Essential Fatty Acids (EPA/DHA)
1. Currently reads: …have been evaluated, and the dose ranges from 50 to 220 mg/kg (110-485 mg/lb) of body weight.
Revised: …have been evaluated, and the dose ranges from 50 to 220 mg/kg (23-100 mg/lb) of body weight.
2. Currently reads: …consider a maintenance dose of 75 mg per kg (165 mg per pound) of body weight for healthy animals.
Revised: …consider a maintenance dose of 75 mg/kg (34 mg/lb) of body weight for healthy animals.
Our intention in providing the metric milligram per kilogram (mg/kg) doses in Chapter 8 is to offer lifestyle or wellness (lower dose) supplement doses. The imperial doses (mg/lb) stated in the book fall within common THERAPEUTIC dosing (higher dose ranges for specific purposes); which may (or may not) be beneficial for your dog, but were not initially cited in the reference section.
All supplements have a very wide dose range, depending on the goal of supplementation. All of the supplement doses listed in the book are safe (if you add in EPA and DHA utilize the wellness doses for long term use, unless otherwise indicated by a healthcare professional). Higher doses may not be necessary for all supplements. As the book recommends, you can start at the lowest wellness dose range and see how your dog responds. Discuss with your veterinarian what dose is best for your dog, based on concurrent medical issues. For longevity, health and wellness purposes use the recommended wellness/lifestyle dose outlined below.
DOSAGES IN METRIC UNITS (mg/kg):
| RECOMMENDED WELLNESS/LIFESTYLE DOSE1 (mg/kg per day) | THERAPEUTIC DOSE2 (mg/kg per day) | PUBLISHED MAXIMUM DOSE FOR ANIMALS3 (mg/kg per day) |
| | | |
DOSAGES IN IMPERIAL UNITS (mg/lb):
| RECOMMENDED WELLNESS/LIFESTYLE DOSE1 (mg/lb per day) | THERAPEUTIC DOSE2 (mg/lb per day) | PUBLISHED MAXIMUM DOSE FOR ANIMALS3 (mg/lb per day) |
| | | |
*EPA/DHA: these therapeutic doses should only be used for short-term, therapeutic purposes under the guidance of a veterinarian. Long term supplementation of EPA and DHA should be less than 370 mg/kg (168 mg/lb) per day. When in doubt, refer to the product’s suggested feeding instructions and your veterinarian.
Footnotes:
- Click here for all supplement doses/cited references
- Click here to see benefits of these higher therapeutic doses and why some dogs may benefit from these doses instead of the suggested wellness/lifestyle doses.
- For published maximum/threshold tolerance data, click here.