“With Added Salmon Oil!” …Okay, But Is It Actually Doing Anything?

If you’ve looked at dog food bags lately, you’ve probably noticed a trend: giant labels proudly advertising things like “with added salmon oil,” “rich in omega fatty acids,” or “supports skin and coat health.” It sounds impressive, and honestly, it’s supposed to. The problem is that most people aren’t being told the full story about what happens to those delicate omega fats during the kibble-making process.

Here’s the reality: Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely heat sensitive. Kibble, on the other hand, is produced using very high temperatures during extrusion and processing. We’re talking about temperatures necessary to cook, shape, dry, and shelf-stabilize the food. That’s great for creating a crunchy product with a long shelf life… but not so great for preserving fragile nutrients like omega-3s.

So yes, technically, salmon oil may have been added to the food at some point in production. But that doesn’t necessarily mean those beneficial fats are surviving in meaningful amounts by the time the bag ends up in your pantry. Heat, oxygen exposure, and storage time all work against omega stability, and omega-3s are one of the first nutrients to degrade under those conditions.

This is why I always tell people not to assume their dog is getting enough omegas just because the kibble bag says “contains salmon oil.” Marketing and nutrition are not always the same thing. The front of the bag is designed to sell you something, not educate you on nutrient degradation during processing.

And honestly? This matters more than people think. Omega-3 fatty acids play a huge role in inflammation support, skin and coat health, joint comfort, cognitive function, and overall wellness. They’re one of the most beneficial things you can add to a dog’s diet, especially for dogs dealing with itching, dryness, stiffness, or seasonal allergies.

That’s why I still recommend adding a fresh omega source, even if your kibble already claims to contain it. Things like quality fish oil, Ultra Oil (what I give my pups), sardines packed in water, or some other fresh omega-rich additions are going to provide far more reliable support than hoping fragile fats survived an industrial cooking process.

...And to be clear, this doesn’t mean kibble is automatically terrible, or that you need to throw everything out and start over. It just means there’s a difference between a food containing an ingredient and your dog actually receiving the full nutritional benefit of that ingredient. Those are two very different things.

At the end of the day, adding omegas separately is one of the simplest and most impactful upgrades you can make to your dog’s bowl. Because while the bag may say salmon oil… your dog still deserves the real thing.