Choosing Dog Food Toppers: What to Add, Why and When to Skip It
You open the refrigerator, look at your dog’s bowl and think, I could make this better.
So you add an egg. Then somebody tells you chia seeds are amazing. Someone else swears by turmeric. Sardines are good for omega-3s, so those go in too. Maybe some kefir for the gut, hemp hearts, a spoonful of pumpkin and a little ghee because healthy fats are good.
Pretty soon your dog’s dinner looks like the salad bar at Whole Foods.
I am absolutely in favor of adding fresh, whole foods to a dog’s diet. But as a Holistic Canine Health Practitioner and canine nutritionist, I want each addition to have a reason for being there.
See your vet for a diagnosis and then you and I can collaborate on a custom strategy for your dog's health.
What Is a Dog Food Topper?
A topper can be almost anything added to your dog’s primary food: meat, vegetables, seeds, eggs, fish, broth, fermented foods, oils, fats, freeze-dried foods or one of the dozens of powders marketed specifically for the top of the bowl.
Some are useful. Some are mostly expensive decoration. And some are very nutritious foods being used for absolutely the wrong dog.
That distinction is far more useful than whether the package says superfood on the front.
If fresh additions are becoming a substantial part of the bowl rather than a small topper, explore my canine nutrition resources. Once we start replacing a meaningful amount of a complete diet, we need to think about nutritional balance rather than simply adding more “good foods.”
Start With the Job: What Are You Trying to Add?
Before reaching for another seed, oil, powder or can of fish, decide what you actually want the topper to accomplish.
Common Dog Food Toppers and Grocery-Store Add-Ins
You do not necessarily need another $35 bag labeled Canine Superfood Meal Enhancer. Some of the most useful additions may already be in your refrigerator, freezer or grocery cart.
The amounts below are conservative food-topper starting points for otherwise healthy adult dogs. They are not therapeutic dosing instructions. A Chihuahua and a Great Dane obviously do not need the same spoonful, and a dog with pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease or another medical condition may need a completely different answer.
Sardines, Mackerel, Salmon & Anchovies
Best known for: EPA + DHA omega-3s, animal protein and marine nutrients.
Small oily fish are some of my favorite food additions because they provide preformed EPA and DHA. That is different from the ALA omega-3 found in chia, flax and hemp.
Sardines are convenient, but canned salmon, mackerel and anchovies can also work. Choose plain fish packed in water whenever possible and watch sodium, added oils, sauces and smoked products.
How much? A small dog may only need part of a sardine. Medium dogs may get around one, and larger dogs one or two, a few times per week depending on the fish and rest of the diet.
Use cautiously: pancreatitis, hyperlipidemia, significant fat restriction, phosphorus-restricted diets or when substantial supplemental fish oil is already being used.
Chicken Hearts, Beef Heart & Gizzards
Best known for: animal protein, B vitamins, iron and food variety.
Hearts are one of my favorite inexpensive grocery-store additions. Chicken hearts, turkey hearts and beef heart provide useful animal protein and nutrients, and many dogs love them.
Here is the part that trips people up: heart is anatomically an organ, but nutritionally we count it with muscle meat.
The same idea applies to gizzards. They are muscular tissue.
So if you are making homemade food, feeding chicken hearts does not mean you have covered the secreting-organ portion of the diet.
How much? As a topper, a small dog may get a small piece or one chicken heart, while larger dogs may tolerate several. When heart becomes a meaningful portion of a homemade recipe, calculate it as muscle meat rather than casually adding it.
Remember: liver, kidney, spleen and other secreting organs fill a different nutritional role.
Oysters
Best known for: zinc and concentrated trace minerals.
Oysters can provide zinc, selenium, B12, iron, copper and other trace nutrients. I like them when they are filling an actual nutritional need—not because every dog needs shellfish.
How much? For a small dog, even part of an oyster may be plenty. Medium and larger dogs may receive one or more depending on the rest of the diet.
Use cautiously: dogs with copper-associated liver disease or any diet where copper needs to be controlled.
