Can dogs eat seafood? Have you ever had seafood for dinner, and when you were eating, your dog is laying on the table waiting for you to slip some shrimp? Well if you do, take a second and search the internet if it is safe for your love one to have seafood.
We would do anything for our dog. To some of us, our dogs are a part of our family; we want the best for them whether it is what kind of bed they want their dogs to sleep on, what they eat, or even what kind of shampoo they use.
Talking about what our dogs eat, some of us want do not want our dogs to eat red meats for health purposes. The question of can dogs eat seafood comes into mind. What are the benefits of seafood? Will there be side effects? What kind of seafood can they eat? What are they dangerous of seafood? Well, let’s take a look.
Benefits of Eating Seafood
Seafood has considerably less saturated fat (bad fat) and more unsaturated fat (good fat) than red meat. These good fat help in reducing the chance of getting heart diseases. Seafood is also a contain the high amount of protein.
The best-unsaturated fat in seafood is the omega-3 fatty acid. Other than being healthy for the heart, omega-3 strengthen the immune system, helps in the development of new-born babies, prevents arthritis and other joint problems, and so much more.
Types of Seafood
Salmon
Salmon is rich in nutrients, especially the fatty acids omega-3. It is also great for the immune system, both for our dogs and us. A lot of commercial dog food and treats contain salmon in their recipe. Salmon is also a healthy protein source. Do not forget to remove the bones because they could choke on it.
Luckily for us, there are a lot of salmon based ingredients dog food available commercially for us. People tend to choose this type of dog food because they think it is healthier, but some question if the nutrients from fish are enough to sustain dogs’ development.
Tuna
Good news, our dogs can eat tuna! It is good for them whether it is cooked, canned, or even raw. If you decide to feed them canned tuna, make sure that it is water-canned and not oil-canned tuna. The oil mixes with some of the fish’s healthy fat, so the omega-3 fatty acids will disappear with the oil when we drain it.
Tuna is rich in important vitamins for dogs like vitamins B3, B6, and B12. They also have a lot of important minerals while being an excellent source of lean protein.
Some dogs are allergic to tuna, so again, it is best to consult with your vet.
Mollusks
Scallops, a type of mollusks, is safe to eat but in tiny amounts. We should give them as a treat with alongside their food and not as a full meal. But remember, we have to cook the scallops! Steaming or boiling the scallops is the best way to cook them; try refraining from frying the scallops. Scallops have no negative effects if ingested by our dogs in tiny amounts.
Other types of mollusks are squid, octopus, snail, etc. Squid (calamari) is high in protein, so it is good for our dogs. Same goes with octopus. It is safe for our dogs as long it is not excessive.
Crustacean
Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish are crustaceans. Same like scallops, our dogs can eat them as long as it is in tiny amounts and cooked properly. We have to peel off the shell of them first before feeding it to our dogs.
Things to Watch
Of course, there are going to be some risks to feeding our dogs seafood. Here are some of the risks and how to avoid them:
Moderation, Moderation, Moderation
Moderation depends on the size of the dog. A German Shepard could eat more shrimp than a Chihuahua. We have to take our dogs’ size and what they can take into account. But usually, you should not give them more than 2 or 3 bites.
Moderation also comes into play when we are seasoning our food. Too much seasoning, especially the wrong one, can lead to death.
Raw Fish
Do not feed your dogs raw fish! Maybe you have some leftover sushi for lunch and think that it would make a great treat for our love ones. Take salmon for example. Raw salmon may contain harmful parasites for our dogs. Dogs are at high risk for salmon poisoning if it is uncooked.
Mercury
Seafood contains some amount of mercury in their bodies. Mercury is a poisonous metal that can damage the central nervous system. Eating too much seafood can be dangerous for our doggie because they might contain a lot of mercury. The same for humans, mercury poisoning, can be fatal for our dogs, so do not overfeed them seafood.
Sodium
A lot or processed food contains high amount of sodium. Take canned tuna, for example, regular canned tuna has 210 milligrams of sodium per 3 ounces serving. So although we can feed our dogs tuna, we should only give it to them once in a while. Salty food can lead to excessive urination and sweating which could cause sodium-ion poisoning. The symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, depression, high temperature, and can even result in death!
Watch the Seasoning
Some seasonings are poisonous for our dogs. Let’s go through which ones are safe and which ones are not. Onions are dangerous for dogs because it could cause Heinz-body anemia. The illness lowers a number of red blood cells in the dog’s body, which can lead to fatality. Same like onions, garlic, and nutmeg are also toxic for our dogs, especially in high amounts.
While the safe seasonings for our dogs are cinnamon, dill seed, ground sage. These seasonings are safe in small amounts. We need to watch what seasonings were used it our seafood before giving a bite to our dogs.
So… Can Dogs Eat Seafood?
You guessed it! The answer is yes. According to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), it is safe to feed your dogs all kinds of seafood, as long as it is in moderation. It is important to mix your dog’s meal with something else – seafood for his instance – so they do not get bored out by their food.
Recipe
Here is a recipe from doggiecook.com for a seafood dish for our love ones:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup – Broccoli chopped
- 1/2 cup – Carrots sliced
- 100 g – Shrimps
- 1 large – Egg
- 100 g – Mollusks, Squid, Octopus mix frozen
- 2 tsp – Olive oil
- 10 springs – Parsley raw
- 2 1/5 cup – Brown rice cooked
Directions
Boil a mix of shrimps and mollusks for about 7 minutes. Chop and cook carrots for 10 minutes then add broccoli and cook for additional 5 minutes. When all ingredients are cooked through, drain excess water. Chop parsley. Mix all ingredients with cooked brown rice and add chopped hard-boiled egg. Cool to room temperature and divide into three portions. One portion will provide nutrition for a day for a 10-pound dog. This food is a good source of protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, copper, selenium, and manganese. Protein to carbohydrate ratio is 1:2.3 (a good ratio is 1:2 to 1:3)
Multivitamins and calcium supplements need to be added. This recipe will provide three daily meals for the ten-pound dog.
