The best Omega-3 sources

Whether helping to maintain a shiny coat, supporting cognitive function in puppies and senior dogs, or sustaining vitality and mobility, omega-3 fatty acids are central to canine health. These essential polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be synthesised by your dog's body, making dietary intake indispensable.

Their importance is primarily linked to their ability to modulate the inflammatory response and help restore a healthier balance with pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which are often favoured by modern diets. However, this is where the challenge lies for owners: the omega-3 family is vast, but their effectiveness relies mainly on two active forms, EPA and DHA.

In this article, we will explain the difference between ALA (the plant precursor with low conversion) and the active forms. We will then detail why marine omega-3 sources are crucial for effectiveness, comparing traditional options (fatty fish) with high-quality, sustainable alternatives such as microalgae and green-lipped mussel, supported by clinical evidence.

Omega-3: why are they essential?

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that the body cannot synthesise. Their presence in the diet is therefore essential. They participate in numerous biological processes that influence overall health, mobility, vitality and longevity.

Before detailing their mechanism of action, it is useful to recall their main recognised effects in dogs:

• modulation of the inflammatory response
• support for joint health and cartilage protection
• structural role in cell membranes, particularly those of the nervous system and retina
• support for immune function
• contribution to skin and coat quality
• maintenance of Omega-6 / Omega-3 ratio balance

These effects are explained by a common factor: the ability of Omega-3 fatty acids to modify the lipid composition of membranes, which directly influences how cells respond to internal and external stimuli.

An Omega-6 / Omega-3 ratio to rebalance

Modern diets largely favour Omega-6 intake, creating a pro-inflammatory environment. Omega-3 fatty acids then play a balancing role, restoring a more functional membrane composition. This balance is essential for inflammatory mechanisms to activate when necessary, then switch off correctly.

Only directly active Omega-3 sources (EPA and DHA, detailed in the following section) can effectively correct this imbalance, as conversion of plant-based Omega-3 into active forms remains low in dogs.

EPA, DHA, ALA: understanding the difference

The omega-3 family is broad: more than a dozen fatty acids have been identified by research. Yet in nutrition, three of them occupy a central place. They represent the bulk of omega-3 fatty acids found in the diet and their physiological effects are the best documented: ALA, EPA and DHA.

ALA: the plant precursor with low conversion

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the most abundant plant-derived Omega-3, notably in flax, chia seeds or certain nuts.

Although essential, it is a precursor: to become physiologically active, it must be converted to EPA then DHA. Conversion of ALA to EPA is low, and conversion to DHA even more limited, to the point that ALA contributes very little to actual enrichment of tissues with long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids.

This finding explains why plant sources, although nutritionally interesting, cannot replace a source directly rich in EPA and DHA when seeking a targeted effect on inflammation, mobility or cognitive function.

EPA: a key player in inflammation modulation

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid found in fatty fish, algae, krill and marine organisms such as the green-lipped mussel.

Its main role stems from its integration into membranes and its influence on inflammatory metabolic pathways. By modulating the production of mediators derived from COX and LOX enzymes, EPA supports a more controlled inflammatory response that is less damaging to tissues.

This mechanism explains its relevance to joint disorders, where chronic inflammation contributes to progressive cartilage deterioration.

DHA: an essential component of nerve membranes

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) has a structure that makes it essential to the functioning of membranes in the nervous system, retina and many cells with high metabolic activity.

DHA helps maintain essential membrane fluidity, which supports nerve transmission, learning ability, neuronal plasticity and vision. Its structural role therefore extends well beyond inflammatory processes and contributes to the stability of many tissues sensitive to ageing or oxidative stress.

Why distinguish these three Omega-3 fatty acids?

Among the many omega-3 fatty acids identified, ALA, EPA and DHA are the only ones present in truly significant proportions in the diet and the only ones whose impact on health is solidly demonstrated.

ALA is a widely present but poorly converted precursor, while EPA and DHA are the active forms directly involved in inflammation modulation, membrane structure and overall health.

It is direct dietary intake of EPA and DHA that truly determines their level in cell membranes, not conversion from ALA.

This distinction is fundamental to understanding why the quality of an Omega-3 source depends mainly on its ability to provide sufficient intake of EPA and DHA.

Plant-based Omega-3 sources (ALA): low conversion to EPA/DHA

Plants mainly provide ALA, an essential fatty acid that is poorly converted to EPA and DHA. They are most often found in oil form, used in human or animal nutrition. Their nutritional interest exists, but their physiological reach remains limited when targeting a specific effect on inflammation or mobility.

Vegetable oils rich in ALA

Certain plants naturally concentrate large amounts of ALA. Among the best known are flax, chia, walnut, rapeseed, perilla, hemp or camelina oils.

These oils are often promoted for their nutritional properties, but, as scientific literature shows, their effectiveness on tissues depends on conversion to EPA and DHA — a conversion that is very limited in dogs.