Eggs
Best known for: high-quality protein, choline and nutrient density.
Eggs are inexpensive, easy to find and genuinely nutritious. They can be one of the simplest ways to add fresh animal food to a processed-food bowl.
How much? Depending on dog size and calorie needs, that might mean part of an egg for a small dog or a whole egg for a larger dog several times per week.
A large egg contributes roughly 70 calories. For a little dog, that is not a meaningless amount.
Use cautiously: egg sensitivity, strict elimination diets, significant fat restriction or phosphorus-restricted diets.
Plain Fresh Meat
Best known for: increasing fresh animal protein and palatability.
Plain beef, turkey, chicken, pork or other appropriately prepared meat can be one of the easiest fresh-food upgrades.
Skip heavily seasoned meat, deli meat, sauces and leftovers full of ingredients intended for people rather than dogs.
How much? A spoonful may be plenty for a small dog. Larger dogs can handle more, but once meat is regularly replacing a meaningful amount of complete food, I want to evaluate the overall diet rather than calling it a topper.
Important: repeatedly adding boneless chicken breast does not balance an incomplete homemade diet.
Chia Seeds
Best known for: fiber, stool support and ALA omega-3.
I think chia is more interesting as a fiber and functional-food ingredient than as a replacement for marine omega-3.
How much? Start small—roughly 1/8 teaspoon for a tiny dog and work upward toward 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for larger dogs. Hydrating chia first can make it easier to mix into food.
Use cautiously: highly digestible or intentionally low-fiber diets, dogs already receiving substantial fiber, or dogs whose stool worsens with additional fiber.
Hemp Hearts
Best known for: fatty acids, plant protein, minerals and food variety.
Hemp hearts contain protein, fat, fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are a food—not CBD—and sprinkling hemp seed onto dinner is not equivalent to using a cannabinoid product.
How much? Start around a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon for small dogs and increase gradually based on dog size, tolerance and the rest of the diet.
Use cautiously: dogs needing tight calorie or fat control, especially if several other seeds and oils are already being used.
Ground Flaxseed
Best known for: fiber, lignans and ALA.
Ground flax can add useful fiber and plant compounds. Whole seeds may simply pass through without contributing nearly as much.
Flax contains omega-3 primarily as ALA. I do not treat it as interchangeable with sardines, fish oil or another meaningful EPA/DHA source.
How much? Start around 1/8 teaspoon for very small dogs and work upward gradually based on size and tolerance.
Use cautiously: diets already high in fiber or fat, or dogs with very sensitive digestion.
Pumpkin Seeds
Best known for: magnesium, zinc, protein, fats and plant nutrients.
Plain unsalted pumpkin seeds or pepitas can be a useful rotation food. Grinding or chopping them usually makes more sense than expecting whole seeds to do much nutritionally.
How much? Think small—a pinch for tiny dogs and perhaps 1/4 to 1 teaspoon for larger dogs depending on calories and the rest of the meal.
Use cautiously: calorie-restricted diets, fat-sensitive dogs and dogs requiring phosphorus restriction.
Nutritional Yeast
Best known for: savory flavor, protein and potentially B vitamins.
Nutritional yeast can be an easy way to make food more appealing, especially for dogs who like its cheesy flavor.
But read the label. Fortified and unfortified nutritional yeast are not nutritionally identical. Many grocery-store products have B vitamins added, so the amount of vitamins can vary substantially from brand to brand.
Nutritional yeast is also not the same thing as brewer’s yeast or active baking yeast.
How much? Start with a pinch for little dogs and perhaps 1/4 to 1 teaspoon for larger dogs, depending on the product and the rest of the diet.
Use cautiously: when a dog is already receiving substantial vitamin supplementation or when you have not actually checked what the product has been fortified with.
Brewer’s Yeast
Best known for: B vitamins, protein and palatability.
Brewer’s yeast is another common pantry addition and is sometimes included in dog supplements and foods.
It is not the same product as nutritional yeast, and I would not use it as some sort of magic natural flea preventative.
How much? Follow the actual product label rather than assuming every brewer’s yeast product has the same concentration.
