Comparison
Baby octopus or whole shrimp, one raw bag each
Updated
Octopus vs shrimp for dogs sets two raw, one-ingredient bags side by side. Our baby octopus comes whole, every tentacle on, with a smell the octopus page rates strong and pieces that vary. Our shrimp comes whole and curled in our photos, from a listing that asks for hand washing after you handle it.
What does each bag hold: a whole octopus or a whole shrimp?
The octopus bag holds a baby octopus per piece, tentacles intact, and the listing says size differs from piece to piece. The full listing is on our octopus for dogs page.
The shrimp ingredient line is one word, shrimp: whole and raw before drying, and the listing adds that nothing is seasoned. In our photos, the pieces look like whole curled shrimp bodies, long and thick next to the other treats in this set. For a closer look, what freeze dried shrimp look like goes through it, and the shrimp for dogs page covers the rest of that bag.
So the choice is a piece with tentacles against a piece that curls. Neither listing gives a piece count, and neither bag is a molded shape.
Which label prints more protein, and which more energy?
The figures below are the ones printed on the two package labels, unchanged.
| Bag | Protein (min) | Fat (min) | Fiber (max) | Moisture (max) | Energy, kcal ME/kg | Energy, kcal/oz (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby octopus | 70% | 3% | 18% | 15% | 2,235 | 63.4 |
| Shrimp | 71% | 3% | 8% | 10% | 2,831 | 80.2 |
On protein, the shrimp label prints 71% and the octopus label 70%. Both print the same 3% fat minimum. The octopus bag carries the higher fiber and moisture ceilings, and the shrimp bag carries the higher energy figure on both lines.
A label is a build sheet: it says what went in and stops before the road test. Neither one gives a reason for its numbers, and neither prints a figure for a single piece. Min means at least and max means at most, so each figure is a limit, not a reading from the bag in your hand.
Who washes up, and when, with two raw bags?
Whoever hands out the pieces, once the handling is done. The shrimp listing carries a line of its own: hands get washed after raw shrimp has been handled. The octopus listing has no such line, but the octopus is freeze-dried raw, which is our statement, so it gets the same treatment.
The FDA, raw pet food diets page (opened 2026-10-16) is the source for both: clean hands, and a clean surface wherever the raw food sat. We add no routine of our own on top of it.
The two listings also match on the bag and on its place at mealtime: both frame these as a treat or something over a meal, never a full diet on their own. Seal the bag again after opening, and give it a cool, dry spot.
How do the two differ in the house: smell and the shelf?
On smell, the octopus page's scorecard rates it strong. We have not described the shrimp's smell, so we make no comparison and offer no ranking.
On the shelf, the octopus listing calls its bag light and shelf stable. A best-by date is printed on each bag, and we set it 1 year after production. An opened bag should be used inside 30 days. That rule is ours, and it is the same for both.
How does each go to a small dog or a cat?
Both listings cover adult dogs of every size, so neither bag is held back from a small one. What changes is the piece. For the octopus, the listing's advice is whole or broken up, depending on the dog. For the shrimp, it gives training use as breaking one into bite-sized rewards.
For a cat, the octopus listing puts a cat's share at one piece; whole is allowed, and so is crumbling it over the meal. The shrimp listing speaks of cats too, and our suggestion for the cat side of either bag is small pieces. Ask your veterinarian before either goes into a cat's dish.
Questions
Which one is shellfish?
Both. The octopus is a mollusk and the shrimp is a crustacean, and our site files both with shellfish. We say nothing further on that, because neither listing prints a line about it either way.
Which is in the Exotic Collection Box?
Only the octopus. It is among the four bags the box holds, and the box is sold as a dog product. The shrimp bag is not in it, so if you want both bags, they come separately.
Which crunches more?
Crunch rates 4 of 5 for each bag on our scorecard, so they are level on that scale. That score is ours, not a lab result, and it says nothing about size or shape.
Do they score the same for training?
Yes. Both land on 3 of 5 in our training value scoring. The listings describe the use differently: break a shrimp into bite-sized rewards, or break an octopus piece to suit the dog.
Which bag carries more energy per ounce?
The shrimp label: about 80.2 kcal per ounce against about 63.4 on the octopus label. We report the figures as printed and give no advice from them, and neither label has a number for one piece.
Is either one seasoned?
No. The shrimp listing mentions no seasoning, and the octopus listing names baby octopus alone, free of grains, fillers or dyes. The guides hub has more of our reading on both.