[DarkRose]

what kinds of fish can be fed raw, what types should be avoided, can they eat a fish whole or do fins and heads need to be removed, how often should I feed fish

I have a 9wk chihuahua puppy, not sure if thats relevant or not.

 

[magicre]

i have different sizes of fish that i feed my dogs...from tiny bait sardines to the larger sardines...

i have smelt for them and an alaskan salmon head freezing...because i believe, from what i've read, that all fish should be frozen for a bit of time..for me, it's a month...

others feed tilapia..still others feed canned sardines packed in water or canned salmon...

i also give my dogs salmon oil gelcaps...

nine weeks old.....aw.....pics?

 

[DaneMama]

We feed whole tilapia, which would be too big for your pup. But could be chunked up to the right size. This fish is probably one of the most reasonably priced to feed.

We also feed whole small frozen fish to our cats that we get at a local Asian market. These are usually sardines, small mackerel, scad, etc.

The only fish you should be cautious of feeding is anything wild caught from the pacific northwest. These fish can harbor the disease causing bacteria responsible for salmon poisoning in dogs. Freezing for a few weeks at a very low temp all of these fish from that area can prevent the disease.

Canned fish is also convenient but not cheap. And not ideal since it's sometimes packed with salt and lots of oil.

 

[magicre]

i finally found the article, natalie, about pacific northwest salmon....that definitively stated wolves seek salmon out.....i was thrilled..

so my butcher gave me a salmon head for, ahem, crab bait...and it's happily freezing and will continue to do so for a month.

but a question, please.....

canned salmon is too salty? really? i thought if it's packed in water like sardines packed in water, then the sodium content would be lower? no?

 

[RawFedDogs]

canned salmon is too salty? really? i thought if it's packed in water like sardines packed in water, then the sodium content would be lower? no?

Natalie is probably right about the canned salmon but my Danes get a can a week each and my cats split a can. I pour out the liquid before feeding hoping to get rid of some of the salt. I don't think the ones I feed are packed in water. I haven't been able to find any like that.

 

[whiteleo]

I feed the canned salmon packed in water once a week, I always drain the can and then run water over the can hoping to get rid of some more of the salt content. I always buy canned salmon, sardines, mackerel packed in water.

 

[magicre]

Natalie is probably right about the canned salmon but my Danes get a can a week each and my cats split a can. I pour out the liquid before feeding hoping to get rid of some of the salt. I don't think the ones I feed are packed in water. I haven't been able to find any like that.

i would imagine if you rinse the salmon, you'd be getting rid of some of the sodium...

and i would also imagine, that while it's not ideal, it's only once a week..not like feeding salt laden kibbles...on a daily basis..

you must be pretty far from the costco we used to go to....it was somewhere near atlanta LOL

kroger is owned by, who...dixon, i think..and they own fred meyer which is what we have out here....i've been able to get private selection brand..i think that's kroger's brand...packed in water sardines...not salmon, though....

for that, i have a supermarket willing to give me alaskan salmon as 'crab bait'....score!

 

[DaneMama]

Fresh salmon is not salty at all. Canned salmon is super salty. Same with most raw natural fishes compared to the canned version. Why? Because it's packed with peoples taste buds in mind. Canned fish would be downright repulsive if it weren't salted a bit. This is probably why dogs that won't eat fresh fish gobble down canned fish, it just tastes better.

 

[magicre]

Fresh salmon is not salty at all. Canned salmon is super salty. Same with most raw natural fishes compared to the canned version. Why? Because it's packed with peoples taste buds in mind. Canned fish would be downright repulsive if it weren't salted a bit. This is probably why dogs that won't eat fresh fish gobble down canned fish, it just tastes better.

so...even the 'packed in water' stuff has sodium....makes sense.

 

[bdb5853]

Canned sardines are great for Chi's, just the right size. Get the ones canned in water. They also have teensy soft bones so there's some calcium there. Yes, they probably have some sodium, but as a variety meat - I think it's OK.

 

[DaneMama]

I assume so. Never looked at the labels on them. Just smells more fishy coming from the can which I attribute to the salt!

 

[schtuffy]

There are lots of varieties of canned salmon out there, whether you want farm raised, wild caught, pink, red, Alaskan, Atlantic, Sockeye, etc. Make sure you pick out the ones that say 'No Salt Added' and I think it should be fine. Though I also look for 'No Color Added' as well. So far I've found the no salt variety at Trader Joe's (I think it's about $2.50 for a 7 oz. can or something), and natural markets like Whole Foods etc. The Costco ones all have salt added, but I do buy them every now and then since it is cheaper...and yes, I just rinse rinse rinse with water :smile: