Feeding question

Hi

We are going to get our first staff in a few weeks of time.
Since I fish a lot (pike and other species) I wonder if it is appropriate to give fish to our staff also now and then?

Should it be boiled first or can we give raw fish?

Thanks, T.

Hi there, welcome to the forum, do come and say hello   

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You can give fish raw or cooked, if you give it raw don't feed it along side and dry food though because they have different digestion times and can cause an upset tummy

Bane loves his fish! Can give them whole too, no need to gut them

Marquez loves his fish and we feed it to him whole

Just a note of caution to the above.

Raw fish can be fed in small amounts to dogs, but it is recommended to feed it in moderation as part of a fully balanced diet.

Raw fish contains an enzyme that breaks down Vitamin B2 (and B1), so feeding too much raw fish to your dog, can result in a vitamin deficiency. The simple and safe way to feed fish to your dog, is to cook it first, as the cooking process deactivates this enzyme and also reduces the risk of any parasitic infections being passed onto your pet from the raw fish.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in dogs can cause several problems with your pet’s vessels as well as nerve damage. It can also cause your dog to become stressed in situations that otherwise would not bother them. Thiamine is considered an anti-stress vitamin because it helps to strengthen your dog’s immune system and improves their ability to handle stressful situations.

It's also very important to be aware of the fish bones, which can be an obstruction risk to your dog.


I personally just give the odd tin of sardines or tuna to Meg to vary her diet.  She loves it!

Generally Daisy just has a couple of sprats added to her food twice a week and then a little salmon oil on the days she doesn't have fish, does that sounds about right?

I would say so, Saz.  I suppose it's up to the individual, but I like to give Meg Sardines or Tuna (in sunflower oil, never in brine) once a week to vary her diet a little and keep her interested.

Thanks daz, Daisy occasionally has tinned fish if I've forgotten to defrost something!! but as she's on raw I prefer to stick to raw as much as I can   

I tried Meg on raw, but she wouldn't entertain it. I bought some raw meat for her and had to blummen cook it before she would eat it!

 Daisy is quite fussy but far less so with raw!