By Shawn Wayment, DVM | Upland Ways

Humping across the parched cholla-choked Colorado prairie the other day toting my smoothbore, I was admiring my cover-dog setter gracefully maneuvering the prickly-pear and whatnot obstacles found in scaled quail country.   Eyeballing the GPS, Gretchen had already covered 49 miles in a day and a half of prairie cruising add that distance to the past few weeks in Idaho rim rock country and Kansas sand sage prairie…that is some serious miles on a dyed-in-the-wool quail dog! The miles add up over the years and ultimately lead to degeneration of the bird dog’s joints. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a wear and tear disease.

Repetitive stressful forces on a normal joint will lead to osteoarthritis (OA) with time. The treatment to make your companion and hunting pal pain-free can be labor intensive and sometimes cost prohibited. The truism of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure comes into to play here with our endurance canines cohorts.  Why not try to prevent or slow down the progression of OA before treatment is warranted?

Glucosamine and Chondroitin products are en vogue among the canine sporting dog world, however few nimrods are familiar of the benefits provided by giving oral omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil gel-capsules (cold water fish). Omega-3 fatty acids (Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic (DHA) reduce the inflammatory process by decreasing or hindering the production of mediators of inflammation. Over the years, I have seen amazing results of sporting/endurance dogs on appropriate dosages of omega-3 fatty acids.

Dogs can be supplemented with fish oil capsules from Costco or Sam’s Club. I currently use Kirkland’s Enteric Coated capsules because the oil is mercury free and of excellent quality, and I know each capsule contains about 640 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. The dosage for dogs is 50 to 100 mg per kg of body weight. This dosage equates out for a 50 pound dog (or 22.7 kg) (ask your smart phone to convert your dog from pounds to kilograms or 1 kg is equal to 2.2 pounds) to 1,136 mg to 2,272 mg. Therefore, a 50 pound dog could safely get 2 to 3 Kirkland brand capsule per day.

There are numerous benefits to using omega-3 fatty acids from reducing inflammation in the joints, skin and GI tract to reducing lipid concentrations in the blood stream. Start you canine companion slowly on them to prevent diarrhea and increase the dosage each week until they are at the proper amount for their weight…this can take a few weeks in the heavier breeds. In time, you will see the profit that omega-3 fatty acids provide for your pet’s overall health.