One fish per bag, and nothing else added to it

Single ingredient fish treats are bags where the ingredient list is one fish and nothing else. Each of ours names a single fish: sardines, sardine heads, anchovies or marble goby. The listings say nothing is added to it. What the words do not cover is where the fish came from, and this page says so plainly.

What makes a fish treat single ingredient?

It means the ingredient list has one entry. For a fish treat, that entry is the fish, with no grains, no filler, no coating and no second protein beside it.

That is a statement about the list, and a short one. It is easy to read more into it than it holds, so we keep to the list. A single ingredient treat can still be a poor fit for a particular pet, and it can still be too much if the portion is large.

Think of it the way you would read a parts bin label. It names the part. It does not tell you the part fits your car. That is your job, and for a pet it is your veterinarian's job too.

What is the one ingredient in each bag?

Here is what each listing names. Where a listing names a species, we give it. The sardine listing names none, so we leave that blank rather than guess.

• Whole sardines: sardines only, sold whole with head, tail and bones on. The listing describes small to medium fish and names no species.
• Sardine heads: whole sardine heads. The listing says they come "with the bones and the eyes still in them," and that is the only ingredient.
• Anchovies: anchovies only, species named as Stolephorus chinensis.
• Minnows: whole marble goby, species named as Oxyeleotris marmorata. The listing says "that is the only ingredient." The minnows are sold out right now, and the button reads "Sold out, back soon."

All four are freeze-dried raw and made in Malvern, Pennsylvania from imported fish. Because they are freeze-dried raw, wash your hands after you handle them, as the sardine heads listing asks.

What does nothing added mean on these listings?

It means the listing says it, in the listing's own words. Those words differ a little from bag to bag, so here they are, credited to the page that says them.

The sardine, sardine heads and anchovy listings each say nothing is added. The anchovy listing goes a step further and says no grains, fillers or dyes go in. The minnow listing says "No additives or preservatives."

We are reporting what each page says. We are not adding a promise of our own on top, and we are not claiming one bag is cleaner than another. They are four listings with four slightly different wordings, and all four describe a bag with one fish in it.

Does single ingredient make a treat a complete diet?

No. Every one of these is a treat or a meal topper, not a complete diet. They go alongside your pet's regular food, with fresh water out and your eyes on the pet while it eats.

For dogs, the sardine listing's FAQ says to hold all treats to about 10 percent of the day's calories. The treat budget calculator on the sardine page uses that figure as its default and credits VCA's treat guidance. That figure is for dogs. A cat's treat share is a question for the cat's veterinarian.

One ingredient does not shrink that math. A bag of only fish still counts toward the day's treats, the same as any other.

What does single ingredient not tell you?

Quite a bit, and this is the honest part.

It does not tell you where the fish were caught or farmed. We do not state that, so we will not guess. What we can say is that the fish are imported and the treats are made in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. "Single ingredient" is not a statement about the United States or any other place.

It does not tell you how a particular pet will do with a fish. We make no claim about that from an ingredient list. If your pet has had trouble with seafood, ask your veterinarian before you buy.

It does not tell you about bones. The sardines and the heads are sold whole with the bones in, and the claims stop at bones in. Supervise, size the piece to your pet, and ask your veterinarian if you are unsure.

You can see the whole range on the home page, compare the bags in more detail on the freeze-dried sardines and freeze-dried anchovies pages, or browse the guides.