The effects of dietary sodium butyrate (SB) on serum metabolic parameters, intestinal antioxidant status, immune response and resistance to ammonia stress in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco were investigated. The fish were fed with diets containing 0, 250, 500, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg SB for 56 days followed by a 72-h ammonia challenge (2.65 mg/L unionized ammonia-N). The results showed that 500 and 1000 mg/kg SB groups showed significantly higher weight gain rate than control. Dietary SB significantly decreased cumulative mortality after 72 h ammonia nitrogen stress (P < 0.05). Ammonia challenge significantly increased serum total protein, cortisol, glucose, BUN, ALT and AST and decreased serum triglyceride. SB, especially at 1000 mg/kg, significantly decreased serum cortisol, glucose and BUN, ALT, AST and increased serum total protein lactate and triglyceride. Ammonia had no effects on ALP activity but SB at 1000 mg/kg significantly increased the enzyme activity. Fish fed the diet containing 500 or 1000 mg/kg SB supplementation had higher activities of intestinal SOD, CAT and GPx than that fed the control diet (P < 0.05). The highest MDA was occurred at the fish fed the control diet among all groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the relative expressions of cu/Zn-SOD, CAT and GPx were significantly increased and the relative expressions of IL-1, IL-8, TNF-α, p53 and Bax were significantly decreased in fish fed with 1000 mg/kg SB group after ammonia stress (P < 0.05). Dietary SB improved the resistance to ammonia stress in juvenile yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) though influencing serum metabolite, intestinal antioxidant status and immune response