Salmon Treats for Dogs and Cats: Why Skin-On Salmon Matters

Fresh salmon fillet sliced on a wooden cutting board, the single ingredient in our Salmon Bites

If you are looking for a simple, natural treat for your dog or cat, salmon is hard to beat. It brings high-quality protein, healthy fats, and a good run of vitamins and minerals. And when the skin is left on, your pet gets more of what makes salmon worth feeding in the first place.

Our Salmon Bites are made with one ingredient: salmon with skin.

No fillers. No grains. No artificial flavors. Nothing added to make it look better or last longer on a shelf.

Just real salmon, freeze dried.

Why we leave the skin on

Most treat makers take the skin off. It is easier to handle, it looks tidier in the bag, and it costs less to process.

We leave it on because that is where a lot of the good part lives. Salmon skin carries a concentration of the fish's natural oils, which is where the omega-3 fatty acids are. Take the skin off and you are throwing away a meaningful share of the reason you picked salmon.

It also gives the bite a different texture. A little more chew, a little more to work on, which most dogs seem to appreciate.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Salmon is one of the better natural sources of omega-3s.

Omega-3s support healthy skin and a healthy coat, which is usually the first place owners notice a difference. They also support normal joint function, which matters more as dogs and cats get older and slow down a little.

This is not medicine and we are not going to pretend it is. It is good food, and good food does its work quietly over time.

Protein

Salmon is a strong protein source, and protein is what your pet uses to build and repair muscle.

It is also a useful option if your dog has trouble with the usual proteins. Chicken, beef, and lamb are the three most common protein sensitivities in dogs, and salmon is none of them. If you have been reading labels trying to find something that agrees with your dog, a single-ingredient fish treat is a simple place to start.

Vitamins and minerals

Salmon brings a good range of B vitamins, including B12, which supports healthy nerve function and normal red blood cell formation in both dogs and cats.

It also contributes taurine, an amino acid cats in particular need and cannot make enough of on their own. Salmon is a contributor here rather than a powerhouse. If taurine is your main reason for shopping, our Beef Heart is the richer source, and we wrote about that in The Benefits of Liver Treats for Dogs and Cats.

Why freeze dried instead of cooked

Freeze drying pulls the moisture out at low temperature. Cooking uses heat, and heat is harder on delicate fats like omega-3s.

That is the whole reason we freeze dry the salmon rather than baking it. We want what was in the fish to still be in the bag. It also means the bites keep for a long time on a shelf without anything added to preserve them.

If you want the longer version of how the two methods compare, we wrote that up in Freeze-Dried vs. Dehydrated Pet Treats.

For cats too

Most treat companies build for dogs and treat cats as an afterthought. We never understood that.

Salmon Bites work for both. For cats, the pieces break apart easily, and the smell does a lot of the convincing. If you have a cat who turns her nose up at everything, fish is usually the thing that finally lands.

How to serve them

Treats are treats. The general guidance is to keep treats to around ten percent of your pet's daily calories, and the rest should come from their regular food.

For a small dog or a cat, a few bites is plenty. For a larger dog, a small handful. You can also break them up and scatter them over a meal if you have a picky eater who needs convincing.

Fresh water, always, particularly with freeze dried food.

One simple ingredient

Just Paws and Enjoy Life started with Huxley Jack, a dog we loved who had pancreatitis. Reading the labels on what we had been feeding him is what set all of this in motion. Half of what was in those bags we could not pronounce.

So we make treats with one ingredient. Salmon Bites are salmon with skin, freeze dried in small batches right here in Parkersburg, West Virginia. That is the whole list.

If we would not feed it to our own, it does not go in the bag.