Anchovies or sardine heads for your dog or cat

Anchovies vs sardine heads comes down to shape. Anchovies are whole small fish that the Fish Trio page calls smaller and drier, the easiest to pocket. Sardine heads are the crunchiest of our three fish on that page. Both are one ingredient, freeze-dried raw, and both listings name dogs and cats.

What is the difference between anchovies and sardine heads?

One bag holds whole anchovies, a fish named on the listing as Stolephorus chinensis. The other holds whole sardine heads, with the bones and the eyes still in them, as the heads listing puts it. Each is the only ingredient, and nothing else is added. The anchovy listing adds that no grains, fillers or dyes go in.

Size is where the listings talk. The anchovy listing says size, shape and color vary from fish to fish. The heads listing says no two heads match, and that a bag holds a mix of larger and smaller ones. Neither listing gives lengths or piece counts, so we won't either.

Both are freeze-dried raw in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania from imported fish. Our scorecard is our own rating, not a fact about your pet. It gives each a crunch of 4 of 5 and a training score of 3 of 5, so on paper they tie.

How do the two labels compare?

The numbers below are printed on the package labels. We are listing them side by side and not drawing conclusions from them.

The Fish Trio line for heads is the page's own observation and we pass it along as one. The full guaranteed analysis for every fish has its own guide, so we keep this table short.

If you feed by the calculator, the energy row is the one that matters. A dog's treat share is a weight, and an ounce of heads carries more calories than an ounce of anchovies by the label. That does not make one a better pick. It only changes the ounces.

Which is crunchier, and which is easier to carry?

By our scorecard, equal. Both get a crunch of 4 of 5. By the Fish Trio page, heads are the crunchiest of the three fish it compares, and the anchovies are the easiest to pocket. Those two statements do not conflict, because the page is comparing against the whole sardine as well.

Carrying is a small-print matter. The anchovies are smaller and drier, which the page says makes them pocket-friendly. The heads listing makes no claim about carrying. Either bag can ride in a jacket. The heads listing says to keep the bag resealed, cool and dry, and so does the anchovy listing.

Which works as a reward, and which as a topper?

Both listings cover both jobs. The anchovy listing says to break the fish into pieces for rewards, or use it as a topper. The heads listing calls the heads a crunchy reward or a crumbled topper.

One difference is in the heads listing, which ties the aroma to training. The anchovy listing says the smell is strong and natural and leans into it, and our scorecard rates anchovies at 3 of 5 for training, same as the heads. We are not ranking the two on smell, and we are not explaining either one.

Treat them as treats or toppers, not a complete diet. Stay close while your dog eats, keep fresh water out, and count them toward the day's share. For dogs, the sardine page's calculator note credits the 10 percent default to VCA's treat guidance, and the calculator on the anchovy page applies it to the label's figure.

Which one fits a cat?

Both listings say cats can have them. The anchovy listing says cats can have the anchovies. The heads listing says cats too. The Fish Trio page says heads are the one cats tend to claim first, which is an observation from the page, not a promise about your cat.

We keep cats conservative here. The 10 percent figure is a dog setting. A cat's share is the cat's veterinarian's call, and we do not give a cat number for either fish. If your cat has a special diet or a seafood history, ask first.

If you want to try both, the Fish Trio puts sardines, anchovies and sardine heads in one box. Each fish also has its own page for anchovies and for sardine heads, and the rest of our fish write-ups are in the guides.