I always supplement my pregnant girls with fish 'body' oil. The fish oil you are thinking of in regards to cleft palates is Cod liver oil because of the Vit A it contains.
Cleft Palate
I remember reading years ago that fish oil can be a cause of cleft palates in pups so not to supplement the pregnant bitch.
May not be safe for stud dogs either. You might want to do some research first.
For those of you who have interest in AI breeding specific to collecting and freezing of semen, Texas A&M has completed a double-blind study of two groups of stallions where one group was fed normally and the other group's feed was top-dressed with extra omega-3 fatty acids. Both groups were collected and frozen, and then their semen was thawed again, in the exact manner as would happen if it was to be used for breeding. The stallions who were fed the omega-3 supplement showed a THREE-FOLD increase in sperm survivability and motility from what they had shown before being supplemented.
After a 14-day "washout period", the groups were reversed, so that the supplemented stallions went back to their normal feed and the non-supplemented stallions were given the extra omega-3s. The now non-supplemented stallions returned to their normal (higher) sperm mortality rate, and the newly-supplemented stallions' semen showed the same increase in motility and survivability as the first group had shown.
There was no change in sperm viability in fresh sperm; only in sperm which had been frozen or chilled. Apparently, the additional omega-3s assist in protecting sperm from damage due to freezing.
This experiment was based on the fact that breeding boars have long been supplemented with omega-3 and -6 for this reason, and it seems to work with horses as well. Of course, dogs are neither hogs nor horses (although I must say, I think I've had dogs over the years that might qualify!), but those Derm-Caps you're giving for healthy skin and coat may be doing more for your boyz than you thought!
The article about this is in the January "Practical Horseman" magazine, on
page 89. Title: "Stallions: Feeding for Breeding".
Thank you Laura for that great article. Semen quality seems back to normal now. The sperm motility is super and straight forward with very few dead now.
I did start him on fish oil caps (body oil) and will continue to monitor him.
