A dog’s diet is primarily based on animal protein, so if you wonder, can my dog eat fish? the answer is yes, if you can. However, some care must be taken as indicated below.
Both cooked fish and raw fish are excellent sources of animal protein for your dog, but they can also be a great danger. If you want to feed your dog fish, don’t miss these tips.
Index of contents
- 1 Is it dangerous for my dog to eat fish?
- 2 How to safely feed a dog fish?
- 3 Can a dog eat raw fish?
- 4 Nutritional benefits of fish
Is it dangerous for my dog to eat fish?
The truth is that it is dangerous, but only if no action is taken. If we prepare the fish well and follow these tips, the dangers are minimized and we can feed our dog with fish without problems.
Hazards that fish can bring:
- Possible internal parasites like the Anisakis
- That a thorn stays stuck in your digestive system
- Choking
How to safely feed a dog fish?
If we want to give cooked fish to our dog, we must make sure that it is completely free of bones to prevent any from getting stuck in its mouth, throat or any part of its digestive system.
In addition, the fish must be clean, that is, without sauces or refried. Ideally, the fish has been steamed, grilled, or cooked. This will remove any possible parasites and it will also make it more digestible for our dog.
Once cooked, wait for it to cool and separate the meat from the bones. You should only give your dog meat. The thorns will have to be thrown away as they are dangerous to him.
Can a dog eat raw fish?
Of course, raw fish contains even more nutritional properties than cooked fish, but it is also more dangerous. Especially because of the possible parasites it contains. The Anisakis It is one of the best known parasites of fish.
To avoid that our dog can contract this type of parasites, it is important to freeze the fish for at least five full days at a temperature of between -20º and -35º. Then just defrost it so that our dog can eat it.
Never give your dog a bigger fish than he can swallow. Especially if we talk about breeds of small dogs, which are more likely to choke.
The ideal is to select small fish such as anchovy / anchovy, which we can give whole to our dog (including head, guts and scrapes). Never give your dog a large fish with spines It could stick one and cause an infection.
Nutritional benefits of fish
Fish is one of the best foods that we can give a dog (and a human), since it has great nutritional properties for its body.
These are just some of the benefits it provides:
- Fish is a great source of high-quality animal protein.
- Fish contains polyunsaturated fatty acids and essential fatty acids.
- Fish contains vitamins of groups B, A, D and E.
- Fish is rich in minerals like phosphorous and calcium, among many others.
And in addition, it is low in calories so it will help avoid being overweight in your dog.