Use cautiously: dogs sensitive to yeast-containing foods or dogs already receiving substantial B-vitamin supplementation.
Turmeric
Best known for: curcuminoids and inflammatory/antioxidant pathways.
Turmeric may be one of the most oversimplified toppers on the internet. Grocery-store turmeric contains curcuminoids, but sprinkling turmeric into dinner is not the same thing as using a standardized, bioavailable curcumin formulation.
How much? I do not use a blanket kitchen-spoon dose for turmeric because preparation, concentration, medications and the reason for using it all change the answer.
Use cautiously: medications affecting clotting, gallbladder or bile-flow concerns, sensitive GI tracts or when concentrated herbal products are already being used.
Pumpkin
Best known for: fiber, moisture and temporary stool support.
Pumpkin can be helpful. It has also become the duct tape of canine digestion. Loose stool? Pumpkin. Constipation? Pumpkin. Gas? Pumpkin. Tuesday? Apparently pumpkin.
If your dog can only maintain a normal stool because pumpkin goes into every meal, I want to know why the stool is unstable without it.
How much? Start small—often around a teaspoon for a small dog and work upward based on size and stool response.
Use cautiously: when fiber is already high, the dog is on an elimination trial or pumpkin is masking a persistent digestive problem.
Plain Greek Yogurt & Cottage Cheese
Best known for: protein, calcium and palatability.
Plain Greek yogurt can provide protein and, depending on the product, live cultures. Cottage cheese can also be a convenient source of animal protein and is often very appealing to dogs.
Neither automatically belongs in every bowl just because dairy is familiar and inexpensive.
How much? Start with a teaspoon for small dogs and a tablespoon for larger dogs, then adjust based on tolerance, calories and the rest of the meal.
Use cautiously: dairy sensitivity, pancreatitis or fat restriction, phosphorus restriction and sodium-sensitive diets. Cottage cheese in particular can bring more sodium than people realize.
Kefir
Best known for: fermented-food variety and palatability.
Plain kefir can bring fermented food and microbial variety to the diet. Some dogs do beautifully with it. Others let you know rather dramatically that dairy was not your finest idea.
How much? Start with around a teaspoon or less for a small dog and increase gradually based on size and tolerance.
Choose plain, unsweetened kefir with no artificial sweeteners.
Use cautiously: dairy sensitivity, histamine concerns, elimination diets or dogs that develop gas, reflux, itching or loose stool.
Goat’s Milk
Best known for: moisture, calories, protein and palatability.
Goat’s milk can be useful for selected dogs, particularly when I want more moisture, calories or encouragement to eat. Fermented products may also contribute live microorganisms.
It is useful food. It is not magic gut juice.
How much? Start with a teaspoon to a tablespoon depending on dog size and increase only if the calories, fat and tolerance fit the dog.
Use cautiously: fat-restricted diets, dairy sensitivity, unwanted weight gain or when calories are already plentiful.
Bone Broth
Best known for: moisture and palatability.
Broth is one of my favorite simple ways to add moisture to dry food or encourage a reluctant eater.
But bone broth is not automatically a meaningful calcium supplement, nor does pouring broth over food make an otherwise unbalanced diet complete.
How much? A tablespoon may be plenty for a small dog. Larger dogs may receive several tablespoons or more depending on the broth and meal.
Use cautiously: high-sodium commercial broths, onion-containing products or fatty broth when a dog needs fat restriction.
Fresh Grocery-Store Mushrooms
Best known for: food variety, fiber and mushroom-specific plant compounds.
Shiitake, maitake, oyster, cremini and other culinary mushrooms can bring useful variety to the bowl when properly cooked and fed in reasonable amounts.
Grocery-store mushrooms are a completely different conversation from wild mushrooms growing in the yard.
How much? Start with a small chopped or cooked piece for little dogs and a spoonful for larger dogs as part of vegetable rotation.
Do not: assume a mushroom found outdoors is safe because it looks like something from the grocery store.
Fresh Vegetables
Best known for: fiber, phytonutrients, plant variety and low-calorie volume.
