Fish Oil for Dogs

I have discovered something that calms my cyclone-on-legs staffy, Roger.  Quite by accident but still, a discovery all the same. 
I take 3g fish oil capsules daily (for my brain apparently), odourless and easy.  Recently I accidentally purchased a large container of fish oil capsules that were not odourless.  Blechhh! Unable to cope I decided to give them to Roger, who has skin issues.  I had been giving him 1500mg/day for two weeks and he seemed fine (at home he is quite well behaved and calm) and then being due for a vaccination I took him to the vet.  Unfortunately it was a very hot day so, instead of being relegated to the back of the station wagon he got to travel on the back seat in air conditioned comfort.  He was very quiet and well behaved, a little strange but not incredible. 
At the vet, Roger is normally quite cyclonic/mad/loud/strong, all in good humour of course.  He was not on this occasion.  He was calm and well behaved, very strange.  In the examination he was happy but again well behaved.  His temperature, heart rate, everything was normal and he had his vaccination.  Normally his temp is slightly raised (from his excitement) and probably his heart rate.   Are you sure he is OK? I say to the vet.

While waiting to pay my million dollars for his consultation he again was calm and well behaved.  Normally if other dogs come in he goes into excitement overdrive and barks, growls, pulls my shoulder from its socket and generally makes a nuisance of himself.  When the nurse who served me realised he was present she was aghast.  Is Roger here?  She says while leaning over the counter to confirm this amazing fact.

On the trip home he again lay quietly on the back seat and had little urinary accidents on our back seat.  OK, I am thinking he has a urinary tract infection.  He is definitely not himself and he never has accidents.


At home he again had a little accident in the house, he has not done that since he was a puppy, but I realised he was unaware of the urine dribbling from his flaccid 'Little Roger'. 

It took me a couple of hours to work it out.  It probably would have occurred to me earlier if I had upped my own fish oil dosage to that of a small elephant but still, it did eventually occur to me that it was the fish oil.  He was so relaxed.  He was focused and did what he was told at the vet - away from his home environment - an absolute miracle.
I did have to take him off the high dose because his little accidents smelled strongly of fish oil and that is just gross.

They say fish oil is good for kids with ADHD and it is recommended for them to focus etc.  Well, I can confirm that it does that for insane staffy dogs.
So I have just commenced him on a 500mg daily dose.  I will take him away from home in two weeks time and see if he has taken this stuff and converted it to normality. 

Ahh, I hear you say, he is who he is.  He is cyclonic but he is lovable and happy.  That is his personality and you should not mess with it.  But I say, WAS IT YOU TOOK HIM TO PUPPY PRE-SCHOOL?  He was by far the most intimidating puppy, naughtiest puppy, the one most likely to be attacked by frightened little fluff balls.  WAS IT YOU TOOK HIM TO GROUP DOGGY TRAINING?  He drove me to ends of my wits.  He was so excited and strong and loud and uncontrollable and, and and... I was physically exhausted at the end of each session and so gave that away as a lost cause.  He can sit and behave at home beautifully but take him away from his own environment or have visitors and he turns into a doggy Mr Hyde, albeit friendlier.

So old Roger is being medicated.  I am messing with his head... but in a good way.  At least I am trying to make him more socially acceptable.  If it does not work then I will accept it.  But if it does then WEEHARRRRR!! I will be able to take him out in public, he won't want to kill dogs at the beach, frighten little old ladies into their wheelie walker, take skin off unsuspecting innocent children when he jumps on them to tell them he loves them.  Ahhh the possibilities...