Using Fish Oil as treatment for itchy skin – A Case Study

As my first blog post, I’m going to start by doing what I do best. Science.

Fish oil has been pushed on patients by herbalists, chiropractors, and nutritionists alike as a miracle supplement. Fish oil will prevent heart disease and stroke! Reduces inflammation and prevents osteoporosis! Helps you lose weight and improves colon health! Creates new brain neurons and will stabilize moods! Prevents hair loss and stimulates hair growth and shine!
So, does it work?

Meet Daisy. She is a 1 year old black lab/shepherd mix, weighs 56lb, and spayed. She is also my baby and is spoiled rotten by both her parents. We’ve had Daisy since she was 10 weeks old.

As Daisy aged, we noticed she scratched a lot. We treated her for fleas, first with over the counter medicines, then with different veterinary prescribed treatments. We even tried oatmeal baths. Nothing seemed to work and she started losing her hair! First it was on her tail. Then it was on her rump. To my heartbreak, she would whine as she scratched. My poor baby.

Photo taken by Mandy Leonards Photography

Our next thought was food allergies. Daisy only was fed Iams Puppy formula. We switched her to Purina’s Beneful food, with no change after 2 weeks. She did start to eat more, so apparently Iams tastes like cardboard. Next, we started supplementing her night meal with Purina Alpo wet food. 2 weeks later, still no change.

After extensive research, we decided to try fish oil. (Please consult your vet before giving your dog any medicines or supplements. I do not advise research on animals unless properly trained.) We dosed Daisy with 1 capsule of fish oil twice daily (10mg/lb EPA) frosted with peanut butter.

So, what is fish oil?

Fish oil is found in fish, as its name implies. Fish sources include tuna, salmon, anchovies, tuna, oysters, bass, trout and many many more. But, because it’s from fish, and fish live in the sea, you should be concerned with purity. Contamination from mercury, arsenic, lead, PCBs, and other compounds may negatively affect you. Pollute the Earth, pollute your body. The circle of life. Be sure to check the standards of refinement or distilling for your brand of fish oil.

Fish oil is composed of the Omega 3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPA is absorbed through diet and is found in human breast milk (from the mother’s diet). DHA can be absorbed through foods or by your body converting it from EPA via docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). I won’t bore you with this process. If you are interested, look into a career in organic chemistry. Your body cannot “make” either DHA or EPA because they are longer-chained fatty acids, so food or supplements are your options.

Numerous studies have been performed studying fish oil, DHA, and/or EPA in humans, rats, mice, ect, as well as in vitro (think in the lab not in animal). Do a Pubmed search. How many hits did you get?? The results are controversial. What is important to remember is your body is a system made up of many many systems. Don’t let us scientists fool you. We do not know how all of these systems work together. There are many diseases and conditions we do not know the causes for. How do you prove that something can prevent cancer if you don’t know what causes it? How do you prove that fish oil can slow Alzheimer's, if we don’t know what makes one person develop it and not another?

Back to my experiment. After one week of treatment, we noticed she wasn’t itching as often. After 2 weeks, we noticed some of her hair filling in. After 3 weeks, goodbye bald rump! Now, a month later, Daisy is mostly itch free, her coat is full and shiny, and her shedding seems to have lessened.

So is fish oil a miracle worker? I don’t know, but I must admit, I have started taking fish oil. I mean, who doesn’t want fuller, more shiny hair? I know I do.

Photo taken by Mandy Leonards Photography