Dog Aging Project study finds supplement use is common in dogs

Supplement use appears to be mainstream among dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, according to a new American Journal of Veterinary Research study that analyzed owner-reported data from more than 40,000 dogs. The researchers found that 52% of dogs in the cohort were receiving supplements at enrollment, underscoring how common these products have become in everyday canine care. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The paper builds on earlier Dog Aging Project work that examined joint supplement use specifically. In that 2022 Frontiers in Veterinary Science study, researchers found joint supplement administration was associated with dog age, weight, overweight history, breed status, and some pet parent factors, suggesting supplement decisions are shaped by both perceived risk and existing disease burden. Dogs receiving a joint supplement were also more than 3.5 times as likely to have a recorded osteoarthritis diagnosis, although the authors stressed that cross-sectional data cannot establish causality. (frontiersin.org)

In the newer AJVR analysis, the study team examined Dog Aging Project enrollment survey responses collected from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. Of 40,367 dogs, 20,993 were reported to receive supplements. Among supplement users, omega-3 fatty acids were the most common category, used in 57%, followed closely by joint supplements at 56%. The authors concluded that dog demographic characteristics were more strongly associated with supplement use than owner demographic characteristics, and they advised veterinary professionals to discuss supplement use with pet parents given how frequently these products are being administered. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Additional context from the Veterinary Vertex podcast fills in how those patterns may look in practice. Researcher Janice O’Brien said the most commonly reported supplements included omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, chondroitin, and probiotics. She also noted that agility dogs were more likely than companion dogs to receive supplements, especially daily supplements, suggesting use may reflect both disease management and performance-oriented prevention. In the same discussion, Audrey Ruple said dogs reported to be in poor overall health were more likely to be receiving supplements than dogs perceived to be in excellent health, which points to largely reactive use. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)

The life-stage findings are also useful for clinicians. In the podcast, the researchers said joint supplement use rose as dogs aged, while probiotics were most common in puppies and declined in seniors; omega-3 use was relatively consistent across life stages. Earlier Dog Aging Project research likewise found that dogs that were older, larger, or ever overweight were more likely to have osteoarthritis, and that dogs receiving joint supplements were substantially more likely to have an OA diagnosis. Taken together, those findings suggest supplement use often tracks with known orthopedic risk factors, even if the clinical value of specific products varies. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is less a story about whether pet parents use supplements than about how often they do so without a clear evidence framework. The study authors said supplement administration is common enough that it should be part of routine clinical discussion, especially for senior dogs. That has implications for medication reconciliation, nutrition histories, client education, and expectation-setting around efficacy, safety, product quality, and possible interactions with prescribed therapies. It also suggests veterinarians may need to be prepared for questions that go beyond mainstream products, since the podcast researchers said free-text responses included many supplements unfamiliar even to the study team. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

There’s also a broader surveillance angle. The Dog Aging Project has grown into a major longitudinal platform for studying canine health and aging, and recent reports indicate it has enrolled roughly 50,000 dogs while expanding related research infrastructure and clinical trials. That scale gives the field an unusual opportunity to track how nutrition, supplements, disease patterns, and outcomes interact over time in real-world households rather than tightly controlled lab settings. (yahoo.com)

What to watch: The key next step is prospective data. Earlier Dog Aging Project authors explicitly said future longitudinal analyses should help determine whether supplement use is primarily prophylactic or therapeutic, and whether dogs receiving supplements without an OA diagnosis go on to have different outcomes than comparable dogs not receiving them. For clinicians, that means today’s headline is about prevalence, while tomorrow’s may be about effectiveness. (frontiersin.org)