Today I’m sharing where to buy green lipped mussels for dogs, both raw and dehydrated! I also mention alternatives for dogs with shellfish allergies, so read on!
FYI for my international readers: the suppliers I mention are in the US.
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated in 2021.
I started feeding my pups dehydrated green lipped mussels (short: GLMs) back in 2016, and remember how excited I was when I also found a supplier for raw GLMs to go into my dogs’ raw dog food in 2018.
What are Green Lipped Mussels?
GLMs are only found in the pristine waters off the coast of New Zealand where they are farmed without the use of growth hormones and/or pesticides.
They have a distinctive bright green stripe around their shell and a green lip on the inside of the shell. The actual mussels are light orange in color.
Benefits of GLMs for dogs
GLMs are known as a superfood because of their joint lubricating benefits. They’re extremely rich in glucosamine, chondroitin, and omega-3 fatty acids.
That said, they work well for dogs with hip dysplasia, relieve arthritis-related pain and are also great for preventing joint problems in the first place.
That’s why I recommend feeding them early on and on a regular basis, along with keeping your dog at a healthy weight to avoid joint strain.
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you may remember my blog posts about dehydrated green lipped mussels. I fed them to Missy & Buzz as joint lubricating treats and also turned them into a powdery food topper.
That was before I found them raw at Raw Feeding Miami.
Where to buy Green Lipped Mussels for dogs: Suppliers and Discount Code
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
Raw Feeding Miami (RFM) sells GLMs both raw and dehydrated
Their raw GLMS come in 2 lb bags for $12.50. Once thawed, they can be refrigerated for 4 days. Frozen they last 1 year.
Their price has increased a little since they first started carrying them, and I assume it has to do with their import costs. After all, they’re imported from New Zealand. They used to be $10.85 per 2.2 lb bag.
Every now & then they’re on sale. I once got them for $8.80 per bag and bought a total of 6 bags. That’s why I recommend browsing their Monthly Specials section on a regular basis!
Their dehydrated GLMS come in 3 oz bags and are $11.99.
Raw Feeding Miami Discount Code: 15% off
RFM gave me a 15% off discount code for my blog readers! If you’d like, please use this discount link for 15% off your order from Raw Feeding Miami.
Boo Boo’s Best Sells Green Lipped Mussels as Dehydrated Treats
Boo Boo’s Best Mighty Mussels are dehydrated Green Lipped Mussels that don’t contain anything else.
They’re available in 3 oz bags for $19.19.
Soul’y Raw Sells Air-Dried Green Lipped Mussels
This online raw dog food retailer doesn’t just sell raw dog food, they also carry air-dried single-ingredient cuts of meat/treats.
Their air-dried GLMs are available in 4 oz bags for $34, or 8 oz bags for $66.
Real Dog Has Air-Dried Green Lipped Mussels In Their Subscription Boxes
Real Dog (affiliate link with free treats for both of us!) is a wonderful dog treat subscription service I’ve ordered on an almost monthly basis since 2016.
All of their treats are single-ingredient, air-dried treats. They fall into the raw dog food ingredient categories muscle meat, fish, secreting organs, and raw meaty bones.
Real Dog rotates the treats in each category on a monthly basis, and part of their fish category are GLMS.
Whole GLM Alternative: Green-Lipped Mussel Oil
If your pup’s not crazy about whole green lipped mussels, you can also offer them as an oil. However, most options I saw consist of several ingredients.
The one with the shortest ingredient list I found on Amazon is GLX3 Extra Strength Green Lipped Mussel Oil Capsules. These are its ingredients, all of which are safe for dogs to consume:
- New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Oil
- New Zealand Olive Oil
- Vitamin E
When not to feed your dog GLMs
There are two words of caution I can think of regarding the GLMs.
Don’t feed them if your dog does poorly on shellfish, and limit the intake to 1-2 per day for larger dogs, and 1/2 to 1 for smaller dogs.
Also don’t feed them if your dog suffers from itchy hot spots. Those are caused by inflammation within his body and can be caused by warm and hot food sources such as mussels. Other culprits are chicken, turkey, venison, and lamb.
Joint lubricating alternatives for dogs who don’t do well with GLMs
Unfortunately, I found out that my current dog Wally doesn’t do well with Shellfish/Green Lipped Mussels when I had a food sensitivity test done on him, so I obviously no longer buy them for him.
That said, he still needs to eat food with joint lubricating benefits. I can find this in:
Other types of fish are also great sources of Omega-3s, which is why Wally gets raw mackerel or thread herring on a weekly basis. I buy both from Raw Feeding Miami.
If you’re not crazy about raw fish, you can also offer freeze-dried or air-dried options. For example, the air-dried herring version by Icelandic+. I came across the brand at a local pet retail store when I ran out of whole herring one day, and Wally LOVES these! They’re also available on Amazon.
Please leave your comments or questions in the comment section!
Related Reading:
Dog Supplement Hack: How I Make My Own Green Lipped Mussel Powder
Arthritis? Joint Pain? Lend Your Dog A Hand With These Healing Treats
Bone Broth Recipe for You And Your Dog
How To Make Turmeric Paste for Your Dog
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