Fish Oil dosage?

[littlehoov]

Hello, new member, and new puppy as a matter of fact.

nearly 5 months old girl, just recently adopted from someone.

At any rate, she seems to have quite a bit of dandruff, and does scratch her self quite a bit. Doesnt seem to be tormenting or anything quite that bad, just the occasional scratching and dandruff. So im assuming her skin is dry.

Ive read that adding fish oil to her food may help, but I dont know how much to give her.

Ive read between 3-500mg per 10 pounds of body weight, and she just barely weighs ten pounds. All the dosages Ive seen have been at least 1000mg. I want to be accurate, and Im afraid Ill give her too much and end up giving her diarrhea. Shes doing well with potty training, and I dont want to mess that up.

Any other suggestions? I know I should probably switch to a different food. Im just feeding her the el cheapo brand puppy food right now. Yes I know its not the greatest, but we have had many animals who have lived ridiculously long lives eating nothing but cheap food....and furthermore living outside! My dog is inside though, before anyone fires up the flamethrower haha.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Steph]

She should get roughly 200mg (weight of dog x 20 so if she's 10 pounds multiply that by 20) but she's still growing at 5 months of age. You may want to weigh her every 2 wks and adjust the dosage accordingly...the other option is and you said it, lol a better quality food. I would also look at if you can't do the fish oil (preferably salmon) pills, get treats that are higher in the omegas 3-6-9 or have salmon oil right in them.

Have you treated her for fleas? That could be a problem too.

And last but not least, an oatmeal bath. I'm not a big fan of bathing dogs as it dries the skin out of essential oils, but after having a dog with a skin condition I learned that oatmeal baths can be their friend as it soothes the skin and reduces itching.

 

[littlehoov]

Ok thanks, Ill see if I cant find a smaller dosage somewhere. Perhaps on the almighty interweb.

I had considered fleas, but for the life of me I cant find a flea on her. Shes of the smooth variety and I would think if she had a flea I could see it. When I start going against the grain on her fur to look down at bare skin all I get is more dandruff haha.

Thanks for the tips.