Can dogs eat tuna fish? The answer heavily depends on how you feed your dogs tuna rather than the food itself. We’ll show you this right now!
Introduction
Tuna fish has been a delicious food to humans for a long time. Some say that their dogs fall in love with this kind of fish, too. This has raised a question: Can dogs eat tuna fish? In fact, there’re several cases that dogs have strange behaviors or signs after eating this fish. We’ll help you answer such an answer in this article. Let figure out!
Before first, we should know how beneficial tuna fishes are for humans and animals.
Nutrition Values of Tuna Fishes
Tuna fishes are known as a great source of various healthy minerals (like phosphorus, magnesium, etc.) and vitamins (like vitamin D, vitamin B). Moreover, this fish is famous for the high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids which can help dogs reduce inflammation and itchiness, improve skin, fur and eye problems. As a result, tuna fishes seem to be very healthy for dogs.
However, all of those are just in theory. There’s another problem that we should pay attention to.
Due to the intensity of industrial activity, more and more mercury substance is released into the river and ocean. Of course, all of the marine creatures will be affected by this toxic, and tuna fishes are not an exception.
Also note that the amount of mercury accumulating in the fish body relies on the body size and lifetime. So, tuna fishes seem to have the higher level of mercury in their body, simply because they are large. Not to mention that this kind of fish has a long lifespan, making the amount of mercury in their body understandable.
So, Can Dogs Eat Tuna Fish?
Despite the containing of mercury, pet owners can still give their dogs tuna fishes but just in small amounts. However, giving this food (and many others) as a snack is not recommended, especially to puppies.
As said, eating tuna fish can give your dogs enough essential minerals which will improve their health, fur, and skin. But if you give them too much tuna fish for a day or a week, their health will have trouble with mercury. Here are several poisoning symptoms in dogs that you must pay attention to:
- Hair loss
- Diarrhea
- Anxiety
- Tremors
- Can’t urinate
- Blindness
If your dogs love tuna fishes, you can mix a quarter tuna flesh with daily dog food. But remember, don’t give them this more than once a week. The best way to keep your dogs away from mercury poisoning is not giving them any tuna flesh. One more thing, don’t give puppies tuna fish; it’s not good for them at all.
Should You Give Dogs Cooked or Raw Tuna Fishes?
Cooked tunas are recommended to give dogs more than raw ones. Raw tuna fish meat, as well as other raw fish meats, can carry parasites and bacteria which are very dangerous to not only dogs but also humans.
Therefore, the safest way to avoid these parasites and bacteria is cooking the food before serving.You can prepare and share your tuna meal with your furry friends.
However, even when you prepare tuna fishes for your dogs, remember these things:
- Don’t cook the fish with too much oil and spices. Too much fat in the meal is not good for the dogs’ health, and neither spices. Dogs’ digestive system can’t handle human spices, especially onion and garlic, which you can find in the list of toxic foods to canine.
- Canned tuna is okay for dogs, but you must look at the ingredients before buying one. Dogs don’t need extra fat, so choose the one canned in water instead of oil. Besides, stay away from canned tuna products which have extra salt. Tuna fish is already saltwater fish, too much salt just makes it unhealthy.
- Tuna juice is also fine for dogs, but only give them in moderation.
Some dogs can be allergic to tuna. If you notice some symptoms, like vomiting or diarrhea, after your dogs eat the fish, stop giving them that fish and take them to the vet immediately.
Alternatives
Because of being afraid of getting mercury poisoning from tuna fishes, dog owners are advised to give their canine friends a very small amount of tuna or not give any. In case you want to give your dogs food with tuna more often, you still have a choice.
- Choose canned or dry dog foods with tuna flavor.
- Give your dogs smaller fishes which contain less mercury like salmons (remember to cook them, of course).
Conclusion
The answer to the question “Can dogs eat tuna fish?” has been revealed. Although tuna fishes contain many healthy substances, you can’t give them to your dogs as much as you want as a result of mercury.
However, you can give a small amount of tuna flesh to your furry friends. If you see any unusual signs in them, take them to the vet as soon as possible. It may be the symptoms of mercury poisoning or tuna allergy.
We hope that this article has provided you with useful information. If you have any questions, please leave them below. Thank you for reading.
