Ingredient file // Animal protein
Monkfish
Lean white fish protein, one fish among several
Monkfish is a lean white fish from the North Atlantic, added to fish-only kibble as fresh or raw fish. It supplies protein with very little fat, and on a label it is a supporting fish, not the main source.
- What it is
- A bottom-dwelling North Atlantic fish with a huge head, added to kibble as fresh or raw fish.
- Made from
- Wild Atlantic monkfish caught by trawl or gillnet
- Main job
- Lean named fish protein
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Dogs with a diagnosed fish allergy
- Not the same as
- Fish meal or whitefish meal
Straight answer
Is Monkfish safe for dogs?
Read it as one fish among several
Monkfish on a label is a lean fresh fish weighed wet, so its rank overstates its share of the kibble. Look past it to the fish meals and oils, which carry most of the protein and omega-3. If your dog has a fish allergy, skip the recipe.
- Why it is in the food
- Lean named fish protein
- How common
- Listed by 1 of the 3,204 foods we track
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 3,204 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
<1%
1 of the 3,204 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 1 brand. All dry dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 3. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 1 priced foods, 105% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
100%
of the foods that list it are from Orijen. 1 brand use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Monkfish is a US Northeast fishery that landed 13 million pounds in 2024, mostly for the human seafood trade. People eat only the tail, so most of each fish is left over.1,2,4,7
- 01 // Source Atlantic monkfish Caught from Maine to North Carolina by bottom trawl, sink gillnet and scallop dredge.
- 02 // Process Tail cut away The tail, about 30 to 35% of body weight, is the only part sold widely as human food.
- 03 // Process Heads and guts left Heads and viscera make up about 66% of the fish and are mostly treated as waste.
- 04 // Output Fresh or raw fish Arrives at the kibble plant fresh or raw, about 83% water, and is listed ahead of the dry fish meals.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
86
% protein
Protein in raw monkfish on a dry basis, calculated from USDA data. Fat is about 9%, so this is lean protein, not a fat source.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Protein without much fat
Dry, monkfish flesh is about 86% protein and 9% fat. It adds protein while leaving the fat level to oily fish and added oils.2
-
02
Fills out fish-only recipes
Chicken-free fish recipes stack several named species. One lists monkfish third, between salmon and Acadian redfish, and sells the food as chicken free.7
-
03
Earns a high list position
Ingredients rank by weight as added. Raw monkfish is about 83% water, so a modest amount of dry protein lands near the top of the list.2,8
How much Brands do not publish monkfish's own share. One fish recipe claims 85% animal ingredients, split across several fish.7
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
Monkfish is a very lean protein
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Plain arithmetic: raw monkfish has 14.5 g protein and 1.52 g fat per 100 g, about 86% protein and 9% fat dry. The finished food is not lean, though; one fish kibble guarantees at least 16% fat.2,7
-
Brands say
A natural source of selenium and B12
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Raw monkfish carries 36.5 micrograms of selenium and 0.9 micrograms of B12 per 100 g. Complete foods still add a vitamin premix, and the fish recipe we read lists a B12 supplement, so monkfish does not cover the need.2,7
-
Owners say
Fish protein suits dogs with food allergies
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Fish caused reactions in 5 of 297 dogs with proven food allergies, far fewer than beef at 102. The same review cautions that its whole allergen list could simply reflect what dogs were commonly fed, and the count says nothing about monkfish specifically.5
-
Brands say
Adds omega-3s for skin and coat
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Monkfish is lean: 0.61 g total polyunsaturated fat per 100 g raw, with omega-3 only part of that. A fish kibble's omega-3 comes mainly from oily fish and added herring oil. One trial of monkfish itself in dogs was not located.2,7
-
Owners say
Fish dog food is a mercury danger
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Monkfish averaged 0.161 ppm mercury in 11 FDA samples, seven times salmon. In a 51-food study, fish diets had about ten times the mercury of poultry diets, yet the authors judged direct toxicity unlikely.3,6
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Why is monkfish listed so high?
Water weightLabels rank ingredients by weight as added, and raw monkfish is about 83% water. Most of that water leaves during cooking, so its share of the finished kibble is smaller than its rank suggests.2,8
-
Q02
Is it the fillet or the leftovers?
Label won't sayPeople eat only the tail, about a third of the fish, and the rest is mostly waste. The word monkfish on a label does not tell you which part a food used. Either way it is fish tissue.4
-
Q03
Is it safe for a chicken-allergic dog?
Yes, in partMonkfish has no chicken in it, and chicken caused reactions in 45 of 297 food-allergic dogs. Read the whole list, though: one chicken fat or chicken meal line undoes the switch.5
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Whole Herring 100%
- Salmon 100%
- Acadian Redfish 100%
- Flounder 100%
- Whole Whiting 100%
- Sardine Meal 100%
- Herring Meal 100%
- Pollock Meal 100%
On the shelf
Foods that list Monkfish
1 food in our catalog lists it, highest on the label first.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 24, 2026.
- 1 Monkfish
- 2 Fish, monkfish, raw (SR Legacy) nutrition facts per portion
- 3 Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012)
- 4 Optimal Production of Protein Hydrolysates from Monkfish By-Products: Chemical Features and Associated Biological Activities
- 5 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 6 Evaluation of Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and Mercury Contamination in Over-the-Counter Available Dry Dog Foods With Different Animal Ingredients
- 7 ORIJEN Six Fish Recipe Dry Dog Food
- 8 What's in the Ingredients List?