Your dog is an important part of the family as other family members. You should never compromise on his health and healthy food. Usually, dogs are fond of eating fish, but have you ever thought about giving tuna to your dog? You ever ask yourself can dogs eat tuna?
The simple answer is YES, BUT IN MODERATE AMOUNT. Although fishes are healthier to feed your dog as they are rich in proteins and omega acid-3 fatty acids. But tuna contains a large amount of mercury that can be dangerous for your dog.
You can feed your dog a little amount of tuna, but be careful they don’t give them too much of it. If your dog consumes a large amount of mercury, it might get poisonous health issues.
Read more about dog foods like edamame, marshmallows, basil, cabbage, and pickles.
Can Dogs Eat Tuna? Benefits of Tuna
Is your dog fond of eating tuna? You want to feed him tuna but you are also worried it is safe for your dog or not. You can give tuna to your dog in a moderate amount under your supervision. However, the large amount of tuna can be dangerous for your dog.
Here we have given a few benefits of feeding tuna to your dog:
- One of the biggest reasons that you should feed tuna to your dog is protein availability. Tuna is rich in protein and helps your dog to prevent excessive and unwanted fats.
- Tuna also contains minerals, potassium, and vitamins B3, B6, and B12 that help your dog in having stronger immune systems.
- Omega-3 fatty acids present in tuna help your dog in maintaining their eyesight issues, excessive shedding, itching, and also prevents them from heart diseases.
Can Dogs Eat Tuna? Risks of Tuna
Besides benefits, tuna also has some negative effects that can affect your dog’s health severely. Below we have given some of the risks that your dog might have to face after eating tuna fish.
1) High-Level Mercury:
Tuna contains a high-level amount of mercury as compared to other fishes. Mercury can be very dangerous for your dog and leads to hair loss, kidney damage, and blindness.
If your dog wants to eat tuna, it is better to give it in a small amount. However, still you should your dog’s vet before giving him tuna.
2) Risk of Choking:
Fishes contain lots of bones and tuna is also one of them. Pieces of fish bones can get stuck in your dog’s throat while trying to digest tuna, this can lead to choking. It can also risk your dog’s life. You should consider removing all the bones carefully before feeding tuna to your dog.
3) High Salt Consumption:
As fishes live in salty water, so they contain a huge amount of salt. Consumption of salt is not healthy for dogs as they might get reactions to salt. So, to reduce the risk of any health issue and to keep your dog healthy, you should feed tuna once a month to your dog.
4) Parasites and Contamination:
As a responsible dog parent, you should always get concerned about where the dog food is coming from and what type of ingredients they contain. Always check for parasites and other contaminations while feeding tuna to your dog.
If you notice any symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss in your dog. Get him checked, he might be suffering from parasite attacks.
What to Do If Your Dog Eats Tuna?
At first, you need to check how much tuna your dog has eaten. If he has eaten a small amount, that’s not an issue. But if he ate a large amount of tuna, it might be dangerous as they are consuming mercury poison. You can check for mercury poisoning symptoms before processing treatment.
- Diarrhea
- Kidney damage
- Acting nervous and aggressive
- Excessive shedding
- Tumors
- Vomiting
If you notice any of the above symptoms in your dog, take him to the vet immediately.
1) Can Dogs Eat Raw Tuna?
You should never give raw tuna to your dog. Raw tunas contain parasites and bacteria that can make your dog sick. Raw food also contains thiaminase named enzymes that are killed after being cooked.
Although dogs have strong stomachs and can digest the raw tuna still it’s better to give them cooked fish.
Can Dogs Eat Tuna? How to Serve Tuna to Dogs?
You should keep the following tips in mind before giving tuna to your dog:
Always buy tuna without additional flavors and seasoning for your dog.
Make sure to cook tuna properly to finish parasites and harmful bacteria present in tuna.
Soak tuna in water overnight before feeding it to your dog, so that all the excessive sodium and salt can come out.
At first, give a little amount of tuna to your pup. Wait for 24 hours, if he didn’t get any reactions then you can feed him more.
What Are the Alternate Foods to Tuna?
Your dog wants to eat tuna every time, but you don’t want him to feed it daily. Here are a few healthy alternates to tuna that you can give your dog and he will surely love it
- Bananas
- Coconut
- Honey
- Corns
- Peanut butter
- Popcorns
Can Dogs Eat Tuna? Final Words:
Now the answer to the question, can dog eat tuna? Is YES. Dogs can eat tuna, but it should be less in amount and only on an occasional basis. Giving tuna on daily basis can be dangerous for your dog as it contains a high amount of mercury.
If your dog eats tuna in a routine, he might get mercury poison that also leads to internal kidney damages. However, you can consult your vet about how much amount of tuna is safe.
If your dog shows any symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness after eating tuna; take him to the vet for professional treatment.
