Salmon oil is often given to dogs and cats. But why is salmon oil actually often given to dogs and cats? One reason for this is that salmon sounds good. However, the most important reason is that a dose of salmon oil is quite inexpensive compared to other fish oils for dogs .
But why is salmon oil for dogs and cats cheap? Salmon oil is made from the remnants of farmed salmon. Because more and more salmon is being farmed, there are more and more remnants, and so salmon oil remains cheap. But is salmon oil from farmed salmon the right product for your dog or cat? How much salmon oil is good for your dog or cat? Below are 5 points to consider when you are planning to buy salmon oil. The question is whether you will still buy salmon oil after reading this.
Medicine residue
First of all, in fish farming, including salmon, the fish are kept much closer together than in the wild. As a result, diseases develop more quickly. Medicines are used to combat these diseases. Therefore, farmed salmon and salmon oil can contain residues of medicines.
Contaminants
Secondly, contamination can occur in the salmon as a result of contaminated feed given to farmed salmon. In Norway, journalists are working to gain further insight into this. There is also much debate regarding the environmental pollution that occurs during the farming of broiler salmon.
Lower Omega-3 content
Thirdly, the Omega-3 content of farmed (factory-farmed) salmon has declined considerably over the years. This is because this salmon cannot forage for its natural diet but is fed plant-based pellets. As a result, farmed salmon is significantly less fatty than its wild counterpart. Consequently, the salmon oil contains less Omega-3 EPA and DHA .
No quality mark
Fourthly, a lot of wild fish (sardines and anchovies from South America) has to be caught to serve as fishmeal (feed) for farmed salmon. So, not really sustainable. Consequently, salmon oil never has a certification mark.
Lower quality
People will never take salmon oil themselves, because it is simply inedible due to oxidation. So why would you give salmon oil to your dog or cat? Or to your horses?
If the fish oil comes from Norway, there is a good chance that it is produced very quickly in a cold environment. As a result, the oil remains very fresh, which benefits the quality. A good test to assess whether the Omega-3 fatty acids in a fish oil are in good condition is to taste it yourself. If it has a mild taste without a fishy smell, you know that the oil is of good quality. If it has a strong fishy taste or smell, the oxidation process may have been underway for some time.
