The efficacy of camellia oil for improved skin and coat health of dogs

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The Canadian pet food market is projected to grow at approximately 4% annually on a volume basis for the foreseeable future and is a significant growth market in the pet food industry. Camelina sativa products can also be considered for companion animals (dogs), but the customer (pet food companies) and consumer (pet owners) need to understand the potential of this ingredient and link it to consumer noticeable outcomes such as improved skin and coat health. These are the reasons why we have chosen to investigate the effects of C. sativa in contrast to canola on outcomes related to skin and coat health. This project will deliver new markets for an oilseed crop that provides growers with an excellent rotational option. The development of camelina oil markets for pet food will allow Canadian crush facilities to be built and value added processing to be developed resulting in significant rural economic development opportunities.Dietary fat is the primary source of dietary essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin E. Fish oil is most commonly used to increase the omega 3 (n3) content of diets and is well accepted to decrease the risks of diseases associated with inflammation, such as, but not limited to: weight gain/obesity, osteoarthritis, and skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis. C. sativa is a plant that yields oil with a fatty acid profile high in -linolenic (n3) acid and will improve the n6: n3 fatty ratio. Indeed, we believe that camelina will produce similar or better results as canola and result in improved skin and coat as measured by transepidermal water loss and subjective coat quality estimates. In the current series of studies, we plan to investigate in dogs the effects of a 16-week supplementation of Camelina oil or canola oil on outcomes of: fatty acid concentrations in plasma, and coat health quantitatively using TEWL measurements and subjectively using observation scales. We hypothesize that dogs fed camelina oil will have fatty acid profiles consistent with the oil supplement, and equal or better skin and coat measurements as canola oil.