# Fish



## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Canned, Fresh, How do you feed it? When do you feed it?


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## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

My guys are picky about whole fish...I need to do some more searching in the Asian markets because I have had trouble getting them to eat a WHOLE fish. They will eat fillets, but they are so expensive and I am cheap. The cheapest I have been able to find salmon fillets is $4-something a pound. They LOVE salmon fillets!

I feed canned salmon and canned mackeral one or twice a week. I rinse it well to get off as much sodium as I can. They love the canned stuff.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

I heard you had to becareful of salmon and trout. What is the reason for that? Like you had to becareful what area it came from.

Sardnies are okay right? 

I would like to buy a whole fish but not sure how they will take to it.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Sardines are perfect. Max's very first whole prey! I was so excited he got brain, eye and spleen at last.

He likes fish fine but many dogs don't think it is food so don't buy a lot until you know a particular variety is considered food. Since it is so different introduce it slowly and don't make a big issue about it.

Several issues with fish. Mercury pollution is one, look up a fish to make sure it isn't on the high mercury list. Some kinds of mackerel are fine and some are high in mercury. I figure small young fish ought to be just fine. 

Thiaminase content is one. Some fish have this enzyme that destroys vitamin B1. I just feed fish on days I am not feeding pork and it is probably a non issue anyway as you aren't depending on fish for most of the diet.

General pollution is another. If you catch the fish yourself be sure the water is clean enough so you can eat the fish. Check the fish over for hooks too.

Salmon poisoning is another. Some drainages in the Pacific Northwest have a particular snail that is infested with a particular organism that is itself infested with a deadly to dogs organism. It may be killed by freezing but that fish is expensive anyway so might be best to avoid wild caught Pacific NW salmon. Alaskan salmon is fine, farmed salmon is okay. Other species may be infested, trout is easy to see as it is the same family as salmon but there are a couple others.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm gonna have to write that down. Thanks for clarifying that. Sometimes we buy the fillets of salmon, you cook in the oven (in packages) Is that okay?

Also how about tuna?


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

It is fine if it isn't PNW salmon. Tuna is higher in mercury than I like. Trick is tuna is a lot of different species and caught at many different ages so it varies a great deal in mercury content.
Sea Turtle Restoration Project : Got Mercury?
Tuna - Seafood Selector - Environmental Defense Fund


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

So canned tuna be out of the question then?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Two of our dogs will only eat canned fish so we get a variety of those. The other three get a variety of fresh fish like pollock, tilapia, catfish, sardines, scad, salmon, trout, etc.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Not out of the question just not a very good choice. It isn't even high in Omega 3, I would offer it if there wasn't any other food but not otherwise.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Ok, I just wanna make sure I cover all my basis before going out and getting some fish. I do want Omega 3 in their diet for sure. If its not available and the prices of fish have gone up since the spill. Can I do the Fish Oil Vit?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

You could give fish oil caps as a supplement. We give them like treats. Just make sure to double check the source of the fish to make sure it isn't too high in heavy metals.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Ok thank you! I will have a look around. We do have some fish markets here being close by the habour. But not sure what they have.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Oh fish markets can be fun to shop in! Maybe ask some of the venders if it's possible for you to take all the fish they aren't able to sell...?


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Really? I haven't thought of that! I'll go there after Thanksgiving. Everything is closed for the weekend. Good idea! Thanks!

What do I want? What do I want to avoid? What parts can we get? What if they offer crab or shrimps? 

This is very new so please some tips!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Here's a list of fish and their relative mercury levels:

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/4181-supplementing-fish-food.html

Personally I would avoid any fish that is known to contain lost of mercury. Whole fish are good to feed. But even fish heads alone can be a decent snack to give.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Awesome!!!! Thank you so much. Hubby and I will head over for sure this coming week. I hope we do score! Paws crossed.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we feed whole sardines, and when we can't get them, we feed primal ground sardine (bones and guts and all).

we also feed mackerel on days we aren't feeding pork

we do not feed salmon, because farmed is useless (made the mistake of watching a video of what they are fed, blech)....and because we live in the pacific northwest, there is a controvery as to which wild salmon are safe and which aren't. i hear that salmon from alaska is okay, as long as it's copper river or bristol bay and some other areas, but i've decided it's not worth the risk, so they get salmon gelcaps....

they also get smelt and when i get back to the fish store...i will probably get croaker for them.

i don't care for catfish, as they are scavengers, although fry those puppies in some cornmeal and bacon fat and i'm in heaven LOL

there are so many fish at the asian markets here....but if i never heard of it, i don't buy it.

i don't feed canned only because i got my dogs to eat fish....i was mean, but it worked..


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> Here's a list of fish and their relative mercury levels:
> 
> http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/4181-supplementing-fish-food.html
> 
> Personally I would avoid any fish that is known to contain lost of mercury. Whole fish are good to feed. But even fish heads alone can be a decent snack to give.


thanks, natalie...having just read the list after i posted, crossing croaker off the list, too LOL


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

The dogs just had canned mackerel, sardines an egg and some kelp for the trace Minerals and boy the dog farts will be bad later!


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