I Accidentally Gave My Dog Double Dose Of Omega 3 : 5 Clear Facts

It can be quite alarming to realize that you have given your dog a double dose of omega 3.

Once you come to this realization, you will probably want to know what is likely to happen and what you need to do, now that you have given your dog a double dose of omega 3.

If I accidentally gave my dog double dose of omega 3, I would be on the lookout for adverse effects such as vomiting and diarrhea. Too much omega 3 for dogs on a long term basis can cause more serious issues like internal bleeding and altered platelet function. But just one omega 3 double dose is unlikely to cause such issues.

Thus if I happen to have accidentally gave my dog double dose of omega 3 fish oil or other supplement, I would mostly be worried about stomach upset issues.

This is also what would apply if, for instance, my dog ate one fish oil pill extra. For a small omega 3 fish oil dog overdose, the likely effect is stomach upset. And that typically manifests through vomiting and diarrhea.

Of course, things would be different if, for instance, the dog ate bottle of salmon oil all at once. That would be a much bigger overdose, with potential for much worse consequences like internal bleeding.

How Much Omega 3 Should A Dog Have In A Day?

If the omega 3 is being tapped from fish oil, the recommended dose is 75 to 100 mg per kg. That is, per kilogram of dog weight.

Thus, for instance, if you have a 20 kg dog, that would be between 75 x 20 (= 1500) mg and 100 x 20 (= 2,000) mg.

That therefore works out to between 1500 mg (1.5 grams) and 2000 mg (2 grams) per day. This may translate to 1.5 to 2 ml per day.

There are also omega 3 pills and other supplement formulations, which may come with their respective dosage instructions.

But if you are giving the dog omega 3 from fish oil, the dosage is 75-100 mg per kg. To reiterate, that is per kg of dog weight.

Here, one may ask, can my dog eat fish oil capsules? Or, to be more specific, can I give my dog human cod liver oil capsules? And the answer is mostly yes, though you have to observe the correct dosage.

Then again, working out the correct dosage of human supplements for dogs tends to be very tricky. That is why the supplements meant specifically for dogs, which come with clear dosage instructions, tend to be the best.

I Accidentally Gave My Dog Double Dose Of Omega 3 – What Is Likely To Happen?

If you accidentally gave your dog a double dose of omega 3, you will have one major worry. That is on what is likely to happen next.

This would certainly be the case if I accidentally gave my dog an extra omega supplement.

So the underlying question may be that the dog was accidentally given two pet tabs (double dose) plus two fish pills, will he be ok? Can fish oil hurt dogs at this dosage?

The truth of the matter is that a double dose of omega 3 is unlikely to harm a dog too much. In fact, in some cases, nothing that is visible will happen.

If, for instance, the omega 3 supplement was fish oil-based, there may be minor dog fish oil overdose symptoms.

Those are typically things to do with stomach upset. So you may find some diarrhea and vomiting.

I would also expect such to sometimes happen if my dog ate fish oil pills in double dose.

Thus if I happen to have accidentally gave my dog double dose of omega 3 for dogs, I wouldn’t worry unduly.

But if it was a massive overdose of omega 3, then you need to know that that is very risky. One of the effects it can have is that of causing internal bleeding, and altered platelet function. Those are serious things.

Sometimes, you do find someone saying ‘I almost killed my dog with fish oil’ due to such serious side effects.

Thankfully though, just one double dose is unlikely to have that sort of effect. The worst you may find due to just one omega 3 double dose is an upset stomach.

We Accidentally Gave My Dog Double Dose Of Omega 3 Supplements – What To Do?

First of all, you need to find out what are the symptoms after dog eats double dose of omega 3?

Those turn out to be things like vomiting and diarrhea. More precisely, when a dog has omega 3 double dose, it tends to suffer stomach upset. And that manifests through symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

A much bigger overdose would cause things like internal bleeding, and altered platelet function. But just one double dose is unlikely to trigger such.

What just one double dose is likely to trigger is stomach upset – manifesting through vomiting and diarrhea.

What then follows is a question on how to care for dog that ate double dose of omega 3. And that mainly turns out to be a question of providing supportive care for the resultant diarrhea and vomiting.

Focus may be on rehydration, giving the dog food to firm up its stools and giving fluids to ensure that the vomiting isn’t laborious.

A bigger overdose, with potential to cause problems like internal bleeding would require urgent veterinary care.

How To Prevent Dog From Eating Double Dose Of Omega 3 In The Future?

Firstly, you need to be careful when administering omega 3 to the dog in the future. You may consider buying things like a calibrated dropper, with which to be sucking the supplements.

Remember, the right dosage (as we saw earlier) is typically in millimeters – such as 1.5 ml per day. It can be hard to gauge that by eye. But using a calibrated dropper, you may get it right…

Secondly, you need to keep the omega 3 supplements away from the dog’s reach. This way, the dog won’t end up eating the fish oil (or other supplement) by accident and start suffering.

Final Verdict – I Accidentally Gave My Dog Double Dose Of Omega 3

If a dog accidentally had a double dose of omega 3, it may suffer a stomach upset. This may manifest through symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

A bigger omega 3 overdose would cause more serious problems such as internal bleeding and altered platelet function. But just one double dose is unlikely to go that far, in terms of causing adverse effects.

The dog that is suffering stomach upset due to omega 3 double dose requires supportive care. Vomiting and diarrhea often lead to loss of body fluids. Thus rehydration is very critical.

Going forward, you would need to put in place measures to avoid overdosing the dog on omega 3 supplements.

While just one omega 3 double dose may only have minor adverse effects, a bigger overdose can cause potentially fatal problems such as internal bleeding.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️