Tuna dog biscuits: savoury and quick to make
For dogs that drop everything for fish: a tin of tuna in water, an egg and wholemeal flour make around 40 savoury biscuits. Because fish spoils more quickly, they belong in the fridge.
Updated on
- Per biscuit
- ≈ 16 kcal
- Makes
- approx. 40 biscuits
- Total time
- 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
for approx. 40 biscuits
- Tuna in water, without added salt, drained1 tin130 g
- Egg1 medium egg, shelled50 g
- Wholemeal wheat flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)130 g
- Water40 ml
Total dough approx. 350 g · Shape: squares, approx. 2.5 cm. Always weigh flour, oats and meat – by eye, biscuits quickly end up bigger and higher in calories.
Ingredients checked
How to bake tuna biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C conventional (150 °C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Drain the tuna well and flake it finely with a fork or blend it briefly.
- Add the egg and flour and knead. Add the water a spoonful at a time until the dough is smooth and pliable.
- Roll the dough out about 5 mm thick between two sheets of baking paper and cut it into small squares (approx. 2.5 cm) with a pizza cutter.
- Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Leave them to dry for 30 minutes in the switched-off oven and let them cool.
Oven
170 °C conventional (150 °C fan)
Baking time
25 min + 30 min drying in the oven
Prep
15 min
Makes approx. 40 biscuits at ~16 kcal each
A baked biscuit weighs about 6 g. Nutrient values per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) (FDC number under each ingredient); water has no kcal.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal/100 g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna in water, without added salt, drainedUSDA FDC 171986 | 130 g | 116 | 151 |
| EggUSDA FDC 171287 | 50 g | 143 | 72 |
| Wholemeal wheat flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)USDA FDC 168944 | 130 g | 332 | 432 |
| Water | 40 ml | 0 | 0 |
| Total ÷ 40 biscuits | 654 ÷ 40 = 16 | ||
How many tuna biscuits your dog can have a day
Enter weight, age and exercise – the number of biscuits updates instantly.
- If your dog gets other treats or chews that day, give fewer biscuits accordingly.
- Reduce the daily ration by these 49 kcal – that's about 14 g of dry food.
How the number is worked out
Resting energy requirement 70 × 10 kg^0.75 ≈ 394 kcal × factor 1.6 ≈ 630 kcal a day. No more than 10% of that for treats = 63 kcal. 63 kcal ÷ 16 kcal per biscuit = 3.9 → rounded down to 3 biscuits.
The 10% rule comes from the WSAVA's guidance on treats.
Result · Adult
Up to 3 biscuits
Tuna biscuits a day
Treat budget 63 kcal (10% of 630 kcal) · 1 biscuit ≈ 16 kcal
The DoggoMeal app works out main meals in grams per ingredient to suit your dog.Storage · 5–7 days in the fridge
In a closed container in the fridge. To build up a stock, freeze them in portions (for up to about 3 months) and only thaw enough for a few days at a time.
Suits
- Variety for dogs that don't tolerate poultry or beef
- Fish fans
Contains
- Fish
- Wheat (gluten)
- Egg
Important for this recipe
- Only tuna in water – not in oil, not in sauce and ideally without added salt.
- Tuna is a large predatory fish and can contain mercury. Bake tuna biscuits for variety, not as an everyday snack.
- Always off-limits: sugar, salt, xylitol, chocolate, raisins, onion, garlic, macadamia nuts and nutmeg – see all the basic rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many tuna biscuits can my dog have a day?
One biscuit has about 16 kcal. Treats should make up no more than 10% of daily calories. That means a neutered, normally active dog weighing 5 kg can have about 2 biscuits a day, a 10 kg dog about 3 biscuits and a 25 kg dog about 7 biscuits – with the main meal made correspondingly smaller. The biscuit calculator on this page works it out for your dog.
Can I use tuna in oil?
Better not. Tuna in oil is much higher in fat – even when drained, a lot of oil stays in the fish. Use tuna in water, ideally without added salt.
How often can dogs eat tuna?
As a biscuit ingredient now and then, that's not a problem: each biscuit contains only just over 3 g of tuna. Because large predatory fish can contain mercury, it's better to alternate between different kinds of biscuit than to give tuna every day.
Can I use salmon instead of tuna?
Yes, cooked, boneless salmon works just as well. Salmon is higher in fat than tuna, so the biscuits then have more kcal each.
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Bake biscuits, keep track of the daily ration
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