# Canned Tuna in water



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would go with meat - chicken, beef, turkey, anything lowish in fat. Cook without salt or seasonings, chop or shred finely, freeze in meal size portions. I would not add the cooking stock to his kibble unless he eats it all - soggy kibble to throw away is not fun - but he might like it in a separate bowl and it is very useful to encourage drinking half and half with water.


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## Kirstenlee (Mar 8, 2021)

fjm said:


> I would go with meat - chicken, beef, turkey, anything lowish in fat. Cook without salt or seasonings, chop or shred finely, freeze in meal size portions. I would not add the cooking stock to his kibble unless he eats it all - soggy kibble to throw away is not fun - but he might like it in a separate bowl and it is very useful to encourage drinking half and half with water.


thank you so much for the recommendations!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Is he showing reluctance to eat? Is that why you want to add a topper?

I would ensure whatever you choose is nutritionally complete (such as a canned or dehydrated wet food designed for dogs) or rotated with other toppers so he’s not getting too much of any one thing.

I don’t know much about canned tuna, but I imagine any mercury risk would increase dramatically if you fed it every day. I would also be wary of the sodium content.

Peggy gets a spoonful of Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken for breakfast and dinner. I serve it in a separate dish so it doesn’t contaminate her kibble. She can then eat the kibble as her appetite dictates throughout the day.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

I don't give it often but occasionally some sardines in tomato sauce makes a tasty topper. Mash up the sardines in the sauce. One small tin does Winnie about 4 days of toppings


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## Kirstenlee (Mar 8, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Is he showing reluctance to eat? Is that why you want to add a topper?
> 
> I would ensure whatever you choose is nutritionally complete (such as a canned or dehydrated wet food designed for dogs) or rotated with other toppers so he’s not getting too much of any one thing.
> 
> ...


Hello there! 
thanks so much for the info!
He’s not showing a reluctance to eat, but he tends to eat in small amounts throughout the day. He’s a grazer - so I guess I just want to ensure that he’s getting a certain amount of guaranteed calories in by giving him a little something different and to make “food” time more exciting. We live right on the beach, so it’s safe to say he’s one veeeeeery active pup!
I have tried multiple wet foods but to no avail, he turns to his kibble instead which is very interesting! Will definitely try out shredded chicken though, and I really appreciate the response


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I would just caution against crowding out complete nutrition with tasty extras, especially with a toy who gets full so quickly. Unlike pure muscle meat, the Weruva is nutritionally balanced, like a kibble.

Personally, I’m a fan of letting my dogs graze. I think it’s healthier than encouraging a super full belly. I read an article once that explained how little food a cat’s belly can actually hold, and that’s why they can seem like picky eaters. I imagine a toy’s belly is similar.

My mini mix used to eat just a mouthful at a time, and she’d eat that mouthful piece by piece.  It was an excruciating process to watch, as she carried each. individual. kibble. away from her dish to crunch it slowly.


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## Happy'sDad (Jul 4, 2020)

I understand wanting to liven up mealtime with something yummy. Happy gets a quality kibble topped with either chick thigh or beef. When we have fish (mostly mackerel and salmon), we’ll set some aside for Happy’s dinner. If I’m not mistaken, mercury tends to be a problem with bottom dwellers and fish living lower in the water column where pollutants settle. I would think fish living higher in the water column also are significantly safer. We did the Weruva thing until I looked at the ingredients and decided I could do the same thing in our Instant Pot. After reading this post, I’ll start separating topper from kibble so I don’t have to throw out what’s not consumed during mealtime.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Happy'sDad said:


> We did the Weruva thing until I looked at the ingredients and decided I could do the same thing in our Instant Pot.


Do you add a vitamin supplement? If so, what brand? I’d love to be able to make it myself, but I find the ingredient list daunting.


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## Happy'sDad (Jul 4, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Do you add a vitamin supplement? If so, what brand? I’d love to be able to make it myself, but I find the ingredient list daunting.


