Fish-free puppy food
Owners look for a fish-free puppy food for a few different reasons - a suspected fish allergy or intolerance, a strong smell some puppies and owners simply dislike, or wanting variety if fish is already the main protein in another food being fed. Whatever the reason, the label is where the real answer sits, and it's worth reading past the headline name on the front of the bag.
Why owners avoid fish
A genuine fish allergy is uncommon but does happen, and where one's suspected, cutting fish out entirely, including as an oil, is the usual first step in working out whether it's the cause. More often, owners avoid fish simply because of the smell, which some puppies find off-putting and some households would rather not deal with, or because they're rotating proteins for variety.
None of these reasons need a health justification to be a reasonable choice - a puppy can do perfectly well on a chicken, lamb or turkey-based diet with no fish anywhere in it.
Reading the label properly
A food's front-of-pack name usually reflects its main protein, so 'chicken' or 'lamb' recipes are the ones to look at first. The composition list on the back tells you more precisely, listing ingredients in order by weight at the point they're added - if fish or fish meal doesn't appear at all, the recipe is genuinely fish-free.
Watch specifically for fish oil, which sometimes appears in an otherwise non-fish recipe as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. It's a very different thing from fish as the main protein, but if you're avoiding fish for a suspected allergy rather than just preference, even a small amount of fish oil is worth ruling out with your vet.
Choosing with confidence
Once you've confirmed a recipe is genuinely fish-free on the composition list, the rest of the choice comes down to the usual things - a puppy-specific formula sized for your puppy's expected adult size, and a protein your puppy takes to well. Chicken, lamb and turkey recipes are all common, fish-free starting points.
If you're switching away from a fish-based food, do it gradually over a week or so, mixing in more of the new food each day, which makes any reaction or simple stomach upset far easier to spot.
Without it, and in stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Pedigree Tasty Minis Puppy Treats Chewy Cubes with Chicken
Soft chewy puppy training treats with 13% chicken and added calcium, 125g
£2.25
Forthglade Complete Puppy Chicken with Liver Grain Free — 18 x 395g Trays
Sold as a case: 18 x 395g trays. A complete grain-free wet food for puppies, built on 71% chicken and 4% chicken liver
£35.89
Bakers Puppy Superfoods Chicken with Vegetables
Bakers Puppy Chicken & Vegetables dry dog food, 12.5kg, complete food for puppies from 6 weeks to 24 months
£39.15
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Wagg Puppy Treats
Puppy Treats in a 120G pack, with 23.2% protein and 7% fat and full label detail
£1.49
Burns Puppy Junior Original Chicken Rice
A complete puppy and junior food with dried chicken 31% and controlled fat at 15%
From£14.99
Lily's Kitchen Puppy Chicken Recipe — 6 x 400g Tins
Sold as a case: 6 x 400g tins. Complete 400G wet puppy chicken recipe with 67% fresh chicken
£22.79
Pooch & Mutt Puppy Bite Size Beef Jerky
Bite-size beef jerky training treats for puppies, scaled by dog size
£3.99
Whimzees Puppy
Softer dental chews for puppies over three months old, grain free and gluten free
£7.99
Burns Grain Free Puppy Duck Potato
Grain-free duck and potato puppy food with a prebiotic, for starting a new litter on a novel protein
From£16.49
Lily's Kitchen Puppy Recipe Chicken — 10 x 150g Trays
Sold as a case: 10 x 150g trays. Complete 150G puppy chicken recipe with 67% chicken and salmon oil
£16.89
Bella & Duke Puppy Working Dog Salmon
A complete raw meal for working-dog puppies, made with MSC salmon, grass-fed beef and turkey. Frozen 500g tub.
£3.50
Common questions
- Does fish oil count as fish for an allergy?
- It can, since fish oil is derived from fish and may still trigger a reaction in a genuinely fish-allergic dog, even though it's used in tiny amounts compared with fish as a main protein. If you're avoiding fish specifically because of a suspected allergy, check for fish oil on the label too and discuss it with your vet if you're unsure.
- Is fish a common allergen in puppies?
- It's one of the less common allergens compared with chicken or beef, but it does turn up, particularly in dogs already eating a lot of fish-based food. A true allergy is confirmed by an elimination diet under veterinary guidance rather than by symptoms alone.
- What proteins are usually used instead of fish?
- Chicken, lamb and turkey are the most common alternative proteins in puppy food, and any of them can form a complete, balanced diet on their own. Choosing between them usually comes down to what your puppy takes to and whether you're managing any other sensitivity alongside avoiding fish.
- Can I still give fish treats if my puppy's main food is fish-free?
- Only if there's no allergy concern - if you're avoiding fish purely for smell or variety, an occasional fish-based treat isn't a contradiction. If fish is being avoided because of a suspected allergy, it's safer to keep treats fish-free too, since even a small amount can trigger a reaction.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.