Ahiflower: a distinctive plant source

Ahiflower contains ALA but also SDA (stearidonic acid), an intermediate fatty acid whose conversion to EPA is more efficient than that of ALA alone. This characteristic makes it a more effective plant source, but it still cannot replace a marine source when the goal is to act on the inflammatory response or joint mobility.

Fatty fish: rich in EPA/DHA but weakened by overfishing

Fatty fish have historically been one of the most important sources of EPA and DHA, as they feed on microalgae and plankton naturally rich in Omega-3. Their nutritional profile depends on many parameters (species, diet, geographic area, season, fishing or farming method) but they generally provide significant amounts of EPA and DHA.

They also contain vitamins A and D, antioxidant pigments (notably astaxanthin in wild species), and various mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The species richest in EPA and DHA

Levels vary, but the following species are among the most notable:

• Sardine
• Anchovy
• Mackerel
• Herring
• Wild salmon
• Trout
• Tuna

Small fish oils (anchovy, sardine) are preferred in many supplements, as their low position in the food chain limits contaminant bioaccumulation.

Heavy metals and bioaccumulation in fatty tissues

Fatty fish are exposed to the phenomenon of bioaccumulation, which leads to the progressive accumulation of environmental contaminants such as heavy metals (lead, cadmium) in their adipose tissues and organs over their lifetime.

The longer a fish lives and the higher it sits in the food chain, the greater its heavy metal concentrations. This is why:

• species such as tuna, swordfish or king mackerel show the highest levels;
• small pelagic fish such as sardine or anchovy show much lower levels.

Purification (deodorisation, molecular distillation) allows highly controlled oils to greatly reduce these contaminants, but this parameter remains a major issue in final quality.

Declining Omega-3 content

Several recent studies highlight a concerning phenomenon: Omega-3 content in wild fish is declining in certain regions, linked to:

1. Fishing pressure, which prevents fish stocks from recovering and rebuilding natural reserves of EPA and DHA.
2. Water warming, which reduces Omega-3 production by microalgae forming the base of the food chain.

A study published in 2025 (Lloret et al.) conducted in the Mediterranean Sea shows that annual omega-3 (EPA + DHA) catches fell from approximately 15 tonnes to just 6 tonnes between 2000 and 2023, a decline of nearly 60%. The authors attribute this decrease to fishing pressure on small pelagic fish, climate change and reduced primary Omega-3 production by microalgae.

Fish farms have traditionally used fish meal and fish oil to feed fish. This practice itself contributes to pressure on wild fish stocks.

To reduce this dependence, some of this fish meal and oil has been replaced by other sources such as soy, which lacks Omega-3, impacting Omega-3 content in fish

In some farms, EPA + DHA levels in farmed salmon fell by approximately 50% over a decade.

Sprague et al.

Ultimately, while fatty fish remain a major source of EPA and DHA, their ecological, nutritional and health limitations highlight the need to turn to more stable, sustainable and better controlled alternatives.

Microalgae: a pure and sustainable source of DHA

Marine microalgae are now among the most promising sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, it is from microalgae that fish themselves obtain their Omega-3: they are the primary source in the marine food chain.

Cultivated under controlled conditions, they allow production of oils particularly rich in DHA (30 to 55% depending on strains), sometimes also in EPA, without resorting to fishing.

Microalgae oils come mainly from strains cultivated in fermenters, including:

• Schizochytrium sp.: the most widely used, very rich in DHA
• Crypthecodinium cohnii: dominant in DHA, little EPA
• Nannochloropsis sp.: rich in EPA, but less DHA
• Ulkenia sp.: mixed profiles depending on strains

In a context where omega-3 content in wild fish is declining due to fishing pressure and water warming, microalgae appear to be a promising source of stable, traceable omega-3 fatty acids.

Green lipped mussel: a unique Omega-3 profile in the world

The green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) is a species endemic to New Zealand. Its farming is among the most strictly regulated marine industries in the world: farming areas are located in protected biodiversity reserves, and harvest quotas are controlled by the New Zealand government to ensure species sustainability and preservation of its ecosystem.

Protected farming

The production cycle is inherently environmentally responsible. After a hatchery phase where young mussels are fed exclusively on microalgae, they are transferred to open sea, attached to biodegradable ropes suspended from floating lines. This technique does not disturb seabeds, uses no artificial feed or chemical treatments, and relies entirely on the mussels' ability to filter subantarctic phytoplankton, particularly rich in natural antioxidants.

An exceptional Omega-3 profile

This diet explains theunique lipid richnessof green lipped mussel, which provides not only EPA and DHA, but also rarer fatty acids such as ETA (eicosatetraenoic acid), involved in modulating inflammatory responses.

Green lipped mussel supplements exist in powder or oil form. Green lipped mussel oil can contain up to 15 times more Omega-3 as its fatty acids are preserved during extraction, unlike powder.

Millet et al.

