Exotic Novel Protein Sampler Kit: Four Bags
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Most dogs have eaten chicken, beef and salmon a hundred times each before they turn two, usually without anyone deciding that on purpose. This kit is the four proteins left over: frog legs, baby octopus, whole quail eggs and scallops, each one a single ingredient bag small enough to test properly before you commit to anything larger. Nothing here is a flavor of something the dog already knows. The bundle guides hub has the rest of the sampler range.
What makes a protein novel, and what does not
Novel means the dog has genuinely never eaten it. Not a different cut of the same animal, and not the same fish under a fancier name. Turkey is not novel to a dog that eats poultry kibble. Frog and octopus are, for almost every dog in the country, and that is the only test that matters here. Our notes on treat training for picky dogs cover the dog that refuses anything unfamiliar on sight.
The four, one at a time
Freeze-dried frog legs come in a 1 ounce bag, one ingredient, with crude protein listed at 53 percent minimum and crude fat at 7 percent minimum. It is the smallest bag in the kit, which is the right size for a protein nobody in the house has any history with.
Freeze-dried baby octopus is a 2 ounce bag, one ingredient, crude protein at 70 percent minimum and crude fat at 3 percent minimum. Those are the highest protein and lowest fat figures in the kit by a clear margin. The texture is unlike anything else here, and dogs tend to have an immediate opinion about it either way.
Freeze-dried raw quail eggs are whole: yolk, white and shell together. Crude protein is listed at 31 percent minimum and crude fat at 26 percent minimum, so this bag sits at the opposite corner from the octopus on both numbers. Counts run 9, 18, 72 and 288. Take the nine for a first try.
Freeze-dried scallops come in a 2 ounce bag, one ingredient, crude protein at 68 percent minimum and crude fat at 3 percent minimum. Size, shape and color vary piece to piece, because these are whole scallops rather than a formed piece, so the bag will look uneven and that is normal.
Where this kit stops
Be clear about what this is not. If your vet has you working through proteins one at a time for a medical reason, that process belongs to them and this kit does not replace it. What it does is let you rotate in something genuinely unfamiliar without buying a full case of one thing to find out whether the dog will eat it.
Every bag is freeze-dried in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and the feeding guidance on each one says the same thing: a treat or a meal topper, not a complete diet. You can filter the whole range by protein, life stage and format on our explore page.
What we left out on purpose
Venison and rabbit. Both get called novel constantly and both turn up in commercial food often enough that a lot of dogs have already had them, which defeats the point. There is also no duck in here for the same reason. If you want the same four proteins in larger bags in one purchase, the Exotic Collection Box is that, and it makes more sense as a second order than a first.
Running the rotation
One bag, four days, nothing else new alongside it. Then the next. Write down what happened, because four proteins across two weeks blur together faster than you would think. Start with scallops or octopus if your dog already likes seafood, and start with frog legs if it does not, because that is the one with no obvious neighbor in its diet already.
Supervise treat time and count these against the day's food. Introduce anything unfamiliar gradually, and talk to your vet before you change anything structural about how your dog eats. There is more on portioning in our notes on treats for senior dogs on special diets.
What it replaces
A full size bag of one exotic protein bought on a hunch, which is how most people end up with a half used bag of something the dog will not touch. Four small bags cover four answers, and the ones that win are easy to reorder in a bigger size from our freeze-dried treats.
Questions we get
Are quail eggs eaten shell and all?
Yes, they are sold whole and that is how they are fed. The shell is part of why the texture is so different from the other three bags, and it is also why some dogs need a second offer before they take one.
Is frog leg really something a dog will eat?
More readily than most people expect. The pieces can be fed whole or broken down for a smaller dog, and the 1 ounce bag is the smallest in the kit, which is precisely so a refusal is cheap.
Which is the best one to start a fussy dog on?
Scallops, on the numbers alone: 68 percent minimum protein and 3 percent minimum fat, in whole pieces you can break down to a size the dog will take. If you would rather fail cheaply, start with the frog legs instead, because that is the 1 ounce bag.
How it ships
All four bags are ours, freeze-dried in Malvern, Pennsylvania, so this order leaves on a single label with one tracking number. There is no partner shipment to wait on. If you add the Exotic Collection Box it comes out of the same kitchen and travels in the same parcel.
Related guides
The rest of the sampler cluster:
