If you just bought some for dinner or if you’re trying to add some variety to your furry friend’s diet, you may be wondering if mussels are safe for dogs. Can dogs eat mussels? Is this seafood a healthy option for our pets, and if so, how should it be prepared?

Let’s go into all the ins and outs of mussels for dogs!

Can dogs eat mussels?

We can be short about this: yep. Although mussels aren’t exactly something our dogs’ wild ancestors would come across on a daily basis, they can definitely eat this shellfish species. If you’re having mussels for dinner tonight, feel free to put some aside to prepare for your dog.

Whereas some of us humans still get a little squeamish about shellfish, most dogs will immediately recognize mussels as food and appreciate them as a treat. Any type of mussel out of the 17 edible species is fine, from the common blue mussel to the more exotic species like the New Zealand green-lipped mussel. Just avoid freshwater mussels, since those apparently taste like gym socks and may in fact be unhealthy due to accumulated toxins as a result of their filter-feeding habits.

Dogs actually like all sorts of seafood, so aside from mussels, you can also offer things like scallops, oysters, shrimp, crab and pretty much anything you’ll find at your local fish market.

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Benefits of mussels for your dog

If you’re familiar with the benefits of mussels for humans, you’ll know that this shellfish species (from the family Mytilidae) are nutritious and high in essential long-chain omega-3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA. Additionally, they’re considered good or excellent sources of the following:

• Selenium, a dietary antioxidant
• Zinc, which plays a role in the metabolism
• Iron, which plays a role in red blood cell formation
• Vitamin B12, which plays a role in the circulatory and nervous systems
• Folate, which is essential for proper cell division

Aside from that, mussels also contain some vitamin C and plenty of other (micro)nutrients, making them a healthy and appropriate addition to your dog’s diet.

How to feed mussels

Cooked mussels

You can buy fresh mussels at your local fish market, in some supermarkets and even online nowadays. These can make a delicious meal for you (the Belgians steam ’em with some veg and serve with thickly cut fries!), but mussel dishes made for humans are obviously not the best for your dog. They’re just too high in salt, oil, and other condiments that aren’t ideal for our furry friends’ health. Sure, they can have one or two, but if you want to feed a more significant portion then you’ll have to prepare some separately.

The easiest way to cook mussels for your dog is to steam or boil them using plain water. Here’s how you do it:

• Check that all of your mussels are alive. Any that are dead (open, unresponsive) must be discarded.
• Remove the hairy beard that sticks out of the shell, as it makes the mussels unpalatable. GIve them a good rinse.
• Bring some water to a boil and boil the mussels for five minutes.
• Most of the mussels will open. It’s a popular belief that the ones that stay closed should be discarded, but luckily, this is not true. They should be fine and you can just pry them open.
• Remove the flesh from the shells and offer to your furry test panel.

Feed the mussels plain or mix them with your dog’s food. You can even freeze them to use as treats whenever you need them.

Freeze-dried mussels

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding, cleaning and preparing mussels for your dog, worry not. Pet food companies have realized that mussels are nutritious and that dogs love them, and so have made the whole thing a bit easier for us.

You can buy freeze-dried mussel treats for your dog online and in some pet stores. These are usually green-lipped mussels, which are popular in natural health circles because they contain chondroitin and glucosamine, which is good for the joints. Studies from 2002 and 2009 showed that arthritic signs in dogs improved when they were fed green-lipped mussel, although the latter was published in a journal dedicated to alternative medicine and may have to be taken with a grain of salt. Other studies found no effects.

Whatever the case, freeze-dried mussels still make for a healthy snack or training treat! Because they haven’t been heated, they retain all their health benefits. Definitely something to consider if your dog suffers from arthritic symptoms, in our opinion.

Mussel supplements & powders

Because of the likely health benefits of green-lipped mussels discussed above, this species is an increasingly popular addition to health supplements for both humans and dogs. If you don’t feel like buying whole freeze-dried mussels or cooking them yourself, but still want the health benefits for your furry friend, you can buy them in other forms:

• Freeze-dried powder to sprinkle over food
• Soft chews
• Oil capsules

Conclusion

So, can dogs eat mussels? The answer is a resounding yes. Mussels are a healthy addition to your dog’s diet, whether cooked, steamed, freeze-dried or in powdered form. Green-lipped mussel specifically may have health benefits and help with joint health.

PS: Looking for other healthy treats for your pooch? Don’t forget to have a look at our Favorite Recipes section!

BIERER, Tiffany Linn; BUI, Linh M. Improvement of arthritic signs in dogs fed green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus). The Journal of nutrition, 2002, vol. 132, no 6, p. 1634S-1636S.

Carboni, S., Kaur, G., Pryce, A., McKee, K., Desbois, A. P., Dick, J. R., … & Hamilton, D. L. (2019). Mussel consumption as a “Food First” approach to improve omega-3 status. Nutrients, 11(6), 1381.

COBB, Christopher S.; ERNST, Edzard. Systematic review of a marine nutriceutical supplement in clinical trials for arthritis: the effectiveness of the New Zealand green-lipped mussel Perna canaliculus. Clinical Rheumatology, 2006, vol. 25, no 3, p. 275-284.

HIELM-BJÖRKMAN, Anna, et al. Evaluating complementary therapies for canine osteoarthritis part I: green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009, vol. 6, no 3, p. 365-373.