{"id":520400,"date":"2010-04-08T10:16:35","date_gmt":"2010-04-08T14:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/askthevet.smartpak.com\/?p=772"},"modified":"2010-04-08T10:16:35","modified_gmt":"2010-04-08T14:16:35","slug":"clearing-up-omega-3-omega-6-confusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/520400","title":{"rendered":"Clearing up Omega 3 & Omega 6 Confusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am currently supplementing “Bug Check” and “Sr Flex” to my 17 yr old TB’s grain. I was also giving Rice Bran Oil as recommended by the Equine Hospital where he spent a week (for colic- like symptoms) without getting a definitive diagnosis. Periodically he still seems uncomfortable, looks bloated, and lies down a lot. He does tend to correct himself. I read the article in the last mailing I got about Omega 3 and 6 understanding that the Omega 3 don’t fight inflammation as well as the 6, is this correct and should I be looking for an oil that is higher in Omega 6 fatty acids to add to his grain? Also, I am considering Quiessence for a calming supplement. Can this be fed along with the “Bug Check and “Sr. Flex” without a problem? AL, New Hampshire<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear AL,<\/p>\n

I chose your question because I wanted to address a misunderstanding about Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. In addition, I want to touch on your oversupplementing question at the end, as I get these types of inquiries frequently. But first things first.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got the Omega 3 and Omega 6 actions backwards. Both are required for normal responses and healthy tissues but it\u2019s the Omega 6 family of fatty acids that tends to increase the levels of inflammatory agents in the body and the Omega 3 family of fatty acids that tends to increase the levels of ANTI-inflammatory agents in the body. In responding to infection or healing a wound, some inflammation is required. But modern horse keeping has shifted the balance of these fatty acids too far towards the Omega 6 line, creating a chronic state of inflammation in the body. We recommend feeds and supplements that have a higher level of Omega 3s to restore equilibrium. So while rice bran oil is better than corn oil in regards to the balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids, canola oil is an even better choice. Fish oil is ideal though, not only because it contains nearly all Omega 3s but also because it has pre-formed DHA and EPA, two specific Omega 3s with proven beneficial effects in the body.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now for your second question. You\u2019re already supplementing your horse with \u201cBug Check\u201d and \u201cSenior Flex\u201d and want to know if you can give \u201cQuiessence\u201d as a calming supplement. At first glance, I see no problem with giving supplements in the insect control, joint and calming categories. But let\u2019s take a closer look at the active ingredients in each to make sure there\u2019s no overlap.<\/p>\n

Bug Check<\/a><\/strong>\u2014diatomaceous earth, garlic powder, brewers yeast, soybean oil, thiamine and grape seed meal in a distillers grain base<\/p>\n

Senior Flex<\/strong><\/a>\u2014glucosamine; chondroitin sulfate; MSM; Ester C; Yucca; Vitamins A, D and E; and Lactobacillus acidophilus in a rice bran base with mineral oil<\/p>\n

Quiessence<\/a><\/strong>\u2014Magnesium and Chromium in a distillers grain base with salt and wheat mids<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see any overlap of active ingredients here that would concern me. Remember, it\u2019s not the number of supplements you give a horse but the ingredients in them that matter, especially when combined with the hay and grain he\u2019s already getting. So a horse getting a full serving of grain and just one supplement (say a multi-vitamin\/mineral supplement<\/a>) may be oversupplemented while a horse getting a thoughtful selection of products to meet specific needs (like yours) is getting only what he needs with three or more supplements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am currently supplementing “Bug Check” and “Sr Flex” to my 17 yr old TB’s grain. I was also giving Rice Bran Oil as recommended by the Equine Hospital where he spent a week (for colic- like symptoms) without getting a definitive diagnosis. Periodically he still seems uncomfortable, looks bloated, and lies down a lot. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-520400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520400\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}