Ingredient file // Other
Cod Broth
Flavored water that makes a wet food work
Cod broth is the liquid left from cooking cod: mostly water, with a little dissolved fish protein and fat. In a can it supplies moisture and some fish flavor. It adds almost nothing to the food's nutrition.
- What it is
- The watery liquid from cooking cod, carrying small amounts of dissolved fish protein, fat and minerals.
- Made from
- Cod cooked in water
- Main job
- Moisture and fish flavor
- Typical amount
- Not published; a 'with broth' label needs 3%
- Watch for
- Dogs with a diagnosed fish allergy
- Not the same as
- Bone broth or fish oil
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 2595 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
1 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 1 brand. All wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 2. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Who leans on it
100%
of the foods that list it are from Open Farm. 1 brand use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Cooking fish leaves a watery liquid behind. In wet pet food that liquid goes into the can as broth. Fish canning and fish oil plants dry the same kind of liquid into a feed ingredient called fish solubles.1,2
- 01 // Source Cod Cod, or cod pieces from processing, goes into water or steam to cook.
- 02 // Process Cooked Heat draws soluble protein, fat and minerals out of the fish and into the water.
- 03 // Process Oil separated In fish plants the liquid is centrifuged to pull off the oil. The watery fraction is what remains.
- 04 // Output Cod broth A thin liquid, about 97% water, added to the can along with the solid ingredients.
What is in it
Composition, as fed
97
% water
The water share of a plain fish stock straight off the stove. In a can, cod broth's job is moisture, with a little protein along for the ride.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Supplies the water
Wet food is mostly water. Regulators let foods labeled as broth, gravy or stew go above the usual 78% moisture ceiling, and the broth is how they get there.3
-
02
Adds fish flavor
Cooking moves soluble fish protein and fat into the liquid, about 2.3 g and 0.8 g per 100 g. Trade writers credit broths with making food more appealing to pets.2,6
-
03
Uses a cooking by-product
Fish cooking liquid is a by-product of canning and fish oil plants. Feed mills dry the same liquid into fish solubles, so it has a market in animal feed either way.1
How much No source publishes a typical amount. A label that calls a food 'with' an ingredient must contain at least 3% of it.4
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Critics say
Broth is mostly water
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Plain fish stock is about 97% water and 2.3% protein in USDA data. That is arithmetic, and it is not a flaw. In a wet food, the water is the reason to add it.2
-
Brands say
Broth keeps dogs hydrated
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a 10-dog crossover trial, dogs on canned food at 75% moisture took in more total water than on fresh food. A fresh-food company funded it. It tested whole foods, not broth, so broth's own effect is unmeasured.5
-
Brands say
Fish broth makes food tastier to dogs
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Trade writers say broths make food more appealing, but no dog trial has tested cod broth. The closest work, with 6 Beagles per diet, found a fish waste hydrolysate accepted as well as shrimp hydrolysate.6,7
-
Brands say
Broth collagen supports your dog's joints
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Joint claims rest on collagen, gelatin and hyaluronic acid in long-simmered bone broth. A trade review found no conclusive research in dogs or cats. Fish stock holds about 2.3 g total protein per 100 g.2,6
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
Mostly waterIt is about 97% water, so it adds little nutrition. It still has a job: a wet food needs that moisture, and the fish liquid flavors it. Do not count it as a protein source.2
-
Q02
Why is broth listed so high?
Weight orderIngredients are listed in descending order by weight, and broth is heavy because it is almost all water. A high place tells you the food is wet, not that it is mostly fish.2,4
-
Q03
Is cod broth the same as bone broth?
Not quiteBone broth is simmered for over 12 hours from bones, skin and tendons, and homemade versions run 3.8 to 6 g protein per 100 ml. A plain fish stock carries about 2.3 g per 100 g.2,6
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Cod 100%
- Potatoes 100%
- Herring 100%
- Blueberries 100%
- Sunflower Oil 100%
- Potassium Chloride 100%
- Choline Chloride 100%
- Vitamins 100%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
1 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Our read // On the bag
Count it as water, then read on
In a wet food, broth near the top of the list is normal. Ingredients are listed by weight, and broth is heavy with water. Judge the food by the meat right behind it and by the guaranteed analysis converted to dry matter, not by the broth.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Fish solubles
- 2 Soup, stock, fish, home-prepared (SR Legacy) nutrition facts
- 3 Title 012 | Chapter 003 | Regulation 022 (12 KAR 3:022)
- 4 Reading Labels
- 5 Feeding fresh food and providing water ad libitum is clinically proven to exceed calculated daily water requirements and impact urine relative supersaturation in dogs
- 6 Can bone broth live up to the expectations?
- 7 Protein hydrolysate and oil from fish waste reveal potential as dog food ingredients
- 8 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats