There are good reasons why dog owners love their furry friends. The major reason is that dogs are usually quite easy to live with and they make great companions. For these reasons, many dog owners are tempted to spoil their four-legged friends with a variety of food treats.
Unfortunately, some of the foods can be harmful to the dog, so you need to make sure that you choose the right ones. This post explains the type of foods that you can give your dog.
Benefits of feeding your dog seafood
No doubt, most of the seafood is highly nutritious to people. But can dogs eat seafood? The simple answer is that your dog can feed on some seafood depending on the species and their method of preparation. Therefore, it’s not surprising that dogs do well when you feed them fish.
Considering that you need to pay significant attention when selecting the type of seafood appropriate for your dog, it’s easy to give up on the idea. But you need to include fish and other seafood in your dog’s diet, at least once in a while because they have plenty of health benefits.
Some of these benefits include high protein content, omega-3 fatty acids, low amounts of fat, and a great alternative for canines with allergies from other protein sources.
Fish can be an important component of your home-cooked diet. However, you should always consider consulting your vet or food nutritionists to ensure you’re meeting the nutritional needs of your dog.
Whether you are giving fish or any other seafood to your dog for the first time, make sure that you give them in small amounts first. This will help you to determine the tolerance level of your dog to particular seafood.
The seafood your dog can eat
As explained earlier, your dog can eat seafood but you need to prepare them well and choose the right types. If you are not sure of the type of seafood you can feed your dog, below are some of them:
- Cooked fish. Fish that are safe for your dog should be cleaned properly, deboned, and thoroughly cooked. But don’t feed your furry friend too much fish as it can lead to thiamine deficiency.
- Raw fish. Uncooked fish is known for having rich nutrients. While it can be appetizing to your dog, it can also have tapeworms and flukes. Therefore, you should clean and freeze it before feeding your dog. In this way, you can eliminate most if not all the parasites.
- Sardines. These small fish are considered the healthiest fish you can give to your dog. This is because they feed on planktons and have a short lifespan, meaning they are not minimally exposed to toxic metals. Because they are very nutritious, be careful with the portions you feed to your canine.
- Seaweed. This is another nutritious food you can give to your furry friend. Most of it comes in either powder or dried sheets form. You just need to sprinkle this vitamin-rich food and mineral in your dog’s bowl.
Shellfish. Shellfish includes lobster, shrimp, and crabs. You should clean and cook them thoroughly before feeding them to your dog. But you can only serve your dog with the meat part of the shellfish. Keep in mind that you should just give your canine a few bites and not as a meal.