Vegetables are one of the easiest ways to bring more real-food variety into the bowl without dramatically increasing calories.
Think beyond green beans and carrots: broccoli, bok choy, leafy greens, zucchini, mushrooms, cabbage and other vegetables can all have a place depending on the dog.
See my guide to fresh vegetables for dogs and how to prepare vegetables for dogs.
Use cautiously: when a dog needs a tightly controlled highly digestible or low-residue diet.
Ghee, Grass-Fed Butter & Beef Tallow
Best known for: concentrated calories and dietary fat.
These can be useful when I intentionally want more calorie density without increasing the volume of food substantially.
The important word is intentionally.
Grass-fed butter does not magically become canine medicine because the cow had a nicer lunch. Ghee and tallow are still primarily concentrated fat and calories.
How much? Start in fractions of a teaspoon, especially with small dogs, and count those calories as part of the meal.
Usually not casual toppers for: pancreatitis, hyperlipidemia, obesity, gallbladder problems or dogs requiring significant fat restriction.
MCT Oil
Best known for: medium-chain triglycerides and targeted neurological or senior nutrition.
MCT oil is not simply another version of butter or tallow. Medium-chain triglycerides are metabolized differently, which is why they are particularly interesting in canine cognition and certain neurological nutrition strategies.
How much? I introduce it gradually and use it based on the purpose, dog size and total dietary fat rather than giving every dog the same kitchen-spoon recommendation.
Use cautiously: dogs prone to diarrhea, dogs needing tight fat control and anyone tempted to start with a big dose. Too much too quickly can make the backyard interesting.
Coconut Oil & Olive Oil
Best known for: additional dietary fat and calories.
Both are commonly added because they sound healthy.
Olive oil primarily brings monounsaturated fat. Coconut oil brings predominantly saturated fat and some medium-chain fatty acids, but it is not the same product as concentrated MCT oil.
Neither provides meaningful EPA and DHA, so if the goal is marine omega-3 support, these are not substitutes for sardines or fish oil.
How much? Fractions of a teaspoon may be plenty for small dogs. Treat oils as calorie-dense ingredients, not free nutritional bonuses.
Use cautiously: pancreatitis, hyperlipidemia, obesity or diets already containing plenty of added fat.
Liver & Secreting Organs
Best known for: vitamin A, copper, iron, B vitamins and concentrated nutrition.
Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we can feed. That is precisely why I do not treat it as an unlimited topper.
Liver, kidney and spleen fill a very different nutritional role from heart and gizzard.
In a properly formulated homemade diet, organs are calculated ingredients. On top of a complete commercial food, organ treats and vitamin supplements, they can become unnecessary nutrient stacking.
How much? I consider liver an ingredient to calculate rather than a casual handful-on-top food.
Use cautiously: copper-associated liver disease, diets already rich in organs or dogs receiving substantial vitamin/mineral supplementation.
Kelp, Seaweed & Nori
Best known for: iodine and trace minerals.
Kelp can be very useful when I am deliberately supplying iodine in a homemade diet.
It is also one of the foods I do not recommend casually sprinkling into every bowl. Iodine is a nutrient with an actual requirement, not a “more minerals must be better” situation.
Plain unsalted nori can be used occasionally as a food, but it is not a reliable way to precisely balance iodine.
Use cautiously: dogs already eating complete commercial food, dogs receiving iodine-containing supplements or dogs whose thyroid status makes indiscriminate iodine inappropriate.
Eggshell Powder
Best known for: calcium—but this is not really a topper.
Eggshell powder can be a useful calcium source in a boneless homemade diet when the amount has been calculated to balance the recipe.
It should not be sprinkled over complete food because calcium is “good for bones.”
Calcium and phosphorus need to make sense together.
This belongs in a recipe calculation: not in the casual topper rotation.
Other Grocery-Store Foods That Can Have a Place
Not everything needs its own nutritional fan club. These are other ordinary foods I may use depending on what the dog needs.
What About Cheese and Peanut Butter?
Yes, dogs love them. No, that does not automatically make them useful nutritional toppers.
