Krill oil for dogs: the phospholipid claim and the label numbers

By the PetFishOilGuide editorial team · Updated October 13, 2026 · How we compare

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links.

Krill oil carries its omega-3 mostly in phospholipid form, and makers say that helps absorption. The best-known dog study behind the claim was small, short, and run by employees of a krill supplier. On the labels in our catalog, krill products list less EPA+DHA per serving than most fish oils, or do not list it at all.

This page reviews published claims and manufacturer label data. It is not a trial and not veterinary advice. For how we compare products, see methodology.

What the phospholipid claim rests on

In most fish oils, EPA and DHA are bound to glycerol as triglycerides. In krill, a large share is bound to phospholipids. Krill makers argue that this form raises the omega-3 levels in blood and tissue more efficiently.

The main dog evidence is a 2020 study in Veterinary World, "Higher omega-3 index after dietary inclusion of omega-3 phospholipids versus omega-3 triglycerides in Alaskan Huskies" (full text). Twenty adult Alaskan Huskies were split into two groups of ten for six weeks. One group ate a diet with 8% krill meal and the other a diet with fish oil, and the krill group got roughly 1.7 g of EPA and DHA per day (the paper describes the fish oil group's intake as similar). The krill group's omega-3 index rose from 3.9% to 6.3%, the fish oil group's from 3.9% to 4.7%. All three authors work for Aker BioMarine, which supplied the krill meal and sponsored the study. A later four-week, 45-dog trial with the same company and a Swedish university was reported in a press release (Pet Food Industry coverage). We did not find independent replication of either.

Three limits matter for you. Both studies used a single working-dog breed. The measure was omega-3 index in red blood cells, not skin, joint or heart outcomes. And the krill in the study was a meal in the diet, not a supplement oil from a pump bottle. So the claim is plausible, but it does not yet tell you that a krill oil product beats a fish oil product for your dog.

What krill products list per serving

Here are the krill-based products in our catalog. Cells show a dash when we could not find the number on the maker's website.

Label data from manufacturer websites and published label text, checked October 13, 2026. How we compare.

Wholistic Pet Organics Wild Arctic Krill Oil Soft Gels lists 95 mg EPA and 70 mg DHA in a serving of 2 softgels, 165 mg combined, and its analysis states phospholipids. For comparison, one softgel of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet Softgels (90 ct) lists 270 mg and one of Nutramax Welactin Canine Softgels (120 ct) lists 255 mg. So two krill softgels deliver less EPA+DHA than one of these fish oil softgels. Nutri-Vet Omega Krill and Fish Oil Soft Gels lists 205 mg per softgel as a krill and fish oil mix, but the maker page now returns an error, so treat that as low-confidence data.

Grizzly Krill Oil is a liquid, from wild Antarctic krill, and its page lists omega-3 lipids and astaxanthin per teaspoon but no EPA or DHA. Because published dog dosing is written in EPA+DHA, that product cannot be checked against it. The astaxanthin figure describes a pigment, not omega-3.

Why "less per serving" matters

A board-certified veterinary nutritionist has published 50 to 75 mg of combined EPA+DHA per kg of body weight per day as a supplemental range for adult dogs. A product that lists less EPA+DHA per capsule means more capsules a day to reach that range, so a bottle empties faster. The safe upper limit set by the National Research Council is about 370 mg times body weight in kg to the 0.75 power per day, from food and supplements together. Our dosage calculator shows how many servings of a given product fit within the published range for your dog's weight. Ask your veterinarian before you start.

Sustainability and sourcing

Makers often point to certified Antarctic fisheries. The only sourcing claim we recorded is that Grizzly's krill comes from wild Antarctic krill under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) as the maker states it. We have not verified fishery certifications and do not rank on them.

Who krill might suit, and who should look elsewhere

It might suit someone who wants a non-triglyceride form for a specific reason and accepts a lower EPA+DHA per serving and thinner dog evidence. Look at fish oil instead if you want the most label EPA+DHA per serving, a clear dose calculation, or the broadest published dosing data. The best fish oil for dogs list ranks what has published numbers, and fish oil vs salmon oil compares fish sources. Shellfish allergy is a reason to ask your veterinarian before trying krill, since krill is a crustacean.

Frequently asked questions

Related: omega-3 for dogs, Grizzly oils. Page updated October 13, 2026 by the PetFishOilGuide editorial team.