Hi Lisa
I just wanted to give you this website as this is the product I was talking about. It is a liquid you can either add to his food or give him directly. To see a difference in the growth they recommend I believe 2-3 pumps a day for a minimum of 3 weeks. It is about $30 but is well worth it. I just wanted to give you some more info to work with. And I added some extra info about fatty acids, from a great website I found.
xxJazmin
http://www.biologicnr.com/biologicvetnx/products/biofats.htmEssential fatty acids and Cancer
Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids have been gaining attention in the research community for their effects on cancer and cachexia. Notably, they have been shown to inhibit the growth and metastasis of tumors. Lymphoma in dogs has been among the types of cancer studied.
Fatty Acid Supplementation in Animals
Like humans, animals require optimal nutrition to maintain good health and prevent disease. Not surprisingly, nutritional therapy that focuses on supplementation with essential nutrients has been able to reverse and treat disease. Essential nutrients must be obtained in the diet, since normal metabolic processes are unable to manufacture them. Essential fatty acids (EFAs), once called vitamin F, are amongst the nutrients we know to be essential.
Deficiency of EFAs was first recognized in experimental animals in 1929 by Burr and Burr, who found that animals deprived of certain fats (later recognized to be EFAs) developed growth retardation, skin lesions, organ failure, impaired fertility, and a host of other problems that eventually resulted in death. Since then, research has focused on what the physiological role of fatty acids are and why they are essential; which fatty acids are essential; and how supplementation can promote health and ease disease.
EFAs are structural components of all cell membranes, where they ensure the proper structure and function of all cells. They are also substrates for the enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase, which convert EFAs into eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are physiologically vital, hormone-like compounds that control a myriad of metabolic activities including blood clotting; inflammation; blood pressure; vasoconstriction and vasodilation; and immune function. Ongoing research in the last decade has uncovered even more exciting news - EFAs are able to control cell communication and gene regulation, which ultimately controls all cellular processes ranging from hormone production to cell growth and division. Supplementation with EFAs may therefore provide the means to prevent and treat disease by controlling the "on-off switch" of the disease.
The primary EFAs include the omega-6 fatty acids linoleic acid (LA) and its derivative gamma-linolenic acid (GLA); and the omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and its derivatives eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA). Although all of these fatty acids are essential, diet and metabolic processes dictate which fatty acids should be further supplemented by diet.
LA is one of the major fatty acids found in vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and safflower oils. ALA is found in substantial quant*ities in flaxseed, and in flax and perilla oil, and in smaller quant*ities in other oils such as canola and hemp. The most common sources of GLA are borage, evening primrose, and black currant seeds. Borage oil contains the highest level of GLA (20-25%), whereas black currant oil at 14-17% GLA and evening primrose at 8-10% GLA contain lower amounts. EPA and DHA are obtained from fish and fish oil.
Oils containing EFAs have been extensively studied as therapeutic agents in animals for improving the health of the skin and coat; for relieving dermatological disorders; for reducing inflammation in skin and joints; and for preventing and controlling disease such as obesity and diabetes. The therapeutic efficacy of EFAs is dependent upon the specific EFA as well as the ratio between them.
Summary
Essential fatty acid deficiency can occur in animals that are fed dry rations, poorly preserved commercial food (storage, temperature, preservative problems) or homemade foods. Deficiencies may occur because the fat content is low, because the fat became rancid, or because there is inadequate antioxidants such as vitamin E in the food. Medical conditions that limit the animal's ability to absorb or metabolize ingested fats can also result in EFA deficiency. Symptoms of deficiency occur over time and skin problems are a particularly common occurrence.
Essential fatty acid intake has long been recognized as playing an important role in animal, as well as human, health. Various skin and inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular problems, mental dysfunction, cancer and numerous other disorders and diseases have been attributed to abnormal EFA status and deficiency of certain fatty acids, notably GLA, ALA, EPA and DHA. Ongoing research has identified the profound positive effects supplementation can provide to help maintain health, as well as prevent and treat disease.
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