shrimp

What it is

Dried or freeze-dried shrimp: very lean, very protein-dense, with the astaxanthin tint krill shares. The human shellfish-allergy frame doesn't port cleanly — crustacean allergy in dogs and cats is documented but uncommon, nothing like its human prevalence.

Why it's in pet food

Novelty treats and topper appeal, especially for cats. Whole freeze-dried shrimp is another honest single-ingredient product; shrimp 'flavor' deep in an ingredient list is aroma chemistry.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Seated: shrimp took its named-protein seat in the 2026-08 matcher update alongside krill, so a shrimp-led recipe earns the named bonus — no deduction, no flag otherwise. Raw-feeding footnote: raw shrimp carries the thiaminase concern from the thiamine page; dried, freeze-dried, and cooked forms don't. As treats: the calorie math is friendly, the sodium in some human-market dried shrimp less so — pet-market versions skip the brine.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list shrimp

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• ORIJEN WILD RESERVE, Wild-Caught Fish Recipe84
• Fancy Feast Classic Paté Salmon & Shrimp Feast78
• Fancy Feast Wet Cat Food Flaked Fish and Shrimp Feast76
• Fancy Feast Classic Paté Cod, Sole & Shrimp73
• Fancy Feast Grilled Salmon & Shrimp Feast In Gravy73
• Friskies Ocean Favorites Meaty Bits With Salmon, Shrimp & Brown Rice In Sauce73
• Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Tuna, Shrimp & Rice Entrée In Sauce73
• Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood Feast In Gravy69

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food
• MSD Veterinary Manual — food allergy in dogs and cats

Related ingredients

• salmon meal
• sardine
• sardine meal
• tilapia
• trout
• tuna

Further reading

• Protein quality vs quantity — why the % is only half the story
• Storing pet food so it stays the food you bought