Fish oil in dogs: the evidence
What the aging-research databases and the canine literature hold for Fish oil (names searched: Fish oil, Fish-oil). Compiled from DrugAge, the canine aging corpus and FDA CVM FOI summaries; nothing here is inferred.
Lifespan experiments in other species (DrugAge)
7 experiments recorded, by species: Mus musculus 4, Caenorhabditis elegans 3.
NIA Interventions Testing Program rows
| Species | Strain | Dose | Age at start | Duration | Sex | Mean lifespan Δ% | Mean sig. | Max lifespan Δ% | Max sig. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mus musculus | UM-HET3 | 15000 ppm food | 9 months | until death | Male | 7 | NS | 0 | NS | PMID 27312235 |
| Mus musculus | UM-HET3 | 15000 ppm food | 9 months | until death | Female | -5 | NS | -2 | NS | PMID 27312235 |
| Mus musculus | UM-HET3 | 50000 ppm food | 9 months | until death | Male | -2 | NS | -4 | NS | PMID 27312235 |
| Mus musculus | UM-HET3 | 50000 ppm food | 9 months | until death | Female | 2 | NS | -2 | NS | PMID 27312235 |
Other DrugAge rows (sample)
| Species | Strain | Dose | Age at start | Duration | Sex | Mean lifespan Δ% | Mean sig. | Max lifespan Δ% | Max sig. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caenorhabditis elegans | N2 | 1 mg/plate | Unknown | 9.6 | S | NA | PMID 23526170 | |||
| Caenorhabditis elegans | N2 | 0.5 mg/plate | Unknown | 8.9 | NS | NA | PMID 23526170 | |||
| Caenorhabditis elegans | N2 | 2 mg/plate | Unknown | -12.8 | S | NA | PMID 23526170 |
Lifespan experiments in dogs (DrugAge)
DrugAge records no dog lifespan experiment for this compound.
Dog-equivalent doses (allometric starting points, not recommendations)
Method: FDA 2005 Km body-surface-area conversion; starting-point heuristic only.
No mg/kg dose in DrugAge to translate (doses reported as ppm of diet or a concentration).
Canine aging literature (Europe PMC corpus)
13 corpus records mention this compound.
Records matching randomized or placebo-controlled trial vocabulary
- Nutritional Interventions that Slow the Age-Associated Decline in Renal Function in a Canine Geriatric Model for Elderly Humans. (The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2016). PMID 27925141
…or control food supplemented with increasing amounts of functional food bioactives: fish oil, lipoic acid, fruits and vegetables, and higher quality protein sources [functional… - Influence of dietary antioxidants and fatty acids on neutrophil mediated bacterial killing and gene expression in healthy Beagles. (Veterinary immunology and immunopathology, 2011). PMID 21112644
…dietary fish oil, on neutrophil mediated bacterial killing, and on transcript levels of selected neutrophil mRNA. Fifty adult Beagle dogs were randomized into five… - EXPRESS: What Goes in the Bowl? Evidence-Based Nutrition for Ageing Domestic Cats. (Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2026). PMID 42728580
…Where research exists, it highlights the benefits of enriched diets (e.g., fish oil, vitamins, B vitamins, arginine) and targeted supplementation (e.g., vitamin… - Positive Impact of Nutritional Interventions on Serum Symmetric Dimethylarginine and Creatinine Concentrations in Client-Owned Geriatric Dogs. (PloS one, 2016). PMID 27088214
…Test food contained functional lipids (fish oil), antioxidants (lipoic acid, vitamins C and E), L-carnitine, botanicals (fruits and vegetables), controlled sodium concentration, and…
Top hits in the core tier
- Feeding healthy beagles medium-chain triglycerides, fish oil, and carnitine offsets age-related changes in serum fatty acids and carnitine metabolites. (PloS one, 2012). PMID 23145181
- Assessment of dietary therapies in a canine model of Batten disease. (European journal of paediatric neurology : EJPN : official journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society, 2001). PMID 11588988
- Cognitive enhancement in old dogs from dietary supplementation with a nutrient blend containing arginine, antioxidants, B vitamins and fish oil. (The British journal of nutrition, 2018). PMID 29316985
- Epidemiological and clinical profiles of young and senior dogs fed a standard diet. (Preventive veterinary medicine, 2025). PMID 40253962
- EXPRESS: What Goes in the Bowl? Evidence-Based Nutrition for Ageing Domestic Cats. (Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2026). PMID 42728580
- Positive Impact of Nutritional Interventions on Serum Symmetric Dimethylarginine and Creatinine Concentrations in Client-Owned Geriatric Dogs. (PloS one, 2016). PMID 27088214
- Residual effect after salmon oil supplementation on semen quality and serum levels of testosterone in dogs. (Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene, 2019). PMID 31348842
FDA CVM FOI summaries for dog products
No FDA FOI summary for a dog product contains this ingredient (it is not a marketed veterinary product).
Evidence gaps reported by the dossier tool
- DrugAge has no dog lifespan experiment for this compound.
- No mg/kg animal dose in DrugAge to translate (doses reported as ppm or % of diet).
- No FDA FOI summary for a dog product containing this ingredient.
Reproduce: intervention_dossier(compound="Fish oil") in dog-geroscience-mcp.