Canola Oil in dog and cat food

Is it OK for dogs and cats?

Dogs

Canola oil is a common fat source in dog food, and the cited studies do not support a safety concern. Canola is by definition rapeseed oil low in erucic acid (no more than 2% of its fatty acids under US food rules), and in two small dog studies it was well tolerated, with all blood values staying within normal ranges even in high-fat test diets.

Cats

Cats can use canola oil for energy and linoleic acid, but it has no arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fat cats cannot readily make and must get from animal fat, so a complete cat food supplies that from other ingredients. The canola feeding studies cited here were done in dogs, not cats.

How settled this is: A popular concern the sources do not support

What canola oil is

Canola oil comes from the seeds of rapeseed plants (Brassica napus or Brassica campestris). Only varieties whose seeds are low in erucic acid are used. US food regulations call it low erucic acid rapeseed oil. They describe it as a fully refined, bleached and deodorised oil in which erucic acid is no more than 2% of the fatty acids. 'Rapeseed oil' is the broader name for oil from these plants; canola is the low-erucic type. The EU feed catalogue covers plant oils under one entry, 'vegetable oil and fat': oil pressed and/or extracted from oilseeds or oil fruits. Oil sold under that entry must be named by plant species and marked crude or refined, so European labels may say 'rapeseed oil' or 'rapeseed oil, refined'.

Why it is in pet food

Fats and oils provide energy, help the body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, and supply essential fatty acids. Canola oil is one of the plant oils commonly used in dog food formulas. Unlike sunflower or corn oil, it provides some omega-3 (ALA) as well as omega-6. In a study of high-fat dog diets, researchers raised the fat level by adding canola oil, and the diets became more digestible as fat increased.

What it does in the food

Fat adds a lot of calories to a food. In one analysis of the canola oil used in a dog study, about 64% of the fatty acids were monounsaturated and about 30% polyunsaturated (about 19% omega-6 and 11% omega-3). About 6.5% were saturated. Dogs and cats both need linoleic acid (omega-6) in their diet. FEDIAF recommends minimum ALA levels for growing and breeding dogs (0.08 g per 100 g dry matter) and cats (0.02 g per 100 g dry matter). It says the evidence is not yet enough to recommend an omega-3 level for adult dogs or cats. Dogs convert ALA to EPA and DHA only with limited efficiency, and FEDIAF notes that puppies lose the ability to convert ALA to DHA after weaning. Oil from oily fish is a direct source of EPA and DHA.

Safety and limits

The US definition of canola oil limits erucic acid to no more than 2% of its fatty acids. One 16-week study added canola, flaxseed or camelina oil (8.2 g per 100 g of food) to the kibble of 30 healthy adult dogs, 10 dogs per oil. The oils did not differ in their effects on skin water loss, coat scores or blood markers of inflammation and oxidation. Owners reported no problems with diet tolerance. The study had no group without added oil. In a short study (15-day feeding periods) in eight beagles, canola oil was used to raise fat to as much as 47% of dry matter. Digestibility improved, stool quality did not change, and all blood values stayed within normal ranges. Cats cannot readily make arachidonic acid from linoleic acid, and vegetable oils contain none, so cats need it from animal fat. Diets high in polyunsaturated fat may need more vitamin E.

What depends on the amount and the recipe

The whole recipe matters more than one oil. Essential fatty acid deficiency is extremely rare in pets fed properly preserved, complete and balanced foods. The omega-6 to omega-3 balance depends on all the fats in the recipe. FEDIAF notes that in adult dogs the effects of omega-3 fats depend on this ratio as well as on the amount. Cat foods also need an animal source of arachidonic acid. Polyunsaturated oils can oxidise; in one dog study, owners mixed the oil into the food just before feeding to avoid this. More polyunsaturated fat may mean more vitamin E is needed.

Not the same as

• Rapeseed meal (canola meal) — The solid left after the oil is extracted from rapeseed, declared for its protein; not the oil.
• Vegetable oil — A general name for oil from oilseeds or oil fruits; on its own it does not name the plant, so it may not be canola.
• Flaxseed oil — A different plant oil with far more omega-3 ALA (about 59% of fatty acids in one analysis, versus about 11% for canola).
• Fish oil — An animal oil that supplies EPA and DHA directly; canola oil's omega-3 is ALA.
• Sunflower oil — A different plant oil; standard sunflower oil is mostly omega-6, with almost no omega-3.

Sources

1. 21 CFR 184.1555 Rapeseed oil, paragraph (c): low erucic acid rapeseed oil (eCFR text as of 1 Oct 2026) — U.S. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), 2026. US food definition: low erucic acid rapeseed oil, also known as canola oil, is fully refined, bleached and deodorized oil from low-erucic varieties of Brassica napus or B. campestris, with erucic acid no more than 2% of the fatty acids; paragraphs (a) and (b) refer to oil from natural rapeseed, so rapeseed oil is the broader term.
2. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1104 amending Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials — Official Journal of the European Union (Publications Office of the EU), 2022. Entry 2.20.1 'vegetable oil and fat' (oil pressed and/or extracted from oilseeds or oil fruits; footnote 29: name supplemented by plant species, state crude or refined); entry 2.14.1 rape seed (Brassica napus/rapa ssp. oleifera); entry 2.14.3 rape seed meal (crude protein declared).
3. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals (Merck Veterinary Manual; full review Nov 2023) — Merck Veterinary Manual (Merck & Co., Inc.), 2023. Dogs and cats require linoleic acid; cats also require arachidonic acid, which is absent from vegetable oils and which cats cannot readily make from linoleic acid; fat carries vitamins A, D, E and K and adds considerable calories; best sources of ALA (flaxseed oil) and EPA/DHA (oily fish, krill, algae oil); EFA deficiency is extremely rare on properly preserved complete and balanced diets.
4. FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs (September 2025) — FEDIAF / European Pet Food, 2025. Minimum recommended ALA for growing/breeding dogs (0.08 g/100 g DM) and cats (0.02 g/100 g DM); information insufficient to recommend a specific omega-3 level for adult dogs or cats; puppies lose the capacity to convert ALA to DHA after weaning; in adult dogs omega-3 effects depend on the omega-6:omega-3 ratio; vitamin E requirement depends on PUFA intake.
5. Richards TL et al. Effects of dietary camelina, flaxseed, and canola oil supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative markers, transepidermal water loss, and coat quality in healthy adult dogs. Front Vet Sci 2023 — Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2023. Analysed canola oil fatty acids (MUFA 63.8%, PUFA 29.7%, omega-6 18.6%, omega-3 11.1%, saturated 6.5%); flaxseed omega-3 58.6%; canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oils commonly used in canine diets; 16-week study in 30 dogs (10 per oil, 8.2 g oil/100 g intake) with no differences among oils in TEWL, coat or inflammatory/oxidative markers, no diet-tolerance problems, and no negative control; ALA converted to EPA/DHA with limited efficiency; oil mixed in just before feeding to avoid peroxidation.
6. Kilburn LR et al. Apparent total tract digestibility, fecal characteristics, and blood parameters of healthy adult dogs fed high-fat diets. J Anim Sci 2020 — Journal of Animal Science (via PubMed Central), 2020. Canola oil added to a canned diet to reach 32-47% fat (dry matter) in eight beagles over 15-day periods: digestibility improved, stool quality unchanged, all blood parameters within normal reference intervals.

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-15. Definitions are in our own words. This is a reading aid, not veterinary advice: a vet who knows your animal comes first.