Adding a little variety to your dog’s diet is a good thing.

But, it is important to only feed them things that are healthy and have health benefits.

If you want to know can dogs eat sardines in tomato sauce, everything you need to know is right here.

Can Dogs Eat Sardines In Tomato Sauce?

Yes, dogs can eat sardines in tomato sauce.

Sardines off a lot of nutritional value for a dog including additional protein and other nutrients.

Benefits Of Sardines For Dogs

Sardines are a healthier fish for dogs that offer some great health benefits.

Below are a few benefits for your dog if feeding them sardines is on your wish list.

• Digestible. It is an easy food for your dog to digest which means less tummy or digestive troubles.
• Protein. Dog’s rely on protein for muscle and energy, and sardines offer a lot of protein in a small package.
• Nutrients. Packed with goodness like Omega 3, Vitamin D and B12 make sardines a goldmine for nutritional value.

Adding sardines to a dog’s existing diet can improve muscle development, immune systems, dental health and more.

Benefits Of Tomatoes For Dogs

Tomatoes as well can offer some health benefits for dogs.

They are high in fiber which helps keep that digestive tract healthy.

Vitamin A, C and lycopene are all antioxidants that can help keep coats healthy and help prevent heart disease and arthritis.

Unfortunately, when we start giving dogs tomato sauces, juice or soups they become unhealthy do to the added salt and sugars.

Many of the over the counter options have other chemicals and artificial ingredients as well.

Stick to fresh tomatoes or those in minimal other ingredients for the healthiest snack.

How Are Sardines Different From Other Fish

Sardines are a really small fish.

This means the amount of mercury they have is much less than most other fish.

Mercury is not good in large doses for dogs, so this gives sardines less of a chance of poisoning your dog.

What To Look For When Buying Sardines In Tomato Sauce

You may want to just give them what is laying around the house and that might be OK.

But you do want to make sure that the amount of salt is minimal.

Many tomato sauce brines may be high in salt, so you definitely want to read those labels.

The less ingredients overall the better.

If it has onions in it, then definitely stay away.

It is rare that you will find onions in sardines, but you never know.

We know how bad chicken broth with onion is and that generally speaking onions can be toxic.

Dogs, like humans do need salt in their diet, but too much of it can be bad for both.

Arthritic Dogs

While there are no studies on this specifically, if your dog is arthritic you may want to avoid sardines in tomato sauce.

In humans we know that the acidity of tomatoes can aggravate existing arthritis and many veterinarians believe it is the same for dogs.

How Many Sardines In Tomato Sauce Can A Dog Eat

Remember, these are treats and should be part of a healthy diet, not a replacement for dog food.

For small dogs just a few sardines a week is recommended.

For larger dog breeder you can give a couple a day.

Other Sardine Options

Feeling a little hesitant on the sardines with tomato option?

Then why not try sardines in sunflower oil?

Those offer even more health benefits.

Also, if you do get the sardines in tomato sauce, you can always rinse those suckers off and give your dog just a plain old sardine.

Pretty sure they will be just as excited!

No matter what you decide to offer your dog, if it is the first time you will want to keep an eye on your dog.

Remember, every dog is different and although other dogs may do fine eating new foods, others may not.

Give your dog one and wait a day or two.

If they do well then go ahead and offer them another one and keep an eye again.

After a few tries you will know if your dog is sardine friendly.