no need to add anything for a super coat and healthy body. If you are trying to save money and feeding a grocery brand food, the amount you will have to feed and the suppliments you will have to add will put your budget well over just buying the good stuff in the first place. :wink:

Just a few examples of what I consider super-premium;
Solid Gold
Nature's Variety Prairie
Canidae
Innova
California Natural
Canine Caviar

Please note that Iams and Science diet products are NOT on my list.
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Roger
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Post by Roger »

Hi everyone... I'm back after a short sabbatical. Since Confucius was about 6 months old, we've been giving him flaxseed oil. He's a little over two now (hard to imagine), his coat has shown a vast improvement, and we've noticed that skin irritations are almost a non issue as well. He gets it once a day with breakfast.
Also on a separate note for WorknChowz et.al... we were giving Confucius Solid Gold Seameal as well, but our vet advised against it, and prescribed a Glucosamine supplement called SynoviCre (http://www.entirelypets.com/syngran720gm.html ) instead. Her thought process was that it would actually impact him adversely during his formative years; that the calcium content would nurture bone growth prematurely, and this would contribute to the risk of hip dysplasia later on down the road. Just FWIW.
I agree with you about a Solid Gold diet. I would never switch to another brand. Now that the store I usually purchase it from is going out of business, I'm actually going waaaaay out to the next closet one to get it.
Take care everyone!
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WorknChowz
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Post by WorknChowz »

Roger wrote:Also on a separate note for WorknChowz et.al... we were giving Confucius Solid Gold Seameal as well, but our vet advised against it, and prescribed a Glucosamine supplement called SynoviCre (http://www.entirelypets.com/syngran720gm.html ) instead. Her thought process was that it would actually impact him adversely during his formative years; that the calcium content would nurture bone growth prematurely, and this would contribute to the risk of hip dysplasia later on down the road. Just FWIW.
:?: I'm a little confused. :? Solid Gold Seameal contains only 1-1.5% Calcium by volume and the serving size for a 50 pound dog is 1 teaspoon per day. I would hardly call that a calcium source, let alone one that could potentially harm your growing pup.
Now the SG Steamed BoneMeal is 22% calcium. I would NEVER give this to a growing pup. Could it be that your Vet looked at the wrong product?
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Post by Roger »

Hey there WorknChowz.... nope it was Seameal. I actually did contact the "nutritionist" at Solid Gold for corroboration, and her response was to adhere to the vet's recommendations. This was going back over a year and a half ago or so, but I've just stuck with the SynoviCre since then... Also, back then, Confucius was a few months old and weighed substantially less. Being the new owner of a chow, and reading of the proclivity towards hip displasia, I preferred to err on the side of caution.
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