Disc Disease and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Fleur, our friend’s dog with disc disease, went home yesterday; and like most dogs with disc disease will have a long period of convalescence. While taking care of Fleur, we’ve covered different aspects of disc disease, and now we’ll look at the medications prescribed to help Fleur recover. Today, the focus is on Omega 3 fatty acids.

Disc disease occurs because the discs lose moisture and suppleness. When the discs reach a critical level of dehydration and brittleness, they collapse and put pressure on the spine. Sudden, severe pressure causes paralysis so that dogs cannot walk, but a steadily progressing pressure causes weakness and uncoordinated walking. Both sudden and gradual disc disease cause pain and muscle spasm so that dogs with disc disease walk with their backs humped.

Medications prescribed for dogs with disc disease help:
1. increase disc moisture and suppleness,
2. decrease inflammation,
3. stop pain and ease muscle spasm, and
4. promote synovial and cartilage health within vertebral joints.

Omega 3 fatty acids are prescribed for disc disease because they increase disc moisture and suppleness and decrease inflammation. Thus, Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to recovery from disc disease.

The best sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are cold-water fish oils and ground flax seed. I prescribe fish oils for dogs with severe illness because the oils have EPA and DHA in forms that are easily incorporated into the cells. (For pets with disc disease that don’t enjoy fish, I prescribe fresh ground flax seed products, such as Missing Link.)

Not all Omega 3 fish oils are created equal, and it is a waste of money for Fleur's family to purchase products that have delightful advertising but no substance. Actually, it’s worse than a waste of money because many inferior Omega 3 products contain products of oxidation that harm cells.

There is keen competition among companies to win veterinary opinion, and to objectively find which oil was the best, I ran independent laboratory tests on fish oil products—comparing oils from companies who swore they had the best in the industry. Results of the tests confirmed that oils from Nordic Naturals were the most pure. Fish oil purity is essential because dogs with disc disease should take Omega 3 products throughout their lives. The materials that make fish oils impure—heavy metals and PCBs—accumulate in the tissue and cause cancer and other illnesses. Thus, it’s essential to prescribe pure fish oils, such as Nordic Naturals, when recommending that a pet stay on the supplement for life.

Fish oil supplements work gradually, taking several weeks to be incorporated into cells and make lasting changes. It takes patience for Fleur and her family to wait to experience the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids, but what they will see is not just that Fleur’s back is more comfortable and resilient. They can also expect to find:
· Changes in brain cells with increased capacity to learn,
· Better mood,
· Stronger heart, kidney, retina, and liver cells, and
· Decreased tendency to develop allergies to food, fleas, or pollens.

In future blogs, we’ll look at other medications used for disc disease: Homeopathic medications, Flower remedies, Chinese herbs, Western herbs, Joint supplements, NSAIDs, and Enzymes.