Sardines are one of the few fish you can feed bones and all: the bones are soft and digestible, and sardines are among the lowest-mercury fish. Buy them packed in water with no salt added.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
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A little guide to sharing this food
Treat portions by body weight
Calories must match the product, cut and preparation. Do not choose grams from weight alone; use the product label and your vet’s feeding plan.
Preparation & feeding
Carefully remove hard bones and fish bones, then cook thoroughly. Do not substitute salted, smoked or seasoned canned fish.
Do not add salt, oil, sugar, sauces, onions or garlic. Weigh only the edible portion before serving.
Count all treats together and supervise eating. Start small and stop if vomiting, diarrhoea or other problems occur.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
Loose stool
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Excess gas
More about this food
The AKC singles sardines out on its list of human foods dogs can eat, noting they "have soft, digestible bones for extra calcium." That reverses the usual rule about fish, where brittle pin bones are the main hazard. In a can, the backbone has been softened enough during processing that it crushes with the flesh, so there is nothing to pick out.
Mercury is not much of a concern either. In the FDA/EPA advice on eating fish, sardines sit in the "Best Choices" category with the lowest mercury, because they are short-lived and low on the food chain — the same logic behind AKC's advice to pick shorter-lived species. Sardines are also a dense source of the omega-3 fats often recommended for skin and coat.
The hazard is the label, not the fish. American grocery shelves are full of sardines in olive oil, soybean oil, tomato sauce, mustard sauce, hot sauce and smoke. Oil roughly doubles the calories and adds the fat load that upsets a sensitive dog, and sauces bring sodium plus, in some cases, onion and garlic powder. Look for "in water, no salt added." Rinsing an oil-packed tin does not get the oil back out of the flesh. Salted, dried or smoked sardines are a different food entirely — Merck puts clinical signs of salt toxicosis at 2-3 g/kg.
If you cook fresh sardines, gut them, cook them through with no salt, and serve them plain; raw fish carries parasite and bacterial risks covered separately.
Keep fish to about twice a week, and keep all treats inside 10% of daily calories. Sardines are fatty enough that half a fish is a full serving for a small dog. Start small, watch the stool, and cut back if it loosens. Persistent diarrhea or a dog that goes flat is a reason to call your veterinarian.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to remove the bones from canned sardines?
No. AKC describes sardine bones as soft and digestible, a source of extra calcium. If you cook fresh sardines instead, check by hand for any firm bones before serving.
Can I rinse sardines packed in oil?
Rinsing does not remove the oil absorbed into the flesh, so the calorie and fat load stays high. Buy tins packed in water with no salt added, or cook fresh sardines plain.
How many sardines can my dog have?
About twice a week, inside the 10% of daily calories allowed for treats. Half a sardine is a reasonable serving for a small dog, and one or two for a large dog — start small and watch the stool.
