Anyone feed fish to their dogs?

[Buckshot]

In Colorado we have a fish introduced from Europe called carp. In Europe I have heard that this fish is highly desired cuisine, but here it is considered trash fish. They have over run many native fish species and there is no limit on the amount that you can catch. I could easily catch a hundred pounds of these fish in a day using a bow and arrow. I see that some fish is used in dog food and I know bears, foxes and coyotes around here eat them right up. The bones are tiny and scales are the size of a mans thumbnail. I could fillet them easilly and that gets rid of most of the bones and all of the scales...what are your thoughts? This would only be an occasional meal and certainly not a primary staple.

PS this would be for a Fila

 

[Adrienne]

Not sure about carp, maybe Mordy will know but fish is an excellent addition to any dogs meal. I feed talipia (sp) as an additional source of protein and some sardiens, anchovies, salmons, for the Omega acids. I feed my fish whole and the dogs have no problem with the bones or scales. Gunnar likes to eat his tail first, it's pretty amusing to watch.

 

[Mordy]

i wouldn't say that carp is "highly desired cuisine" in europe (at least not as far as i'm aware, and i'm german), but it is an inexpensive fish that used to be a traditional winter holiday food, e.g. for christmas, new year's and so on.

carp originated from asia, came to europe around the 13th century and were introduced in the US by 1876 as a fish worth harvesting for the domestic food supply. you can read more about the topic here:
http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/northamericancarphistory.html

as an interesting bit of trivia, goldfish and minnow belong to the same family of fish as the carp.

fish is as good of an addition to a dog's diet as any other animal protein, if your dog likes the taste - some do and some don't. chances are that if you introduce a young puppy to many different kinds of food, it will enjoy all of them later on in life and be more open to the introduction of even more new stuff.

no need to fillet the carp either, you can feed it as-is, bones, scales and all.

one thing you do need to be aware of is contamination with heavy metals tho.

 

[Buckshot]

Mordy thanks for setting that straight, I found it odd that anyone would prefer this fish over other types, but then again we have different cultures in different parts of our city that relish what others may think is nasty. I did know that they were goldfish/minnows even though many that I shoot exceed 25lbs and 32 inches. Not having to fillet them is a huge plus. Is there a way to test for heavy metals? I do know that many people eat other fish from the same waters as these, but then again we eat some real unhealthy stuff

thanks for the replies folks

 

[Renee750il]

fish is as good of an addition to a dog's diet as any other animal protein, if your dog likes the taste - some do and some don't. chances are that if you introduce a young puppy to many different kinds of food, it will enjoy all of them later on in life and be more open to the introduction of even more new stuff.

ROFLMAO! Mordy, a Fila will eat just about anything that doesn't eat them first, and even then there's a chance the Fila just might eat it from the inside out, lol! These dogs have lived from foraging for hundreds of years, surviving and even thriving on diets that most dogs would die on. Strange beasties they be

 

[Fran27]

My dogs just love canned tuna. And salmon filets too. But yeah, I've yet to see any food they don't like too...

 

[Renee750il]

Buck, you might be able to get a good idea on the heavy metals question by checking with the Fish and Wildlife/Game - whatever it's called, lol, and whoever is in charge of testing for water quality in your area.

 

[taratippy]

We feed ours tinned tuna/mackeral/sardines (they like it tomatoe sauce but dont get that too often) and if poorly some boiled white fish. Just a thought though I believe salmon and trout should always be cooked due to infection from parasites, trematode worm which can carry bacteria which can cause some very servere symptoms and if untreated can result in death.

Cant says Ive heard of people eating carp in the UK, certainly not highly desirable to eat. They are fished for as a sport but thats about it as far as I know.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

My dogs love to eat fish....they get the occasional can of tuna and some fish once in a while and love it. Colby will eat anything.

 

[showpug]

Please keep in mind that certain types of salmon can kill dogs!

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/salmon.asp

 

[Fran27]

When raw Showpugs. Thanks for the warning though, I didn't know.

 

[showpug]

When raw Showpugs. Thanks for the warning though, I didn't know.

Some forms of cooked too...even if the article doesn't state it. My good friend has a Beagle that got a hold of a smoked salmon and had flukes from that. We worked at the vet clinic at the time and were able to start preventative doxycycline right away, so she never go really sick.

I am so scared of giving salmon (any form) to my dogs. I live in the Pacific Northwest and lets just say we have a LOT of salmon around here! Working in the vet clinic, I saw so many dogs that had salmon poisoning and so many owners who had never heard of such a thing...I compare the illness to parvo - they get THAT sick!!!!

 

[twentypaws]

my dogs get canned fish once a week, either sardines or canned mackerel. i just give them a good rinse (because of all the extra sodium) and plop them in the dish. fish does wonders for my lab's coat.