What is linseed oil? What are its benefits?
Flaxseed oil is a vegetable fat extracted from the seeds of the flax plant.
It has the particularity of containing between 45 and 70% alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a fatty acid from the omega-3 family.
These omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids known to have anti-inflammatory effects in the body. These fatty acids should be part of your pet's daily diet and can be used as dietary supplements to help reduce inflammatory processes such as allergies or osteoarthritis.
Is linseed oil good for dogs?
Flaxseed oil is a source of omega-3 fatty acids but it is not as anti-inflammatory as cold sea fish oil for our four-legged friends.
An oil rich only in certain omega-3s
Flaxseed oil certainly contains omega-3 but alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in large quantities.
ALA can be converted into DHA and EPA (the most effective anti-inflammatory long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil) but dogs' bodies cannot fails to do so effectively.
Therefore, the anti-inflammatory effects of flaxseed oil are not as strong as those of fish oil for the dog. You have to give a lot more to hope to obtain the same effects.
A fragile and difficult to store oil
In addition, its richness in omega-3 fatty acids makes it extremely oxidizable so that it must be stored away from light and in the refrigerator. However, an oil whose fatty acids are oxidized loses its benefits and can even be the cause of digestive disorders, a loss of appetite or skin disorders.
An oil low in omega-6
More than the amount of omega-3, it is more the balance of the intake between omega-3 and omega-6 that is important in a dog's diet. However, if flaxseed oil is very rich in omega-3, we forget that it is low in omega-6, other fatty acids which are also essential for the dog. It should therefore not be the source of fat in the dog's diet at the risk of unbalancing its ratio between omega-6 and omega-3.
Other vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil have a more balanced ratio for the dog's daily feeding needs.
In summary
In summary, it is therefore possible to administer flaxseed oil to a dog but it is much less nutritionally interesting than rapeseed oil and cold sea fish oil for the dog . If you still want to give it to him, you must make sure that the linseed oil is not oxidized and that it has been stored in adequate conditions.