What are sprats actually?
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 in the North and Baltic Seas. These small schooling fish are a real treat for your four-legged friend and can be completely eaten with head and fin.
Raw and with bones? How to properly feed sprats!
In fact, you should feed sprats to your dog best raw, meaning uncooked, not smoked, and without spices. Wait a minute - with the bones? In their raw state, yes. Generally, the bones in their raw state are soft and elastic and are well tolerated by dogs. Only when you cook the fish do they 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 the tail to the head, you can occasionally give them to your dog in their raw state as a delicious supplement to their food. If you →BARF your four-legged friend, feeding sprats or fish in general may already be a regular part of your dietary plan.
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Auch bei der Rohfütterung wird der Napf neben Fleisch und Gemüse gern um etwas frischen Fisch ergänzt.
You can also wonderfully feed sprats as a snack. Of course, not everyone has a few raw, slippery fish ready 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 feed the fish whole without any worries. Due to their intense fishy flavor, most dogs really enjoy the 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 lightly digestible. Therefore, especially sensitive furry noses can benefit from eating sprats. For dogs suffering from a →food allergy, sprats and other types of fish represent a healthy treat**. For this reason, you will also find in our →sensitive dog food with salmon not only game but also well-tolerated fish as an animal protein source.
Für Grummelbäuche und Problemfälle! Unsere Sensitiv- und Hypoallergen-Menüs sind der 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 found in fish support a normal cardiovascular system and can have a positive effect on the →skin and coat health of your four-legged friend. Even though sprats are relatively small, they are considered "really fatty fish" because they have a very high proportion of healthy fats compared to other types of fish.
In addition to essential fatty acids, sprats also contain a lot of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Among other things, they are rich in vitamin D, vitamin B12, as well as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus.
[TRANSLATION ERROR] A fish a day keeps the doctor away - oder so ähnlich? Fisch ist jedenfalls ein gesunder und leckerer Snack für deinen Hund.
Other healthy fish varieties for dogs
Does your four-legged friend wrinkle their nose at the sight of sprats? Luckily, sprats are not the only fish that dogs are allowed to eat. Other healthy and very popular fish varieties among four-legged friends include:
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Cod
- Haddock
- Mackerel
- Redfish
- Dorade
- Plaice
- Pike
- Trout
- Perch
They all benefit from easily digestible proteins, high-quality fats, and important minerals, making them popular components in complete feeds such as in →our wet food with fish as well as in snacks or as chew items for dogs.
Fish oil and plant-based alternatives
Just like with us humans, there are also four-legged friends who simply don't like fish. However, this does not mean that these dogs have to miss out on the healthy ingredients found in fish. High-quality oils such as our →omega-3 oil or our →salmon oil are a good way to provide your four-legged friend with valuable fats.
If you feed your dog [→vegan](/magazin/hunde/hunde-ernaehrung/den-hund-vegan-ernaehren-das-solltest-du-wissen) or vegetarian, you can also use our →flaxseed 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 directly utilize these two fatty acids. Algae oil is especially recommended as a supplement for a →healthy senior dog diet. It is also ideal for dogs with allergies or intolerances.
