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Ingredient file // Named animal protein

Menhaden Fish Oil

Oil extracted from menhaden, a small oily fish caught for oil and meal.

Menhaden Fish Oil

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 35 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

3%

73 of the 2,523 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 18 brands. 65 dry dog food, 6 wet dog food, 2 dog food topper.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 12. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

58%

Listed before the salt in 58% of foods. In the rest it is under about 1% of the recipe.

Price per lb

Foods with it $2.90
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 42 priced foods, 10% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

29%

of the foods that list it are from Natural Balance. 18 brands use it in total.

What it is

Why it turns up in dog food

  • Very rich in EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids from a fish low on the food chain.

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Natural Balance 21
  2. Dr. Tim's 8
  3. Verus 6
  4. Instinct 5
  5. Nulo 5
  6. Rachael Ray Nutrish 4
  7. Hungry Bark 4
  8. By Nature 4
  9. Authority 3
  10. Taste of the Wild 2

Plus 8 more brands.

Amazon best sellers that list it

  1. #33 Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food

Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Flaxseed 58%
  2. Chicken Fat 58%
  3. Chicken Meal 51%
  4. Natural Flavor 49%
  5. Brown Rice 38%
  6. Peas 34%
  7. Chicken 34%
  8. Sweet Potatoes 26%
  9. Dried Plain Beet Pulp 26%
  10. Lentils 25%
  11. Turkey Meal 22%
  12. Egg Product 16%

On the shelf

Foods that list it

73 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.

Verus Advanced Opticoat Menhaden Fish Meal and Potato Formula Dry Dog Food24.4% protein
Show 59 more Rachael Ray Nutrish Dish Beef & Brown Rice with Veggie & Fruit Blend Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinDiamond>Care Diamond Care Rx Renal Formula Dry Dog Food14.4% proteinWholeHearted Healthy Benefits Weight Control Lamb and Pea Recipe Dry Dog Food29.5% proteinVerus VēRUS Canine Small Breed Turkey Formula Dry Dog Food28.0% proteinInstinct Original Wet Dog Food52.3% proteinTaste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Canine Recipe with Lamb in Gravy Wet Dog Food44.4% proteinTaste of the Wild Southwest Canyon Canine Recipe with Beef in Gravy Wet Dog Food50.0% proteinAuthority Everyday Health Chicken & Rice Entree Puppy Wet Dog Food45.5% proteinInstinct Original Flaked Tuna Entrée Dog Food Topper44.4% proteinInstinct Original Food Real Beef Recipe Wet Dog Food52.3% proteinInstinct Original Food Real Chicken Recipe Wet Dog Food43.2% proteinInstinct Original Split Cups Paté Chicken Entrée Dog Food Topper45.5% proteinPure Balance Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinBlackwood Small Breed Grain Free Turkey & Lentils Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinBlackwood Lean Senior Adult Dog Chicken Meal Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food22.2% proteinDr. Tim’s Glacier Athletic Blend Dry Dog Food36.1% proteinDr. Tim’s Momentum Highly Active Dry Dog Food38.9% proteinDr. Tim’s RPM Salmon & Pork Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinDr. Tim’s Pursuit Active Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinDr. Tim’s Metabolite Weight Management Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis Sensitive Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis Senior Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis All Life Stages Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinAuthority Everyday Health High Performance All Life Stages Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinAuthority High Performance All Life Stages Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Large Breed Real Beef, Pea, Carrot & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Dish Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe with Veggie & Fruit Blend Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinPure Balance Pro+ Chicken & Brown Rice Large Breed Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNulo Culinary Harvest Puppy Chicken & Whitefish Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo Culinary Harvest Beef, Pork & Lamb Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo Culinary Harvest Chicken & Whitefish Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo Culinary Harvest Small Breed Beef, Pork & Lamb Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo Culinary Harvest Turkey & Herring Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinAbound Grain Free All Life Stages Salmon & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinEvanger’s Grain-Free Whitefish and Sweet Potato Recipe with Salmon Meal Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinVerus Grain-Free Cold Water Fish Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal & Herring Formula Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinVerus Grain-Free Life Virtue Chicken, Lentils & Yams Formula Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinVerus Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy Chicken, Lentils & Yams Formula Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinVerus Puppy Advantage Chicken Meal, Oats & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNature’s Recipe Grain-Free Puppy Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNature’s Recipe Original Puppy Lamb Meal & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNatural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Chicken Meal & Duck Meal Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinNatural Balance Original Ultra Grain-Free Chicken Senior Formula Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinNatural Balance Original Ultra Grain-Free Chicken Small Breed Bites Formula Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinNatural Balance Original Ultra Grain-Free Large Breed Bites Chicken Formula Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinNatural Balance Original Ultra Grain-Free Chicken Formula Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Beef Small Breed Bites Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb & Brown Rice Dry Puppy Food26.7% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Turkey Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Lamb Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Beef Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Duck & Potato Dry Puppy Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Small Breed Bites Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Duck & Potato Small Breed Bites Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Small Breed Bites Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNatural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Duck & Potato Dry Dog Food26.7% protein
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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