Fish Oil VS Flax Oil - which s better?

[mustelidmusk]

Another thing....I've been alternating some flax seed oil with the fish oil, and I seem to get better results wih the fish oil.
Well here's the deal...

I'm not just imaginng better results with fish oil. There's a reason for this, and it has NOTHING to do with "no cecum, ferrets cannot get any value from plant matter."

Technically speaking, flax seed has no omega 3's. It has something in it (I can't remember what it's called) that breaks down into omega 3's; HOWEVER, it only converts to omega 3's if all the correct other nutrition is in the system at the same time.

This is NOT a ferret thing - this is true for people too.
If al the right stuf is notpresent when flax seed oil is in the system, the omega 3's are NOT poduced!

-jennifer

[weloveourweasels]

I've also heard flax seed makes certain ferrets itchy.

[Heather]

Flax makes a lot of different pets itchy. Neither of my cats, nor my dog can tolerate flax....ferrets are itchy enough without adding flax to their diet. I've used marine fish oil for over 10 yrs and that's the only supplement I use other than occasionally adding dulse.
ciao

[mustelidmusk]

My ferts have never been itchy from the flax. But here is something interesting regardon chicken and 3 of my brat that share a commonrelative (mom and grandmom re the same ferret)... One f my erts had ever-s--slightly high eosinophils on initial blood work. The second time I did blood work, I had fed a little extra chicken. The 3 related ferts had slightly elevated eosinophils. Eosinophils can indicate allergies/inflammaory conditions. I decreased the percentage of chicken fed, and the following set of blood work came out clean for all of my kids.

It's wierd, the chicken does not bother them clinically, although their guts seem a little better with les chicken!!

I've never seen my brats be itchy, which i strange for ferrets!

-jennifer