Freeze-Dried Fish Dog Treats
Freeze-dried fish dog treats are whole fish with the moisture removed by a cold vacuum process, leaving a shelf-stable treat made from one ingredient. Sea Bites Treats produces three: wild-caught Atlantic mackerel, skipjack tuna and bonito. No grains, binders, glycerin, preservatives, colours or flavourings are added to any of them.
6 products
Are fish treats good for dogs?
Fish treats are good for most dogs. Fish supplies complete protein, and oily species such as mackerel supply EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids dogs cannot synthesise efficiently. Standard veterinary guidance applies: keep all treats under roughly 10% of a dog's daily calorie intake.
Fish is also a novel protein for most dogs. Commercial dog food and treats are overwhelmingly built on chicken, beef and lamb, which means the average dog has eaten those proteins daily for years. Food sensitivities develop through repeated exposure, so proteins a dog has rarely encountered are far less likely to provoke a reaction. That is why fish appears so often in veterinary elimination diets, and why it is the basis of our range for dogs with allergies.
What is the difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated dog treats?
Freeze-drying uses cold and vacuum: the fish is frozen, then the ice is drawn off as vapour without ever melting. Because the process never applies heat, the nutrients that heat destroys are not destroyed. Dehydrating and baking both use heat, which degrades the omega-3 fatty acids that make oily fish worth feeding in the first place.
That is the substance behind the claim that freeze-drying keeps the raw nutritional profile intact. It is not a marketing figure of speech - EPA and DHA oxidise with heat and light, and a 48-hour cold-lock cycle at sub-zero temperature under vacuum exposes them to neither.
| m | Freeze-dried | Dehydrated | Baked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process temperature | Below freezing | 50-70 C | 150-200 C |
| Omega-3 retention | High | Moderate | Low |
| Added oil or fat | None | None | Usually |
| Binders required | None | None | Usually |
| Texture | Light, crisp | Firm, chewy | Hard or soft |
| Shelf-stable without preservatives | Yes | Yes | Often not |
A fuller explanation is in our guide to freeze-dried versus baked dog treats.
Which fish is best for my dog?
Choose mackerel for skin and coat, because it carries the most omega-3 at 6.5 g per 100 g. Choose tuna for weight management, because it is the leanest at 3% fat and roughly 6 calories per piece. Choose bonito for training, because the cubes are approximately 1 g and 3 calories each.
| Fish | Protein | Fat | Calories per piece | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic mackerel | 50% | 20% | ~11 kcal | Skin, coat, joints, high-value rewards |
| Skipjack tuna | 66% | 3% | ~6 kcal | Weight management, sensitive stomachs |
| Bonito | 68% | 4% | ~3 kcal | Training volume, small dogs, picky eaters |
Mackerel - the omega-3 option
Atlantic mackerel is among the richest sources of EPA and DHA of any commercially available fish. Freeze-dried, Sea Bites mackerel treats provide 6.5 g of omega-3 per 100 g. Mackerel is the first choice for a dog with a dull or flaky coat, and the strongest-smelling of the three, which makes it the most reliable reward for a dog that ignores ordinary treats.
Tuna - the lean, high-protein option
Skipjack tuna is 66% protein and 3% fat once freeze-dried, making Sea Bites tuna treats the leanest product in the range at approximately 6 calories per piece. Tuna suits dogs carrying extra weight, dogs on a veterinary low-fat plan, and dogs whose digestion struggles with richer treats.
Bonito - the training option
Bonito is supplied as natural cubes of roughly 1 g, which is the size a training pouch needs. At approximately 3 calories each, Sea Bites bonito cubes allow a full session of repetitions inside a normal daily allowance. See our training treats for the reasoning in full.
Why does single-ingredient matter?
A single-ingredient treat lets you identify what a dog is reacting to. If a dog reacts to a treat containing fifteen ingredients, the cause cannot be isolated. If a dog reacts to a treat containing only mackerel, the cause is mackerel. That difference matters most during a veterinary elimination diet.
Single-ingredient treats also carry no hidden calories. A treat listing fish first but following it with glycerin, molasses and wheat flour is substantially sugar and starch. Every calorie figure on this page is fish. More on this at single ingredient dog treats.
Where does the fish come from?
All Sea Bites Treats fish is caught off the Florida coast by partners in the Florida Fresh Fish Co-op, using sustainable methods, and landed daily. Every fish is hand-fileted, then freeze-dried in small batches in the USA using a 48-hour cold-lock process.
What "human-grade" means here
It means the fish comes out of the same co-op catch that supplies human plates, and is hand-fileted rather than rendered. There is no fish meal, no by-product, no trimmings and no rendering stage anywhere in the process - the fillet that goes into the freeze-dryer is the fillet a restaurant would buy. Most pet treats cannot say that, because most pet treats are built from meal and by-product, which are what rendering produces.
Stock depends on the current catch rather than on a warehouse, which is why the range is small and occasionally limited. Sourcing weekly from a local co-op also means the fish reaches freeze-drying quickly, which matters for a product whose value is in its oils.
Is fish safe for dogs? What about mercury?
Mercury accumulates with a fish's size and lifespan, so small, short-lived species carry the least. According to FDA testing, Atlantic mackerel averages 0.05 ppm and skipjack tuna averages 0.13 ppm - both inside the FDA "Best Choices" category. The FDA action level, at which a product is removed from sale, is 1.0 ppm.
Sea Bites Treats uses Atlantic mackerel and skipjack tuna specifically. King mackerel, a separate species the FDA places on its "Choices to Avoid" list at approximately 0.73 ppm, is never used. Bigeye and albacore tuna, at 0.69 ppm and 0.35 ppm respectively, are also not used.
How many fish treats can a dog have per day?
Apply the 10% rule: treats should supply no more than 10% of daily calories. A 10 kg (22 lb) dog eats roughly 590 calories a day, giving a 59-calorie treat budget - about 19 bonito cubes, 9 tuna pieces, or 5 mackerel pieces.
| Dog weight | Daily calories | 10% treat budget | Bonito cubes | Tuna pieces | Mackerel pieces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg / 11 lb | ~350 kcal | 35 kcal | 11 | 5 | 3 |
| 10 kg / 22 lb | ~590 kcal | 59 kcal | 18 | 8 | 5 |
| 20 kg / 44 lb | ~1,000 kcal | 100 kcal | 33 | 16 | 9 |
| 30 kg / 66 lb | ~1,350 kcal | 135 kcal | 45 | 22 | 12 |
| 40 kg / 88 lb | ~1,670 kcal | 167 kcal | 55 | 27 | 15 |
Figures are for a neutered adult dog at a healthy weight with normal activity. Working dogs need more; seniors and dogs on a weight-loss plan need less. Calorie counts per treat are listed at low calorie dog treats.
Which size should I buy?
The 5 oz bag is $19.95 and suits testing a new protein or training in short sessions. The 24 oz bag is $85.00 and suits multi-dog households, daily feeding, or a dog that has already accepted the product. Both are shelf-stable and need no refrigeration.
Free shipping applies on orders over $75, so a single 24 oz bag ships free. The full bulk range is at 24 oz bulk dog treats.
Cubes or flakes - which format?
Cubes give a firm crunch that helps work the gums and suit dogs of any size. Flakes are light and thin, which makes them easier for cats, small breeds and senior pets with worn teeth. Both are the same fish and the same process - only the cut differs.