Your Dog Can Benefit from Eating Oily Fish

Adding oily fish to your dog’s diet can bring significant health benefits, including reduced inflammation and a healthier heart. Let’s explore these advantages and other types of fish that are ideal for your dog's meal plan.

How Your Dog Can Benefit From Eating Oily Fish

Oily fish provides numerous benefits for your dog. Here’s how:

Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These essential fats are crucial for both human and animal health. For dogs, they help keep the coat sleek, the skin healthy, and reduce inflammation—perfect for older dogs with arthritis.
Promotes Brain Development: Omega-3s are vital for brain development in puppies, making training easier.
Boosts Heart Health: These healthy fats help maintain low blood pressure and ensure a well-functioning heart.

Oily fish is also high in vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones, cancer prevention, inflammation reduction, and infection control. Additionally, it’s a generous source of protein, necessary for energy and tissue repair.

Best Fish for Dogs

Introduce oily fish such as sardines, salmon, trout, and mackerel into your dog’s diet. These fish are lower in mercury compared to species like tuna. Non-oily fish, such as cod, are also beneficial. Cod is rich in protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron and selenium.

Including Fish in Your Dog’s Diet

You can add raw oily fish to your dog’s diet as part of a raw food regimen, like the BARF or PMR diet. This method is one of the healthiest ways for your dog to consume fish—pure and unprocessed.

Starting Out: Introduce fish in the second or third week of transitioning to a raw food diet.
Frequency: Once established, offer oily fish twice a week in various forms—chunks, minced, whole, or dried treats.
Serving Tips: Smaller fish varieties, like canned sardines, are easier to handle and digest.

Additional Tips

Oily fish tops the nutrition charts, but all fish types are beneficial. Your dog will enjoy and benefit from any fish variety you choose, contributing to their overall health and well-being.

Final Thoughts

Oily and other types of fish offer numerous nutritional benefits for your dog. Most dogs find fish irresistible, ensuring no leftovers and a happy, healthy pet.

Here is an excellent chart to guide you through your choices. The fish at the top right have the highest Omega 3 content and the lowest mercury levels.