FAQs Archive - Page 2 of 3 - Life Line Pet Nutrition

Q: Can I take this oil along with my dog?

Although we use human food grade oil we have made the decision to market our products for pet use and focus 100% of our efforts on research and development for pets. Due to insurance and FDA licensing limitations we are not permitted to sell for human consumption and cannot legally make a “human use” claim.

Q: I'm looking at making an oil blend to complement our dog food, combo of about 5 oils including salmon oil. Do you have the ability to do a mix for me?

When I first started researching oils many years ago I found that most “fish” oils either came from the gulf (menhaden) or Chile (anchovy and herring). Salmon oils were predominantly from Norway or Nova Scotia (Atlantic salmon) and farm raised in standard net pens or “deep sea” net pens common in the North Atlantic. One of the major suppliers of fish oils in the US told me their “Salmon” oil was mostly anchovy oil and had little to no salmon oil at all and if it did it was from farmed fish. The problem with anchovy, menhaden, tuna etc. is that the oils must go through molecular distillation to make them safe thereby reducing the natural benefits the oils provide. Wild Alaskan salmon oil that is “polished” or “cold filtered” has lower heavy metal counts than most “fish” oils that have gone through molecular distillation except that all of the Omega fatty acids remain intact.

Q: How do you tell if it is wild salmon?

You have to trust your source. Fish farming is unlawful in Alaska so you can be sure it is wild if it truly is Alaskan salmon oil.

Q: Are all Alaskan salmon oils the same?

No. Not every producer in Alaska uses state of the art pharmaceutical grade extraction equipment. In fact, some producers use a very crude extraction method and actually use the salmon oil in place of diesel to run the facilities generators. I would not want to feed this product to any living being. Also, most “natural” mixed tocopherols and “rosemary” natural preservative systems are derived from soy based vegetable oils of which you can be certain are GMO. We utilize a 100% NATURAL mixed tocopherol derived from a certified non-GMO vegetable source.

Q: The bottle says wild caught but the oil is very orange. That usually means the fish had been exposed to astaxanthin to pigment it, right? Are the fish farm raised in net pens?

One of the benefits of using Alaskan salmon is that Alaska does not allow fish farming at all. Wild caught Alaskan salmon are naturally very high in astaxanthin due to the fact that their diet is very high in krill. Nothing is added to this oil during processing except mixed tocopherols to act as a natural antioxidant. “Astaxanthin is a red pigment occurring naturally in a wide variety of living organisms. Most crustaceans, including shrimp, crawfish, crabs and lobster, are tinted red by accumulated astaxanthin. The coloration of fish is often due to astaxanthin; the pink flesh of a healthy wild salmon is a conspicuous example. In commercial fish and crustacean farms, astaxanthin is commonly added to feeds in order to make up for the lack of a natural dietary source of the pigment.” Torrissen, O.J., R.W. Hardy, and K.D. Shearer. (1989) Pigmentation of salmonids–carotenoid deposition and metabolism. CRC Crit. Rev. Aquat. Sci., 1: 209-225.

Q: How much air is sucked back into the bottle when dispensing? What is the oxidation timeline for the air that's sucked back in?

The exact same amount as everyone else. No exception. Air will displace the volume of fluid that is dispensed in ANY package. If it didn’t the bottle would “panel” excessively and look all sucked in. When fluid is dispensed it creates a vacuum inside the bottle and it quickly equalizes with the surrounding atmosphere, either down the pump mechanism or through the valve. As previously stated we triple protect our product. This is the reason we triple protect our product. First, we immediately blend in non-GMO natural mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) to protect the oil. Second, we utilize a nitrogen environment during processing and packaging and keep the oil super-saturated with nitrogen at all times. The bottles and oil are flushed yet again during filling. Nitrogen is an inert gas that is used to displace oxygen. Third, we package in the safest bottle available that not only performs the function of oxygen barrier but also ensures that absolutely no UV light penetrates. This is the same bottle that is used to safeguard the finest oils produced for human use. Only when the consumer breaks the seal is the oil first subjected to oxygen and that is exactly why mixed tocopherols are included. Once opened it is best to use the oil within the next 6 months or so. Refrigeration is not required but is recommended for any oil.