Cheese
Cheese can provide protein, calcium and a lot of enthusiasm. It can also provide quite a bit of fat, sodium and calories in a very small package.
I think of cheese more often as a treat, training food or way to make something particularly appealing than as something every dinner needs.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is useful for hiding pills, filling enrichment toys and making a dog think you are the greatest person alive.
Nutritionally, it is primarily a calorie-dense fat source with a heavy omega-6 profile. Most dogs do not need it added to dinner every day.
And always check the ingredient list. Never give a peanut butter or nut butter containing xylitol, sometimes labeled birch sugar.
Healthy Foods I Would Not Add Just Because They Are “Healthy”
| Food | Why Someone Adds It | Why I Want a Reason First |
|---|---|---|
| Kelp | Minerals and iodine | Iodine should be intentional, especially when the base food or supplements already provide it. |
| Eggshell | Calcium | Useful in calculated boneless homemade diets—not something complete food automatically needs. |
| Liver | “Organ meat is healthy” | Very nutrient dense and easy to overdo, particularly vitamin A and copper. |
| Coconut Oil | Skin, coat, “healthy fat” | Mostly more fat and calories; it is not an EPA/DHA source and is not the same as MCT oil. |
| Ghee / Tallow / Butter | Healthy fat and calories | Useful when more calories are actually needed; unnecessary for many overweight or fat-sensitive dogs. |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | Digestion, yeast, fleas, “alkalizing” | I do not add vinegar routinely without a specific reason. It is not a universal fix for yeast, digestion, fleas or body pH. |
| Nutritional Yeast | B vitamins and flavor | Fortification varies dramatically. Read the label before stacking it with other supplements. |
| Cheese / Peanut Butter | Dogs love them | Mostly treat foods and easy sources of hidden calories. |
Quick Dog Food Topper Comparison
| Topper | Main Reason to Use It | Watch For |
|---|---|---|
| Oily fish | EPA/DHA, protein, marine nutrients | Fat, phosphorus, sodium, calories |
| Heart / Gizzards | Animal protein and nutrient variety | Count as muscle meat, not secreting organs |
| Oysters | Zinc and trace minerals | Copper |
| Egg | Protein, choline, nutrient density | Calories, phosphorus, sensitivity |
| Chia / Flax | Fiber and ALA | Too much fiber; not equivalent to EPA/DHA |
| Hemp / Pumpkin Seeds | Fatty acids, plant protein, minerals | Calories, fat, phosphorus |
| Turmeric | Curcuminoids | Bioavailability, medications, GI tolerance |
| Kefir / Yogurt | Fermented food, protein, palatability | Dairy tolerance, fat, stool changes |
| Bone Broth | Moisture and palatability | Sodium, seasoning, fat |
| Mushrooms / Vegetables | Plant variety, fiber, phytonutrients | Preparation and individual tolerance |
| Ghee / Butter / Tallow / Oils | Calories and dietary fat | Pancreatitis, obesity, hyperlipidemia |
| Liver | Vitamin A, copper, B vitamins, iron | Copper and nutrient excess |
| Kelp | Iodine | Excess iodine and unnecessary supplementation |
When Healthy Dog Food Toppers Become Too Much of a Good Thing
This is where most “best dog food toppers” lists fall apart. They tell you why each food is good but rarely tell you what happens when you combine six of them with a diet that was already complete.
Fat Stacking
Sardines, egg, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, ghee, tallow, butter, goat milk, coconut oil and MCT oil may each have a legitimate purpose. Stack several together and the total fat load can look very different from what you intended.
Calorie Creep
The base food may not be causing the weight gain at all. The problem may be the egg, cheese, sardine, hemp hearts, dental chew, training treats, peanut butter and “tiny little spoonful” of something at every meal.
Every item seems insignificant on its own.
Your dog’s waistline has been keeping receipts.
Mineral Stacking
Liver, shellfish, kelp, seeds, eggshell, mineral powders and commercial supplements can provide useful nutrients. They can also pile iodine, copper, phosphorus, calcium or trace minerals on top of an already complete diet.
