# Feeding raw fish



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Hello everyone,
My spoo's are very finicky eaters. I've struggled trying to get them on a consistent diet that is not a hassle to feed. I fed raw for a few months and the girls took to it very well. I stopped feeding raw due to expense and to some degree availability. I have fed them many different brands of kibble and generally they will quickly turn away from it. I bought some Canidae Pure grain free and have been feeding that. It cost $15 for 4 pounds. In a perfect world I would feed them raw so I continue to search for a solution that not only gets them eating well but is affordable. To that end I wonder if raw fish is a reasonable alternative. I live near a lake that is full of crappie, largemouth bass, catfish and sunfish like bluegill and perch. I'm an avid fisherman so taking some fish home to clean and feed seems a reasonable solution. Here's the thing though, the fish in this lake have a high mercury content which makes them a risk to eat in larger quantities, at least for humans. Would this be a source I could use for my girls? Maybe a limited source, only a couple meals a week? I'm clearly grasping at straws here but thought I'd ask.
I love when my girls eat all their food and seem to enjoy it. But I just can't seem to find a diet that pleases them and me. I guess that's part of the problem, I want to feel as though they enjoy their food without the diarrhea, tummy upset and general disdain for what I feed. This is very frustrating.
I began this post because I noticed some folks are supplementing their kibble with Kefir or yogurt. I think part of the problem is me being to sensitive to their every whim. Geez!
Jcris


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

NO WAY!!! Mercury is as bad for your dogs as it is for us.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

I thought about fish too, but like Catherine said, mercury is just as bad for dogs as for humans. Wild caught fish can also have any number of parasites, and while not all are transferable to dogs, feeding unhealthy food just doesn't make sense. 

Are there any large discount stores in your area? We have a Gordon Food Services where I'm able to buy 10lb bags of chicken quarters for about .70/pound and ground beef for about .80/pound. I did the math on the food I'm feeding (EVO large bites) and as long as I spend less than .88/pound on meat, I'm saving money by feeding those raw meals. Our local groceries also have sales on occasion, so any time I see things for less than that .88/pound I snap it up.

On the fish note, I did have a pair of tilapia filets on the counter ready to go in the oven, and then found Piper eating them under the kitchen table. So they do seem to enjoy fish, but perhaps only the human grade kind is good for them


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

One should be generally careful with fish for a variety of reasons. For some commonly farmed varieties the farming techniques are environmentally destructive. For others the fisheries are poorly managed and the fishery is in danger of failing (dying). For others the fish are high level carnivores with long life spans and they accumulate all sorts of toxins in addition to mercury, including dioxins, DDT and other carcinogens.

Here is a useful link. Buying fish? What you need to know | Seafood Selector

There is also a lot of fraudulent identification of seafoods.


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

What a messed up world. All I want to do is see my girls live long healthy lives.
Thanks for the info though.
Jcris


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

This is what I feed my dogs once a week, sometimes twice. But no more. Too much fish, if it has the enzyme, Thiaminase can render thiamine (vit b1) unusable. Some species of fish have this enzyme and some do not. So I would not recommend more than one or two meals a week from any fish, to be on the safe side.

Do your research about parasites in regard to the fish you catch. Many are killed by freezing for a couple weeks, some are not. 

Here is something on thiaminase:Cornell University Department of Animal Science 


Here's where I get my fish: 
https://hare-today.com/product/raw_pet_food/whole_sardines_2_lb

If you don't want to feed fish, you can give a fish oil supplement. I do every day that I do not feed the fish. It's important that dogs get ample (but not over dose) iodine. And fish is loaded with healthy oils...omegas, vitamin d, vit b 12, good protein and lots of calcium...lots of bones. Just be careful where it comes from. Sardines are my choice of fish also because they have a relatively short life span...low on the food chain....less chance of mercury and other junk. But fresh, not canned, which have typically a lot of sodium which dogs handle less well than we do. 

Again, don't use fish from a lake you know has a high mercury content. I think it's all somewhat of a risk. But I try to get the sardines from the best place I know and I think limiting to once a week and fish oil the rest of the time is reasonable. 

My son and I use to fish in Priest Lake in Idaho. That lake had mackerel and various trout, bass...excellent fishing. The lake is so clean, it's one of the very cleanest in the country. (I think I heard at one time, the 2nd cleanest) And very deep in places...and large. I fed the trout to my Doberman as part of his liver friendly diet that was designed for him by a nutrition person. I'm pretty sure there wasn't mercury in that lake. People pumped water from it for their home use. That's how pristine it was. So if you can take a trip to Idaho, that's the place I think to catch some good fish. lol.

But barring that, I just purchase the sardines from that website and they're not too expensive when you only feed once a week or so and especially with tiny dogs. Naturally, you'd use more with a spoo. I split two fish between three toy sized dogs. These are larger than the canned kind. Is it possible they have something yucky? Of course. But my research tells me it's not as likely with these.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Too bad about the mercury content. Buck loves fish! I add a topper of something to Buck's kibble everyday to keep it interesting. It might be a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese, some chicken or meat from one of our meals. His breeder suggested this was a way to keep your dog interested in what's in his dish. He was an indifferent free feeder until he turned two. Now he usually finishes his AM kibble. I order chicken necks by the case from HEB at $.87 and he gets three or four for dinner. He is delighted every day with those necks and willingly submits to a snood in a camouflage print. This half and half diet isn't too much trouble for me either.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I think that a small amount of low on the food chain fish would be fine for the OP's dogs once or twice a week as a supplement, but too much would be ill advised. As I said earlier you have to look at a number of issues regarding fish to be sure it is really going to be good for you. As pointed out in a piece I heard on NPR the other day fraud as to the identity of fish is potentially very risky. As an example, imagine that a pregnant woman who thought she was eating something safe was eating a mislabeled fish that had lots of mercury.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Raw fed dogs should have predominantly red meat anyway, so fish shouldn't be fed that often anyway. It's hard to find fish that isn't high in mercury, plus there are some parasites to watch out for too. I usually just give a fish oil for the omega 3s. If I get some lake fish from family or friends I might feed it every now and then.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I have to agree with not feeding fish from your lake......too much mercury is not good!
Raw chicken legs are really cheap, and if you keep an eye open you will find meats on sale that are affordable to feed in addition to kibble........even if you just feed a couple of raw meals a week it is beneficial!

Also you are paying way too much for your Canidae! If that is your food of choice go to Chewy.com it is a lot less......the pure grain free is only $8.64 for the 4lb bag and and if your order is over $49.00 the shipping is free ...under 49 it's a flat rate of $4.95 (still cheaper than you pay!)
I order almost all of my food and chews, dental stuff, wipes, toys, etc about every 3 months, so my order is always over $49.00!!!!!!


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

I don't want to sound flip, but something else will make my dogs sick before the mercury in fish does.


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