Fish Oil Upset Your Akita's Stomach? Try This Instead

It sounds like the fish oil was doing more harm than good — high-dose fish oil is a common trigger for loose stools in dogs, especially older ones whose digestive systems are a bit less forgiving. Skin and coat issues in dogs generally fall into two categories: dietary deficiency or an underlying skin condition. Supplements are genuinely useful when the root cause is nutritional, but the delivery method matters as much as the ingredient. Before I suggest an alternative, can you tell me a bit more — what are you actually seeing on your Akita, is it dry skin, a dull coat, shedding, or something else? And what are you currently feeding him day to day?

That's a really clear picture, and honestly the pattern makes sense. A supermarket own-brand senior kibble is usually lower in quality fats than a breed-appropriate or premium senior food, so there's likely a genuine dietary gap behind the dull coat and dry skin — this isn't just cosmetic. The issue with the fish oil capsules is almost certainly the dose and the format. A single 1000mg fish oil capsule delivers a concentrated hit of omega-3 that can overwhelm a dog's digestive system, particularly in older dogs. The fix isn't to abandon omegas entirely — it's to find a product that delivers them more gently. Can I ask — are you open to a pump-on oil that goes directly onto food, rather than a capsule? And is he otherwise healthy — no diagnosed skin conditions, no allergies flagged by a vet?

Perfect. In that case I'd point you toward YuMEGA Plus by Lintbells. It's a cold-pressed oil blend — starflower oil, salmon oil, and evening primrose oil — designed specifically for dogs with dull coats and dry skin. Crucially, it's much lower concentration per serving than a straight fish oil capsule, which is why it's dramatically less likely to cause the loose stools you saw. You pump it directly onto his kibble once a day. For an 8-year-old Akita you'd be on the larger dog dose, so roughly 4–5 pumps. Most owners see a noticeable coat improvement within 4 to 6 weeks. It's widely available on Amazon UK and it's one of the most consistently reviewed coat supplements on the market — not because it's heavily marketed, but because it actually works for dietary deficiency cases like this one. I'd also gently say it's worth revisiting the kibble longer term — moving to a better senior food with higher named protein and fat content will make the supplement work harder.

The stomach risk is much lower with YuMEGA Plus than with straight fish oil capsules — the salmon oil content is part of a blended formula rather than a concentrated dose, and the starflower and evening primrose components don't carry the same digestive load. That said, with any new supplement, start at half the recommended dose for the first week and build up. If you see any softening of stools, drop back and increase more slowly — most dogs tolerate it fine. On timing: coat and skin changes happen at the cellular level, so you're tied to the natural coat cycle. Expect to start seeing a difference in shine and texture around the 4-week mark, with more obvious improvement by 6 to 8 weeks. Flaking usually improves faster than shine. Given his age and the likely dietary gap from the kibble, I'd give it a full 8 weeks before deciding whether it's working.

That's the right approach. Half dose for a week, then full dose — and if you do want to improve things further down the line, even switching to a mid-range complete dry food with salmon or chicken as the first named ingredient will make a visible difference on top of the supplement. Good luck with him — Akitas tend to have naturally dense, beautiful coats when they're well nourished, so there's every reason to think you'll get it back.