More nutrition is not always better nutrition.
Which Dogs Need More Care With Toppers?
Pancreatitis or Hyperlipidemia
I am much more careful with oily fish, fatty dairy, ghee, butter, tallow, coconut oil, MCT oil, seeds and other calorie-dense fats. Total dietary fat becomes more important than whether an individual food is generally considered healthy.
Kidney Disease
Phosphorus, sodium, potassium, protein needs, calories, hydration and current laboratory trends all need to be considered. Sardines, eggs, organs, dairy and seeds cannot be evaluated in isolation.
Liver or Copper Problems
Liver, oysters and other copper-rich foods may be exactly what we do not need. The diagnosis, laboratory trends and overall copper intake change the plan.
Overweight Dogs
Nutrient-rich foods still contain calories. Fat-rich foods contain a lot of them. A dog trying to lose weight does not need every “healthy fat” on social media piled into the same bowl.
Dogs on Elimination Diets
Stop adding things. An elimination trial cannot tell us much if proteins, dairy, chews, powders, broths and toppers continue sneaking into the experiment.
Dogs on Therapeutic Diets
Find out what the veterinary diet is trying to control before altering it significantly. Enough toppers can change fat, phosphorus, protein, sodium, fiber, calories and mineral intake.
How Much Fresh Food Can I Add to Kibble?
If a dog is eating a complete commercial food, I start conservatively with miscellaneous unbalanced extras. Keeping treats and extras to roughly 10% of daily calories is a reasonable general starting point.
But I do not interpret that as “fresh food can never exceed 10%.”
Once you begin replacing a meaningful amount of complete food with meat, eggs, vegetables, fish, seeds, fats and other ingredients, we have moved beyond a topper. Now we need to evaluate whether the new overall diet supplies what the dog actually needs.
What About Commercial Dog Food Toppers?
I do not think every commercial topper is garbage.
Freeze-dried meat, gently dried whole foods, broths and thoughtfully formulated products can make adding variety or moisture easier, and convenience absolutely has value.
But I still want you to turn the package around and ask:
- What is actually in it?
- Is it complete and balanced or intended only for supplemental feeding?
- What nutrient or function am I getting from it?
- Is the serving large enough to provide a meaningful amount?
- Could I accomplish the same thing with a simple grocery-store food?
- Am I paying for nutrition—or mostly convenience and marketing?
Sometimes the commercial topper is absolutely worth buying.
Sometimes the $28 bag of “superfoods” contains things already sitting in your refrigerator.
The Better Question Isn’t “What Can I Add?”
Instead of asking “What healthy things can I put in my dog’s bowl?”, ask:
A healthy young dog eating kibble may benefit from more moisture, vegetables, an egg and thoughtfully rotated fresh foods.
A senior losing muscle may need us to focus much more carefully on protein, calories, digestibility and muscle condition.
A dog with chronic GI problems may actually need fewer ingredients, not more.
A dog with pancreatitis may need careful fat control. A dog with kidney disease may need us looking at lab trends before tossing phosphorus-rich foods into the bowl. A dog with liver disease may need an entirely different mineral strategy.
This is where the whole dog changes the plan.
When I evaluate nutrition as a holistic pet health coach and canine nutritionist, I am looking at age, breed, weight, muscle condition, appetite, stool, diet history, treats, chews, toppers, oils, medications, supplements, laboratory trends, other diagnoses and the reason you wanted to change the bowl in the first place.
Before You Add One More Thing Tonight
Look at the bowl first and ask:
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- What is already being provided by the base diet?
- Is this actually the best food for that job?
- Am I already supplying the same nutrient somewhere else?
- Does my dog’s health history make this food a poor choice?
- Have my “little extras” quietly become a significant percentage of the diet?
You do not need twelve superfoods at every meal.
Sometimes the better bowl is the simpler one—the one where each ingredient has a reason to be there.
And if you are staring at the bowl thinking, I have absolutely no idea anymore, that is exactly the kind of big-picture nutrition work I help pet parents sort through.
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