Evidence: omega-3 / fish oil supplementation in dogs
Source: Europe PMC (Europe PubMed Central) REST search — first-hand peer-reviewed abstract records, pulled 2026-07-22. Query: ("fish oil" OR "omega-3 fatty acid" OR "omega-3") AND dog AND nutrition. The cluster returns 1174 records in Europe PMC; 6 representative studies are extracted below. Studies from Open Access (CC BY) sources are quoted verbatim with attribution; studies from non-Open-Access sources are given as paraphrased derived summaries (per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3). Each study is traceable by PMID.
Studies
- PMID 41237493 (2026, American journal of veterinary research) — *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Dog Aging Project (DAP) owner survey (2020–2022; 40,367 dogs): 52% (20,993) received supplements. Among supplemented dogs, omega-3 fatty acids (57%, 11,934) and joint supplements (56%, 11,810) were the most common. Dog demographic factors predicted supplement use more strongly than owner demographics.
- PMID 42071988 (2026, Animals : an open access journal from MDPI) — *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]* Advances in Functional Pet Food Research: Health-Driven Ingredients, Nutritional Targets and Evidence-Based Claims.. Functional pet food has grown rapidly, in line with the accelerated humanization of pets, growing attention to relations between diet and health, and mounting sustainability awareness.
- PMID 40253962 (2025, Preventive veterinary medicine) — *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cross-sectional study of 106 dogs on a standardized diet (young 2–5 yr vs senior ≥8 yr). Senior dogs were less active, more often house-confined, more regularly dewormed, and more likely fed pet-store/supermarket food. Bloodwork showed seniors had higher plasma globulin and platelets and lower albumin (consistent with chronic low-grade inflammation of aging), plus muscle loss, poorer coat, and lower lymphocytes (suggesting sarcopenia, malnutrition, immunosenescence). Dogs previously on omega-3–deficient diets had elevated plasma triglycerides.
- PMID 40723550 (2025, Animals : an open access journal from MDPI) — *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]* Experiences in Formulating Insect-Based Feeds: Selected Physicochemical Properties of Dog Food Containing Yellow Mealworm Meal.. Yellow mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) meal is a promising sustainable protein for pet food, yet its effect on nutrient balance and granule texture is incompletely defined.
- PMID 42245978 (2026, Frontiers in veterinary science) — *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]* Insights into the influence of dog and guardian demographics, nutrition, and relationship on raw feeding practices.. <h4>Introduction</h4>Raw meat-based diets (RMBD) are increasingly popular among dog guardians, yet the role of personal nutrition habits and pet-guardian relationships in their adoption remains unclear.
- PMID 41976013 (2026, Animals : an open access journal from MDPI) — *[CC BY — Open Access, verbatim with attribution.]* Plant-Derived Functional Ingredients in Pet Nutrition: Phytochemical Classification, Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Application in Dogs and Cats.. This review classifies plant-derived functional ingredients in pet food according to phytochemical groups and application forms, including direct oral supplementation and incorporation into complete diets.
Source text: pdf-raw/evidence/europepmc_omega3_fish_oil_dog_2026-07-22.txt (Europe PMC first-hand abstracts, pulled 2026-07-22).
License & attribution
Mixed licensing per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3: Open Access (CC BY / CC BY-NC / CC BY-NC-ND) studies are reproduced verbatim with attribution under their specific CC license; non-Open-Access studies are paraphrased as derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten). Original records:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40253962/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40723550/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41237493/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41976013/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42071988/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42245978/