Nutritive, digestive tract soother, laxative, antioxidant, tonic

Ground seeds, seed oil, stabilized seeds

Flaxseed contains essential fatty acids (EFAs) that are important for the development and maintenance of a healthy brain, liver, heart and immune system. Daily supplementation of EFAs can improve the skin, coat and nails in animals.

There are several options for feeding flaxseed. Nutritional supplements with included flaxseed can be fed, or you can buy the seeds in their whole form and grind them before adding to the animal’s food. Flaxseed oil can also be used. Flaxseed oil provides that fastest and most easily disguisable method of providing flaxseed, however it can become rancid quickly. Stabilized flaxseed oil has an increased shelf life, and should be fed as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

For feeding ground flaxseed, feed 1/2 teaspoon of the seed for each 20 pounds of your animal’s body weight. Sprinkle it onto the food each day, and ensure that the pet has plenty of water.

For cases of constipation, take 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed and mix it in 4 ounces of cool water. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 hour or until it thickens. Feed 2 teaspoons for each 30 pounds of animal weight on an empty stomach if possible.

• Dry flaxseed should be fed with plenty of water, due to their water absorptive properties.

Wulff-Tilford, Mary, and Gregory L. Tilford. All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets. Irvine, CA: BowTie, 1999. Print.

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