We do not. This question came up when I posted something similar last year. I'm probably showing my ignorance, but I'm hoping her kibble (we feed Castor & Pollux Pristine/Organix) had that covered. I'd say kibble represents about 60% of Happy's daily intake. That said, I should probably look for some type of supplement. To be honest with you, I'm more concerned about highly processed or sketchy ingredients than not meeting Happy nutrition requirements. Also, there's so much snake oil out there, i don't know what to trust.

I'm open to advice/recommendations as a nutritionist I am not.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Happy'sDad said:


> We do not. This question came up when I posted something similar last year. I'm probably showing my ignorance, but I'm hoping her kibble (we feed Castor & Pollux Pristine/Organix) had that covered. I'd say kibble represents about 60% of Happy's daily intake. That said, I should probably look for some type of supplement. To be honest with you, I'm more concerned about highly processed or sketchy ingredients than not meeting Happy nutrition requirements. Also, there's so much snake oil out there, i don't know what to trust.
> 
> I'm open to advice/recommendations as a nutritionist I am not.


I think anything that’s served every day, in a significant quantity, should be balanced so you’re not skewing the overall nutritional profile too far in any one direction (sodium, fat, specific vitamins, etc.).

I think this is less of a concern if you’re just adding an enticing taste or smell to meals, and not adding significant calories which might crowd out calories from a more balanced source. Or if you’re rotating add-ons (e.g a variety of veggies one day, organ meats another, etc.).

But.....I’m also not a nutritionist.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

If only we were so careful about our own diets🙄!


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## Happy'sDad (Jul 4, 2020)

94Magna_Tom said:


> If only we were so careful about our own diets🙄!


Too true. I can't tell you how many times I've told Happy "No, this isn't good for you" as I continue to shovel unhealthy whatever into my mouth. If it's not good for them, it's probably not good for us.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

94Magna_Tom said:


> If only we were so careful about our own diets🙄!


I think we would be if we had to eat the exact same thing every day.  Or we’d at least be more aware of the effects.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Just about the salt... I'm always weary when it comes to salt in Basils diet. Like with humans, they drink a lot of water, then they have to go pee really bad really soon. So, it might cause an accident. It only took ~3 times of cleaning up pee after a many high sodium treats like jerky or an unintentionally salty meal before I thought, "hmm, that's not fun to clean up."

Just something to keep in the back of your mind. So, if/when you find yourself cleaning up a salt enduced accident you can atleast say, "they told me so".


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I feel like a long, long time ago I learned that tuna packed in oil is less oily naturally and tuna packed in water is more oily naturally (maybe from Alton brown?). But then it all evens out because of the way it is packaged. 

Tuna (and any other large fish that eats other fish) can have high mercury so I would not feed it all the time. This article explains it well








Tuna: Risks and how often to eat it


Canned tuna is frequently a major source of mercury in the diet. However, tuna also provides a wealth of nutritional content. How much tuna should you eat to be safe but gain maximum benefit? This article explains the amounts of tuna that can be eaten safely without fear of mercury poisoning.




www.medicalnewstoday.com


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Just about the salt... I'm always weary when it comes to salt in Basils diet. Like with humans, they drink a lot of water, then they have to go pee really bad really soon. So, it might cause an accident. It only took ~3 times of cleaning up pee after a many high sodium treats like jerky or an unintentionally salty meal before I thought, "hmm, that's not fun to clean up."
> 
> Just something to keep in the back of your mind. So, if/when you find yourself cleaning up a salt enduced accident you can atleast say, "they told me so".


And kidney damage—speaking from personal experience—is something to be avoided at all costs.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

And kidney damage—speaking from personal experience—is something to be avoided at all costs.
Kidney damage = no fun dialysis which is never fun.


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## Kirstenlee (Mar 8, 2021)

Thank you all for the recommendations and advice!


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