Fish Oil

Verify with FDA CVM →

1,123 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,123
Total Reports
92
Deaths Reported
820.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Fish Oil

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmicTopical

Species Affected

Dog 1,086
Cat 25
Human 11
Cattle 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 193
Retriever - Golden 67
Crossbred Canine/dog 55
Shepherd Dog - German 52
Pit Bull 30
Shepherd Dog - Australian 26
Beagle 25
Boxer (German Boxer) 24
Chihuahua 23
Terrier - Yorkshire 21

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 206
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 151
Emesis 146
Diarrhoea 113
Lack of efficacy - NOS 96
Other abnormal test result NOS 76
Behavioural disorder NOS 64
Anorexia 60
Death by euthanasia 60
Decreased appetite 60
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 52
Panting 49

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
370 (32.9%)
Ongoing
323 (28.8%)
Outcome Unknown
288 (25.6%)
Euthanized
59 (5.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
50 (4.5%)
Died
33 (2.9%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,123
Reports involving death 92
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 820.0%
Distinct species in reports 4
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Fish Oil Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,123 adverse event reports referencing Fish Oil, including 92 reports in which the animal died — a 820.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Fish Oil. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic, Topical. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Fish Oil reports are Dog (1,086 reports), Cat (25 reports), Human (11 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (193), Retriever - Golden (67), Crossbred Canine/dog (55) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Fish Oil are Vomiting (206), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (151), Emesis (146), Diarrhoea (113). Of the 1,123 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 32.9%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Fish Oil.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial