# Solid Gold Flax Seed Oil



## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

anyone use this? I've been using a generic flax seed oil from the feed and seed store, but the store where I buy my food (Canidae ALS and Nature's Variety raw medallions) has the Solid Gold brand. Do you think there's a difference?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Scott said:


> anyone use this? I've been using a generic flax seed oil from the feed and seed store, but the store where I buy my food (Canidae ALS and Nature's Variety raw medallions) has the Solid Gold brand. Do you think there's a difference?



Without having the label of the generic bottle, can't tell if there's a significant difference.

You know that dogs don't have the human capacity for changing short-chain Omega 3s from plant sources (flax, canola, etc.) into the most beneficial long-chain Omega 3 EFAs (DHA and EPA)? Humans' systems can make that change at under a 10% rate (maybe up to 15% for EPA), but dogs, per the Tufts 2005 research, have a close-to-zero rate.

So while flax oil is still a good product --- unless it's fortified with long-chain Omega 3s (usually from algae), I think dogs need marine sources too, or instead of. And if it IS fortified with long-chain EFAs, it's probably spendy enough that the cost of fish oil (gram of Omega 3 by gram) is comparable. 

JMO. ;>)

Your original question: I'd compare the labels. If they both contain about 8 grams of ALA per tablespoon and neither is heat-processed or hexane-processed, then they are probably pretty equal.


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## Amanda Layne (Aug 9, 2006)

I have used it for about 1 year and a half and I am really happy with it. I alternate that and fish oil capsules with great results.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Yes, I remember back in the day having to chase the roving packs of dogs out of the flax fields..........couldn't be the fish oil that is working.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Yes, I remember back in the day having to chase the roving packs of dogs out of the flax fields..........


The neighbors had to stop having so much acreage under flax ... it was bringing the wolves down from the woods.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amanda Layne said:


> I have used it for about 1 year and a half and I am really happy with it. I alternate that and fish oil capsules with great results.


That's good that you are giving fish oil too. :>)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber, I looked up a few generic flax oils online last night and found that many are indeed hexane-processed.

Hexane has its own problems --- but also, after flaxseeds are saturated with hexane and the oil extracted, the hexane has to be evaporated during the "flash-off" cycle. This is done at temperatures exceeding 200°F. 

Temperatures like that are bad for polyunsaturated oils. 

So you're right to question the difference.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

On a vaguely related note, I noticed that Sam's Club fish oil capsules (at least the "enteric" coated capsules) are now PCB, dioxin, and mercury free. Yay! However, they do have shark oil in them too, which I don't really like. Many shark populations are in big trouble. Okay, back on topic.


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

To bring back up this topic - I do have the Solid Gold flax seed oil, which I rotate EOD with Grizzly salmon. (I was doing the same thing with the generic before). 

I give SG seameal also, which has flax seed meal in it, plus the Canidae has flax seed (8th on the list). So, am I just overdoing it with the flax seed oil - should I just use the salmon oil exclusively?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Scott said:


> To bring back up this topic - I do have the Solid Gold flax seed oil, which I rotate EOD with Grizzly salmon. (I was doing the same thing with the generic before).
> 
> I give SG seameal also, which has flax seed meal in it, plus the Canidae has flax seed (8th on the list). So, am I just overdoing it with the flax seed oil - should I just use the salmon oil exclusively?


Dogs mostly lack one of the enzymes needed to use ALA. Humans can convert ALA (flax and other plant sources of Omega 3s give us ALA) into the beneficial long-chain Omega 3s (DHA and EPA) at maybe a 10-15% rate. Dogs cannot.

So while canola and flax oils and the like might be useful to a dog who is otherwise not getting enough raw fat, they are not a source of long-chain Omega 3s for most (nearly all) dogs. In fact, although I keep reading that "a few" dogs might have that enzyme that allows coversion of ALA to long-chain EFAs, I have never read who those few dogs might be. :lol: I want names.

Everything I have read tells me that humans do best with both plant and marine sources of Omega 3s..... although if I had to choose only one, it would absolutely be marine sources.

But dogs -- if you are giving the oil in order to supply Omega 3 EFAs, then you want to be giving marine oils.


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, I was giving the flax oil not for omega 3 supplementation, b/c I use salmon oil for that, but because I've read so much about the various health benefits of the lignin in the flax seed. But I haven't been able to find a conclusive answer as to how much flax is needed to be beneficial, and I'm not sure how much they get from the other sources.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Scott said:


> Well, I was giving the flax oil not for omega 3 supplementation, b/c I use salmon oil for that, but because I've read so much about the various health benefits of the lignin in the flax seed. But I haven't been able to find a conclusive answer as to how much flax is needed to be beneficial, and I'm not sure how much they get from the other sources.



Ah.

Well, for lignans, flaxseed (fresh-ground) is your source.

Flax oil, regular or high-lignan, contains the oil from the seed. It does not contain protein, lignans, fiber, or any other substances from the seed except what has been added back, and there is no standardized industry lignan extraction and measurement.

For lignan matter, milled flax seed would be superior to high-lignan flax oil.

JMO. :>)


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

so, if they are getting milled flax seed in both their dry food and in the SeaMeal, the flax seed oil is pretty much redundant.... yep, that answers my question


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Scott said:


> so, if they are getting milled flax seed in both their dry food and in the SeaMeal, the flax seed oil is pretty much redundant.... yep, that answers my question


Yes, that would be my take too. I would replace the flax oil with daily fish oil (plus E).


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