Are all omega-3s equal? + All Pups Seasoning Preorder Update!
A fish oil buying guide and an update on all-pups seasonings
Hi Friends, We took the last week off to push out of first draft of our first traditionally published book. We have a tentative release date of December 6, 2025. (Yes, it takes that long to get into stores!) We’ll be sharing more about that as it gets closer to presale date which should start around summer next year. We will need your help, so stay tuned!
PREORDER UPDATE: All-pups seasoning is shipping soon! Thanks for your patience as we procured all of the best human grade ingredients and made sure it’s the best it can be. As always, it’s manufactured in facilities that make people food. So although we list it as not for human consumption, you could totally also use it in people food (but don’t, for legal reasons). WE REALLY HOPE YOU LOVE IT. There will be a couple of surprises coming soon.
Why is fish oil important?
A lot of nutrition influencers recommend flax seed and flax seed oil because it contains vegetarian omega-3s. ALA (the veggie omega-3) makes up almost 50% of flax seed oil. ALA itself is essential for biological functions in people and dogs. As we shared in a previous newsletter, it wasn’t until the mid 1980’s that scientists realized that ALA was even essential. So we are still learning about omega-3 functions.
EPA and DHA are the other two types of Omega-3 and are also essential for humans and dogs. Unfortunately, EPA and DHA are only found in seafood (actually made by algae). ALA can be converted by the body into EPA and DHA but only at about 5% efficiency. So to achieve optimal levels of EPA and DHA from a plant-based source, a person would have to drink about 100 ml of flax seed oil per day. That’s about 900 calories. See the previous newsletter here for more info.
This is why we prefer omega-3s from seafood. It’s just a much more efficient way to get them!
What to look for in a fish oil
A high quality fish oil is usually not cheap. There are a lot of low cost products on the market but they usually don’t have adequate amounts of the stuff we need.
This supplement is rated 4.7/5 on Amazon, but it’s not something that we would ever use or buy.
Why?
Only 360 mg out of the 1200 mg are omega-3s. So it’s only 30% omega-3 fatty acid. AND they don’t tell you how much of EPA and DHA is in there. It could be mostly ALA or not, there’s just no way to tell with the information given.
You want a label like this
This is a label from Sports Research, a brand we use a lot. First, they are super transparent about their oil. It’s mostly Omega-3 in triglyceride form, which is the natural form. Triglycerides are more bioavailable than ethyl esters which is another common form found in “concentrated” oils. More on that below.
This capsule is about 70% fish oil and mostly EPA. We tend to like higher concentrations of EPA as the research suggests that higher EPA is better for heart health and mental health. Also, biochemical pathways exist to convert EPA to DHA (although inefficient) but DHA cannot be converted to EPA. Any ratio from about 2:1 to 3:1 EPA to DHA will work.
Form matters
Omega-3s are typically available in three forms:
Triglyceride form, which is the natural form found in raw fish oils
Ethyl esters, which is the concentrated form after processing. They are about 30% less bioavailable than triglyceride form
Phospholipid, is greater than 50% more bioavailable than triglycerides, and is typically found in krill oil and fish eggs
Another benefit of krill oil, is that it usually comes with astaxanthin, which is powerful antioxidant and recently passed the ITP (Interventions Testing Protocol). The ITP is the gold standard in testing longevity agents in mice. In December 2023 the ITP published results showing astaxanthin extended median lifespan in mice by 12%.
How much to feed / take?
Cedric and Edith get about 2-3 grams of EPA + DHA each week or about 30 mg per pound per day. The math can get tricky so we like to think about it in capsules which contain about 1 g of EPA and DHA combined. Small dogs should get a couple capsules per week, medium dogs can get up to one per day, and large dogs can take up to 2-3 per day.
For people, it’s about the same. Researchers like Dr. Rhonda Patrick and longevity doctors like Peter Attia take between 3-4 g of EPA and DHA daily.
Capsules vs. Pump
Many fish oils for dogs are sold in convenient pump bottles. As long as it’s a good quality fish oil with transparency about what’s in there plus high levels of EPA + DHA on label, we think bottles are fine!
However, fish oil in a pump bottle should always be refrigerated after opening to prevent it from going rancid.
We prefer fish oil capsules, because it’s what we take and it’s simpler for us to just give the dogs the same ones. Though it’s not necessary, we also refrigerate our fish oil capsules to keep them as fresh as possible.
To give it to the dogs, we poke a small hole into the capsule and squeeze onto their food right before serving (dispose of the capsule shell).
Summary
The omega-3s EPA and DHA, that are found in fish oils, are essential for human and canine health. Getting high doses from plant sources is technically possible but practically infeasible because plants only have ALA and conversion to EPA and DHA from ALA is very inefficient (about 5%).
When selecting a fish oil make sure that the concentration of EPA and DHA is high. Also, triglyceride form is the most bioavailable form of fish oil. We usually opt for a 2:1 to 3:1 ratio of EPA to DHA as that seems to be the best for heart and mental health. Krill oil is also great and even more bioavailable than the triglyceride form of fish oil. Krill oil also has astaxanthin which is shown to extend life in mice. But, krill oil is usually more expensive than high quality fish oil.
That’s all for now!
All the best,
Joelle and the Precious Creatures Team