Dog Aging Project study finds supplements common in dogs

CURRENT FULL VERSION: A new Dog Aging Project analysis suggests supplements are already a mainstream part of canine care in the U.S., at least among engaged study participants. In the study, published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research, 20,993 of 40,367 enrolled dogs, or 52%, were reported to receive supplements, with omega-3 fatty acids and joint supplements leading the list. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The paper adds to a growing body of Dog Aging Project research examining how everyday care choices intersect with health and aging. The Dog Aging Project is a large, longitudinal U.S. community-science study designed to track how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and medical factors shape healthy aging in companion dogs. In interviews about the study, the authors described this analysis as a broad first pass through the project’s supplement questionnaire: identifying the most common products dogs receive, the types of dogs getting them, and the owner and disease patterns associated with use. Earlier project work had already shown that joint supplement use was more common in older, larger, and ever-overweight dogs, and more strongly associated with dog-level factors than with most household demographics. (news.vt.edu)

In the new analysis, investigators used owner-reported enrollment survey responses collected from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. Their objective was twofold: to identify which supplements dogs were receiving and to examine whether dogs with certain diagnosed conditions were more likely to receive supplements thought to target those problems. The topline finding was straightforward: supplement use was common, and dog demographic characteristics explained more of the variation than pet parent demographics. The authors’ conclusion was equally practical, stating that veterinary professionals should discuss supplement use with dog owners because of how frequently these products are being given. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The findings also fit with prior Dog Aging Project data on orthopedic care. In a 2022 Frontiers in Veterinary Science paper, older and larger dogs were more likely to receive joint supplements, and dogs receiving a joint supplement were more than 3.5 times as likely to have a recorded diagnosis of osteoarthritis. That doesn’t show the supplements caused or prevented disease, but it does suggest pet parents are often reaching for these products in response to age- and mobility-related concerns. (frontiersin.org)

Outside the study itself, guidance from major veterinary organizations helps frame the clinical takeaway. WSAVA’s Global Nutrition Committee says nutritional assessment should be performed on every animal at every visit, positioning the veterinary team as the expert source of evidence-based nutrition advice. AAHA guidance similarly notes that many supplements and nutraceuticals are widely used despite uneven evidence, and its pain management guidance says the strongest evidence among osteoarthritis nutraceuticals is for omega-3 fatty acids in dogs. That context matters because supplement use in companion animals has been growing for years, fueled in part by owner interest in preventive care, longevity, and quality of life, while these products are not regulated in the same way as drugs and generally are not required to demonstrate safety or efficacy before reaching the market. (wsava.org)

Why it matters: This is less a story about one supplement “working” than a reminder that supplement use is already embedded in daily practice, whether clinicians ask about it or not. For veterinarians, that means medication reconciliation should include over-the-counter supplements, dose review, intended purpose, possible adverse effects, and product quality questions. It also creates an opening for more nuanced counseling: some products may be reasonable adjuncts, particularly in osteoarthritis management, while others may add cost without much evidence. In senior care, where multimorbidity is common, those conversations matter even more. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

There’s also a broader surveillance angle. Dog Aging Project leaders have described the program as a way to build a rich, open dataset on diet, environment, and disease across tens of thousands of dogs. That means today’s cross-sectional snapshot of supplement use could become tomorrow’s longitudinal evidence on whether certain patterns track with healthier aging, disease burden, or healthcare utilization. And more broadly, companion-animal datasets like these are increasingly being discussed as part of One Health surveillance infrastructure: systems that could eventually integrate animal, human, and environmental data to support earlier detection, richer modeling, and more timely risk mitigation. (news.vt.edu)

What to watch: The next important step is stronger outcome-based evidence, whether from future Dog Aging Project analyses or prospective trials, that can help clinicians move from “many dogs take supplements” to “these are the patients, products, and doses most likely to help.” At the population level, watch too for whether large companion-animal research cohorts begin to connect more directly with broader surveillance efforts aimed at linking pet health with human and environmental health signals. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)