Severalextraction processesexist for green lipped mussel oil:

• Supercritical CO₂, solvent-free and heat-free, best preserves fatty acid integrity and produces a very pure and stable oil.
• Ethanol extraction, meanwhile, allows recovery of a higher proportion of fatty acids as phospholipids — a form highly bioavailable for cell membranes.

Demonstrated clinical effectiveness

Beyond its nutritional quality, green lipped mussel has a large number of veterinary clinical studies demonstrating effectiveness on:

• mobility,
• joint comfort,
• inflammation regulation.

These findings explain why green lipped mussel has become a reference ingredient in formulas for canine joint support:natural, traceable, sustainable and clinically documented.

Antarctic krill: a threatened Omega-3 source

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is often valued for its Omega-3 in phospholipid form, easily integrated into cell membranes. But its exploitation today raises major concerns.

Krill isa pillar of the Antarctic food chain: whales, seals, penguins and many fish depend on it directly. It also plays a role in thecarbon cycle, consuming carbon-rich phytoplankton and transferring it to the depths via its waste, thereby helping trap CO₂ in the ocean.

Krill is mainly fished to feed salmon and give them the pink colour appreciated by consumers. It is also used to manufacture Omega-3-rich supplements.

Significant impact on biodiversity

Butkrill fishing weakens the ecosystem. Several reports highlight tensions: concentration of fishing in predator feeding zones, record catches, and early fishery closures in 2025 after quota exceedance. In an environment already disrupted by ice shelf melt and water warming,krill overfishing appears as an aggravating factor.

Comparison of Omega-3 sources

Discover our guides by ingredient

Algae

Antarctic krill

New Zealand green lipped mussel

Fish oil (salmon, sardine, anchovy...)

Conclusion

Understanding the distinction between plant ALA and the active forms EPA and DHA is fundamental. It is the level of direct intake of these marine fatty acids that truly determines the effectiveness of supplementation on overall health, nerve function, and above all, inflammation modulation that directly impacts your dog's mobility.

Given the purity and sustainability challenges associated with traditional marine sources such as fatty fish and krill, safer, traceable and clinically supported alternatives are needed.

This approach combines quality, documented effectiveness and sustainability in the formulation of PERNIXOL®.

PERNIXOL® relies on an optimal combination:

• New Zealand green-lipped mussel oil (Perna canaliculus), renowned for its unique profile in EPA, DHA and ETA (a rare anti-inflammatory fatty acid), furan fatty acids and antioxidants. Its effectiveness is widely documented clinically in arthritic dogs.
• Microalgae oil (plant-based and ultra-pure source) rich in DHA, ensuring maximum concentration of active Omega-3.

Additive-free, easy to administer and highly digestible, PERNIXOL® offers the assurance of a product formulated by Laboratoire Sensilia for optimal joint comfort and vitality.

PERNIXOL®420

dogs over 20kg 420mg EPA+DHA per ml

PERNIXOL®210

dogs 10 to 20kg 210mg EPA+DHA per ml

PERNIXOL®70

dogs under 10kg 70mg EPA+DHA per ml

Scientific references

• Colombo, S.M., Rodgers, T.F.M., Diamond, M.L. et al.Projected declines in global DHA availability for human consumption as a result of global warming.Ambio 49, 865–880 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01234-6
• Lloret, J., Vila-Belmonte, M., Izquierdo, A., San, J., Biton-Porsmoguer, S. 2025.The unsustainability of the Omega-3 supply from seafood in the Mediterranean under global change.Food Policy 136: 102972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102972
• Meyer B, Arata JA, Atkinson A, Bahlburg D, Bernard K, Cárdenas CA, Grant SM, Hill SL, Hüppe L, Ichii T, Kawaguchi S, Krafft BA, Labrousse S, Maschette D, Piñones A, Reiss C, Siebenhüner B, Sylvester Z, Ziegler P.Adjusting the management of the Antarctic krill fishery to meet the challenges of the 21st century.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Sep 16;122(37):e2412624122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412624122. Epub 2025 Sep 8. PMID: 40920918; PMCID: PMC12452838.
• Miller MR, Kruger MC, Wynne C, Waaka D, Li W, Frampton C, Wolber FM, Eason C.Bioavailability of Orally Administered Active Lipid Compounds from four Different Greenshell™ Mussel Formats.Mar Drugs. 2020 Oct 23;18(11):524. doi: 10.3390/md18110524.
• Sprague M, Dick JR, Tocher DR.Impact of sustainable feeds on omega-3 long-chain fatty acid levels in farmed Atlantic salmon,2006-2015. Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 22;6:21892. doi: 10.1038/srep21892. PMID: 26899924; PMCID: PMC4761991.
• Zhang H, Ji Y, Jiang Z, Yang G, Kong C, Shen Z, Yuan T, Shen X.Arsenic toxicity in Antarctic krill oil and its impact on human intestinal cells. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2025 Jan 1;289:117680. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117680. Epub 2025 Jan 10. PMID: 39798443.

This article was written by the R&D team at Laboratoire Sensilia, experts in animal nutrition.