Half of dogs in Dog Aging Project cohort receive supplements

CURRENT FULL VERSION: Half of dogs in the Dog Aging Project cohort are getting supplements, according to a new American Journal of Veterinary Research study that puts numbers behind a common but often loosely documented part of canine care. Researchers analyzed enrollment survey data from 40,367 dogs and found that 20,993, or 52%, were reported to receive supplements. Among supplement users, omega-3 fatty acids and joint supplements were the most common categories, each used in more than half of dogs receiving supplements. In the related AVMA Veterinary Vertex discussion, the authors also described omega-3s, glucosamine/chondroitin, and probiotics as the “big three” supplement categories seen in the dataset. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The study draws on the Dog Aging Project, a large U.S. community-science initiative based at the University of Washington and Texas A&M University that collects longitudinal survey, medical record, and biologic data to study healthy aging in companion dogs. As of August 2023, the project said it had enrolled more than 45,000 dogs, with annual updates and optional medical record uploads from participants across the country. That scale gives the new paper unusual reach for describing real-world supplement habits, even if the cohort is not perfectly representative of all U.S. dogs. It also reflects a broader veterinary push toward more integrated companion-animal data systems that can support surveillance, cross-sector analyses, and more timely risk mitigation when animal, human, and environmental health intersect. (content.dogagingproject.org)

In the paper, investigators examined survey responses collected from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022, and paired supplement reports with demographic variables and owner-reported health conditions. The authors concluded that supplement use was common, that dog demographic factors were more strongly associated with differences in use than pet parent demographics, and that veterinary professionals should discuss supplement use with dog owners, especially for senior pets. The associated AVMA Veterinary Vertex episode added practical color: joint supplement use increased with life stage, probiotics were most common in puppies and declined in seniors, and omega-3 use stayed relatively steady across age groups. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The same podcast also pointed to a pattern many clinicians will recognize in practice: supplement use appears to be driven more by concern after a problem emerges than by prevention. In the discussion, Audrey Ruple said dogs reported by pet parents to be in poor overall health were more likely to be receiving supplements than dogs perceived to be in excellent health, suggesting a reactive pattern. The hosts and authors also noted that free-text responses included products unfamiliar even to researchers, including items such as bee pollen and dental powders, underscoring how broad the category has become. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)

Outside this paper, earlier Dog Aging Project work has already shown how condition-linked some of this use can be. A 2022 study on joint supplements in the same project found dogs receiving a joint supplement were more than 3.5 times as likely to have an owner-reported diagnosis of osteoarthritis. That aligns with the new paper’s emphasis on orthopedic conditions as a major driver of use. At the same time, the evidence base remains uneven. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis in canine and feline osteoarthritis found strong evidence of non-effect for chondroitin-glucosamine nutraceuticals, while evidence was more supportive for some omega-3-enriched diets and certain other categories. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

That tension between high use and mixed evidence is likely why this study will resonate with veterinary professionals. In the AVMA podcast, the authors described the findings as a prompt for better clinic conversations, including asking more detailed history questions, looking up unfamiliar products, and setting realistic expectations. The regulatory backdrop matters, too. FDA says pet food is regulated as animal food, and the agency does not review and approve the final packaged formulation of animal food products before they are marketed. In practice, that leaves veterinarians sorting through a crowded supplement marketplace where quality assurance may depend more on manufacturer practices and third-party programs than on premarket efficacy review. (veterinaryvertex.buzzsprout.com)

Why it matters: For clinics, supplement use should probably be treated less like an optional sidebar and more like a routine medication-history domain. If one in two dogs in a large engaged cohort is receiving supplements, teams need workflows to capture product names, intended purpose, dose, duration, and perceived response. This is especially relevant in senior care, orthopedic cases, GI complaints, dermatology visits, and any patient already taking prescription therapies, where expectations, interactions, and substitution for evidence-based treatment can all affect outcomes. More broadly, the study sits within a larger One Health conversation about making companion-animal health information less fragmented and more interoperable, so common exposures, owner-reported practices, and clinical outcomes can contribute to surveillance and earlier risk detection rather than remaining isolated in separate systems. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: The next step is likely more granular analysis, including which conditions most strongly drive use, how product categories track with outcomes over time, and whether veterinary guidance changes pet parent behavior. As the Dog Aging Project continues to add longitudinal data and medical records, it may become a more useful signal not just for what supplements dogs are getting, but for where clinical counseling is most needed. And as veterinary groups keep pushing for integrated companion-animal surveillance, datasets like this may also become more valuable beyond nutrition and supplements alone, helping connect everyday pet health information to broader public and animal health monitoring. (pubs.dogagingproject.org)