Side by side
Blue-lipped mussels or scallops: how the bags differ
Updated
Mussels vs scallops for dogs is a comparison of two of our bags, each one shellfish with nothing added and the same size. The scallops are freeze dried raw; the mussels are blanched, a brief heat step, before freeze drying. The labels differ a little: scallops list more protein and fewer calories per ounce, mussels a little more fat.
What is the difference between freeze-dried mussels and scallops?
Both are mollusks, so both sit in the shellfish category, and each bag holds one ingredient with nothing added. Freeze dried scallops vs mussels comes down to three things the labels make plain: how each was prepared before drying, what the guaranteed analysis says, and what the piece is like in the hand. Both are imported shellfish that we freeze-dry in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Both bags are listed for adult dogs of all sizes and for cats.
Shellfish treats for dogs carry one caveat. A dog that has reacted to shellfish before should have neither bag, and if there is any history like that, ask your veterinarian before either one. The rest of this page assumes that question has been settled.
Which one is raw: the mussels or the scallops?
The scallops. They go into the freeze dryer raw, so that bag is a raw product and gets handled like one. Are freeze dried mussels raw is the question that catches people out, and the answer is no, not quite. The mussels are blanched, a brief heat step, before freeze drying. We do not call them fully cooked either; the label's word is blanched, and we leave it there.
Think of a bare metal panel next to one that has had a coat of primer: the same part underneath, one step further along. In the kitchen the difference is smaller than it sounds. Our handling line for the scallops is the raw one. The FDA, raw pet food diets guidance is to wash your hands after touching raw pet food, then clean and disinfect whatever it touched (opened 2026-10-16). We wash up after the mussels as well, because a seafood treat is a seafood treat.
How do the two labels compare?
Copied from the two printed labels, with nothing computed between them:
| Label line | Scallops | Blue-lipped mussels |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein (min) | 68% | 59% |
| Crude fat (min) | 3% | 4% |
| Crude fiber (max) | 4% | 6% |
| Moisture (max) | 16% | 10% |
| Metabolizable energy | 2,690 kcal ME/kg | 3,023 kcal ME/kg |
| Calories per ounce | about 76.2 | about 85.7 |
| Bag | 2 oz | 2 oz |
| Crunch (store scorecard) | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
Read it as two labels side by side and nothing more. Scallops print the higher protein line and the lower calorie line; mussels print the higher fat line, and the mussel listing uses the word rich. We do not say which is preferable for a body, because that is not what a label is for. The mussel listing's one or two at a time is the only count printed on either bag. The scallop listing says to adjust the amount to the pet's size, its age and how active it is.
How do the pieces differ in size and crunch?
Less than you might expect. Both bags score 4 of 5 for crunch on our scorecard and 3 of 5 for training value, so the hand feel is close: crisp and light, gone in a bite. The scallop bag is filled by weight, so the number of pieces varies from bag to bag, and the listing says the pieces run small. A mussel is a whole mussel, small as well, and both snap in two for rewards.
Where they differ is what each piece is, a whole scallop or a whole mussel, and the preparation behind it. The scallops guide covers what to leave off a scallop and the raw handling in more detail; the mussels guide has the shell and species notes for the other bag.
Which one should your dog try first?
Either, and only one at a time. VCA's treat article asks for new foods one at a time, slowly, with a small piece to start (VCA, Dog Treats, opened 2026-10-16). The same page keeps treats to about 10 percent of a dog's daily calories. Pick one bag, give a piece, and leave the other on the shelf until the first has had a fair run.
If the raw handling is the part you would rather skip for now, the mussels are the bag that is not raw, and that decides it for some households. If you want to see how your dog takes a raw freeze-dried treat, the scallops are that bag. Scallops or mussels for cats is the same decision in a smaller animal: both bags are listed for cats, and the labels do not rank them.
Both are a treat or topper on top of the day's proper meals, not a stand-in for them. Keep fresh water out and reseal whichever bag you opened. The guides hub lists the rest of our shellfish and odd protein pages.
Questions
Can a dog have both on the same day?
Once each has been introduced on its own, yes. Both count toward one treat allowance for the day rather than two. VCA's one new thing at a time applies while either is new, so do not make the first scallop and the first mussel the same afternoon. After that, the day's treat budget is shared between them.
Which one suits a cat?
Both bags are sold for cats as well as dogs, and the labels do not rank one above the other for either animal. The cat portion is not printed on either bag, so we have no count to give. A cat on a diet set by a veterinarian should have the new shellfish cleared first, as with any new food.
Are both single ingredient treats?
Yes. The scallop bag lists scallops and nothing else, and the mussel bag lists blue-lipped mussels and nothing else. Nothing is added to either one. The difference is in the preparation, raw for the scallops and blanched for the mussels, not in what is on the ingredient line.
Is either one in the Exotic Collection Box?
Scallops, yes. The box holds the frog legs, the baby octopus, the scallops and an 18 count of quail eggs, and the mussels are not among them. Someone who wants the mussels alongside the box buys the mussel bag on its own, and the storage routine is the same for all of them.
Is there mussel in Captain's Catch?
Yes. Mussel is one of the five ingredients in the Captain's Catch medley, and scallop is not one of them. The medley includes imported ingredients and is not a single ingredient treat, so it is a different product from either bag on this page, with a longer list to read before you buy it.
Do I handle blanched mussels like raw scallops?
We do. The scallops are raw, and the FDA line on raw pet food is written for them: wash your hands, then clean and disinfect what the food touched. The mussels are blanched rather than raw, but they are still seafood, so we wash up after them too. One habit for both bags is simpler than two.