Ingredient file // Flavor
Tuna Broth
Mostly water with a useful tuna flavor
Tuna broth is the liquid made by cooking tuna tissue or parts. In wet food and toppers it supplies moisture and spreads fish flavor. It contains some protein, but its weight on an ingredient list is mostly water.
- What it is
- A liquid made by cooking tuna tissue or parts, used to add moisture and fish flavor to pet food.
- Made from
- Tuna tissue or parts
- Main job
- Moisture and fish flavor
- Typical amount
- Varies; one wet dog recipe declares 48.10%
- Watch for
- Dogs with a diagnosed fish allergy
- Not the same as
- Tuna meat or tuna oil
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 631 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
4 of the 2,523 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 4 brands. 2 wet dog food, 2 dog food topper.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 1. In the top five of 4 foods, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Who leans on it
25%
of the foods that list it are from Simply Nourish. 4 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Tuna processing leaves usable fish material alongside the meat sold for food. The pet-food fish-broth standard describes cooking fish parts or muscle into broth. Cannery cooking-liquid studies do not show that liquid is the source of commercial tuna broth.3,5,9,10,11
- 01 // Source Tuna tissue Suitable tuna muscle or other fish parts provide the starting material described by the fish-broth standard.
- 02 // Process Cook the fish Cooking the tuna draws soluble fish compounds into liquid, giving it flavor as well as some protein.
- 03 // Process Separate the liquid The liquid is separated from the cooked fish pieces; the broth ingredient is the liquid.
- 04 // Output Wet tuna broth The liquid reaches pet-food makers for wet recipes and toppers, distinct from tuna meat or oil.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
63.4
% protein
Protein made up this share of one tuna cooking liquid's dry solids. That liquid was mostly water and was not tested as pet-food broth.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Adds recipe moisture
Wet food needs liquid. Broth supplies water within the food, while its fish-derived compounds give that liquid a purpose beyond plain added water.1,9,11
-
02
Spreads tuna flavor
Cooking moves some fish compounds into liquid. Mixing broth through a wet recipe distributes tuna flavor, which is why a dog topper brand markets it for taste.3,12
-
03
Supplies bulk liquid
An industry report tracks tuna broth as a pet-food input and says wet broths tend to go into wet foods. Its uniform broth price cannot prove a cost saving.9
How much One complete wet dog recipe declares 48.10% tuna broth; that product example is not a standard amount.13
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.
-
Brands say
Tuna broth boosts a dog's hydration
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
No study has tested tuna broth. The nearest dog data is a brand-funded crossover study in 10 dogs: 88 grams more daily water intake on a moist food than on kibble. That compared whole diets, not broth.1
-
Brands say
Tuna broth makes picky dogs eat more
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A tuna cooking-liquid study used 40 human tasters to assess processed concentrates. A dog topper brand also sells tuna broth for taste. Neither provides a controlled dog test showing that broth increases meal intake.3,12
-
Owners say
Broth high on the list means lots of tuna protein
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
One measured tuna cooking liquid contained 4.09% protein and 93.55% water as fed. It was not a pet-food broth sample, but it shows why liquid weight cannot stand in for tuna meat or a finished food's protein analysis.3,6
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt supplies water and distributes fish flavor through a wet food or topper. Those are recipe jobs. Its wet weight tells you little about the finished food's protein, so read the guaranteed analysis too.3,6,9
-
Q02
Does it count as tuna protein?
A littleTuna cooking liquid contains dissolved protein, but one measured sample had only 4.09% as fed. That sample was not verified pet-food broth. Look for tuna meat and the food's analysis when judging protein.3
-
Q03
Should mercury worry me?
Check the sourceFDA ranks tuna species differently for mercury in fish. Those rankings do not measure broth. If tuna products make up a large part of your dog's daily food, ask the maker which species it uses and whether it tests contaminants.8
-
Q04
Can broth replace a complete meal?
NoA broth topper needs a complete food alongside it unless its package states that it is complete and balanced. Read the nutritional adequacy statement before feeding any wet product as the whole diet.7,12
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
- Tuna 100%
- Carrots 75%
- Sunflower Oil 75%
- Salmon 50%
- Xanthan Gum 50%
- Water Sufficient for Processing 25%
- Tapioca Starch 25%
- Potatoes 25%
- Peas 25%
- Pollock 25%
- Pumpkin 25%
- Coconut Oil 25%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
4 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Our read // On the bag
Read the broth as water and flavor
If tuna broth sits high on a wet food's ingredient list, remember that liquids are weighed with their water. Look for tuna meat nearby, then check the guaranteed analysis and nutritional adequacy statement. Use a supplemental topper with a complete food, and skip tuna broth for a dog with a diagnosed fish allergy.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Feeding fresh food and providing water ad libitum is clinically proven to exceed calculated daily water requirements and impact urine relative supersaturation in dogs
- 2 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 3 Utilization of cooking juice of young tuna processed into canned tuna as condiments: Effect of enzymatic hydrolysis and membrane treatment
- 4 Enhancement of Agricultural Processed By-Products: Qualities Analysis of Fermentation Method in Gradient Salt Adding Treatment of Tuna Cooking Juice with Black Bean Koji Added
- 5 Ingredient Definitions Report Midyear 2014
- 6 What's in the Ingredients List?
- 7 Reading Labels
- 8 Advice about Eating Fish
- 9 Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis
- 10 Byproducts
- 11 Let's take stock (or broth)
- 12 Tuna Broth for Dogs 18-pack
- 13 Bungener Meatonly Tetra Recart Wet Food Series - Atlantic Tuna ( Dog )
- 14 People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets