What exactly are sprats?
Maybe you rarely feed your dog fish and are wondering what sprats actually are? They are small fish with a body length between 12 and 20 cm. They are mainly found in the northeast Atlantic as well as the North and Baltic Seas. These small schooling fish are a real treat for your four-legged friend and can be eaten whole, including the head and fins, without any problem.
Raw and with bones? How to feed sprats properly!
In fact, you should feed sprats to your dog best when raw, meaning uncooked, not smoked, and without any spices. Wait a minute—bones too? When raw, yes. Generally, the bones are soft and flexible when raw and are well tolerated by dogs. Only when you cook the fish do the bones become very hard and sharp. Therefore, you should always carefully remove the bones from cooked fish.
Since sprats are small and can be eaten from tail fin to head, you can occasionally give them to your dog raw as a delicious addition to their food. →If you feed a BARF diet to your four-legged friend, then feeding sprats or fish in general may already be a regular part of your nutrition plan.
Even with raw feeding, the bowl is often supplemented with some fresh fish alongside meat and vegetables.
You can also feed sprats perfectly well as a snack. Of course, not everyone has a few raw, slippery fish in their pocket. That's why sprats are also available dried as a tasty chew snack or as a special reward for dogs. Here, too, you can safely feed the fish whole. Thanks to their intense fishy flavor most dogs really love fish, and a tasty sprat or →dried salmon skin is quickly devoured.
Also suitable for sensitive dog stomachs
In general, sprats are considered particularly easy to digest and are highly digestible. That's why especially sensitive dogs can benefit from eating sprats. Also for dogs that suffer from a →food allergy suffer, sprats and other types of fish are a healthy treat. For this reason, you'll also find in our →sensitive dog food with salmon alongside game meat, easily digestible fish as an animal protein source.
For grumbly tummies and sensitive cases! Our sensitive and hypoallergenic menus are a hit.
Why are sprats so healthy?
That fish is healthy applies to us humans just as much as it does to our dogs. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids contained in fish support a normal cardiovascular system and can have a positive effect on →skin and coat health for your four-legged friend. Even though sprats are rather small, they are actually "really fatty fish," as they have a very high content of healthy fats.
In addition to essential fatty acids, sprats also contain lots of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Among others, they are rich in vitamin D, vitamin B12 as well as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus in the fish.
A fish a day keeps the doctor away – or something like that? Fish is definitely a healthy and tasty snack for your dog.
Other healthy types of fish for dogs
Does your four-legged friend just turn up their nose at the sight of sprats? Luckily, sprats aren't the only fish dogs are allowed to eat. Other healthy and very popular types of fish among dogs include:
Tuna
Salmon
Cod
Haddock
Mackerel
Redfish
Sea bream
Plaice
Pike
Trout
Perch
All of them benefit from easily digestible proteins, high-quality fats and important minerals and are therefore popular ingredients in complete foods such as →our wet food with fish as well as in snacks or chews for dogs.
Fish oil and plant-based alternatives
Just like with us humans, there are also some dogs who simply don't like the taste of fish. However, that doesn't mean these dogs have to miss out on the healthy nutrients found in fish. High-quality oils such as our →omega-3 oil or our →salmon oil are a great way to provide your dog with valuable fats.
If you feed your dog →vegan or vegetarian diets, you can also use our →linseed oil or →algae oil. Did you know that algae oil is the only plant-based source that contains the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA? Your dog's body can use both of these fatty acids directly. Algae oil is especially recommended as a supplement for a →healthy senior dog diet. Algae oil is also ideal for dogs with allergies or intolerances.
