ArticleVeterinary medicine and science2021
Enhanced omega-3 index after long- versus short-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in dogs.
Article in Veterinary medicine and science, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perspectives on dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for enhanced immunity in healthy and ill dogs: a narrative review.Veterinary and animal science · 2026Review
- Pet Nutrition and the Unmeasured Owner Outcome: A Bidirectional Framework for Relational Value in Human-Animal Relationships.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- PUFA-rich oil supplement improves hair condition of cats and dogs.Open veterinary journal · 2026Article
- Metabolomic profiling of serum alterations and biomarker discovery in feline hepatic liposis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Effects of Omega-3 Supplementation on the Omega-3 Index and Quality of Life and Pain Scores in Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- The balance of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in canine, feline, and equine nutrition: exploring sources and the significance of alpha-linolenic acid.Journal of animal science · 2024Review
- Protein hydrolysate and oil from fish waste reveal potential as dog food ingredients.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Technological Benefits Associated with the Use of Spray-Dried Animal Plasma in Fish-Based Chunks for Canned Pet Food.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Comparison of Fish, Krill and Flaxseed as Omega-3 Sources to Increase the Omega-3 Index in Dogs.Veterinary sciences · 2023Article
- Dietary Betaine and Fatty Acids Change Circulating Single-Carbon Metabolites and Fatty Acids in the Dog.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Enhanced omega-3 index after long- versus short-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in dogs.Veterinary medicine and science · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Omega-3 Index is a test that measures the amount of the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in red blood cell membranes, which is expressed as a percentage of all fatty acids. However, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from flaxseed oil, which is a short-chain n-3 PUFA, is often promoted in pet feed as a n-3 source, implicitly assuming it is an effective precursor of EPA and DHA.
objectiveThis study was aimed to compare the effect of supplementation with a plant-based short-chain n-3 PUFA source (flaxseed oil, FSO) with a marine long-chain n-3 PUFA source (astaxanthin krill oil, AKO) to increase the Omega-3 Index in dogs.
methodsTen adult Alaskan Huskies of both genders were supplemented daily with 1,155 mg of EPA/DHA from AKO, whereas another 10 dogs received 1,068 mg ALA from flaxseed oil for 6 weeks. Fatty acid and Omega-3 Index measurements of the two groups were taken after 0, 3 and 6 weeks for comparison.
resultsThe EPA and DHA concentrations increased significantly only in the dogs fed with AKO resulting in a significant increase in mean Omega-3 Index, from 1.68% at baseline to 2.7% after 6 weeks of supplementation (p < .0001). On the contrary, both EPA and DHA concentrations decreased significantly in the dogs fed with FSO, which led to a significant decrease in mean Omega-3 Index from 1.6% at baseline to 0.96% at study end (p < .0001).
conclusionsThe results showed that supplementation of AKO from Antarctic krill led to a significant increase in the Omega-3 Index in comparison to FSO in dogs. This suggests that preformed marine EPA and DHA sources are needed in dog feeds, as the dietary requirements proposed by feed industry organizations are not met with conversion from short-chain n-3 fatty acids.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.