How To Get More Fish In Your Dog's Diet

Dogs love fish! And what’s not to love? For people or doggos alike, fish is full of flavour, nutrition, and benefits for the both of us. Fish comes in a huge array of varieties, from small to mammoth in size, and can be enjoyed in a variety of forms, fresh, frozen or raw.

The thing about fish, though, is how does one pick the perfect fish for their pooch? There’s choices a’plenty. Should you choose the tuna in a can? The mackerel from the deli? The basa from the frozen section? And how much does it matter, anyway?

Unless you’re a fish foodie - or are some kind of marine expert - we understand why you might be seeking more information before diving into fish. It’s not just why fish is such a winning addition to your dog’s diet, but how you can start using it for good. Stick around for advice that makes a splash.

What’s so good about fish?

Where to begin? Fish is like the holy grail of seafood, with more benefits than we can shake a stick at (and then throw it). While every breed and type of fish shares a slightly unique nutrient profile, they all share some of the same key benefits that makes fish so good for your dog.

Nutritious

Firstly, while fish might be small it’s nutritional benefits are mighty. Fish are absolutely jam-packed full of Omega-3 fatty acids - EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid). These acids are essential components of your doggo’s daily diet, and boast some expansive health benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids are renowned for being anti-inflammatory, meaning they benefit dogs that experience inflammatory conditions like joint pain, arthritis, or irritable bowel issues. They are a key part of brain and vision development in dogs, and are particularly essential for the healthy development of immune function in puppies.

Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats and they can turn your dog’s coat from drab to fabulous. Improved skin condition, glossy fur and reduced irritation are some of the things you can expect when feeding your dog fish.

Palatable for picky dogs

You probably don’t need us to tell you that fish can be stinky.

Fish is a unique meat, due its particularly pungent smell and flavour. Interestingly, fish don’t smell any worse than other meat until they’re out of the sea. When they’re alive and living in the ocean, fish rely on a chemical called trimethylamine oxide (or TMAO) to maintain fluid balance, and to counter the extreme saltiness of the sea. But when they die, this chemical is converted to trimethylamine (or TMA), which is where their recognizably fishy scent comes from.

But when you’re plating up fish for your doggo, it’s almost guaranteed to smell strongly. And while this isn’t always so pleasant for us, it’s practically heaven for our dogs.

A dog’s ability to taste is very weak compared to humans: their taste buds are just not designed to the same complexity that ours are. But their sense of smell is millions of times stronger than ours. Because smell and taste are so closely related, it’s this super-powered smelling ability that allows dogs to taste flavours more intensely than they otherwise would. And as you might have deduced, the smellier a food, the more a dog is able to taste it.

So while we might occasionally wrinkle our nose in disdain at the characteristic odour of fish, our dogs are doing the opposite. So if you’ve got a dog that’s particularly picky with the food they eat, tempting them with the pungent scent of fish might be exactly what they need to dig in.

Fish are hypoallergenic

We’ve spoken before about how food allergies develop, which you can read more about here. But if you’re looking for a recap:

In doggos, food allergies can develop at random, and often take a long time to fully develop – meaning that a food your doggo once enjoyed could suddenly cause an allergic reaction. If your dog hasn’t encountered a food, it’s nearly impossible for them to have a pre-existing allergy.

And not just that – some ingredients are more sensitive than others, meaning they’re just less likely to contribute to a food allergy, even if your doggo has eaten it regularly. Combined with it’s relative rarity in food and treats, as well as it’s sensitive nature, fish is one of those ingredients: meaning it’s well suited to doggos that are struggling with allergies or food sensitivity.

How do I include more fish in my doggo’s diet?

There’s no limit to the way you can include fish in your dog’s daily meal – from treats to breakfast and dinner, from fresh to cooked and more. Fish is fantastic on its own, or a futuristic way to spice up a kibble diet.

But when making additions to your dog’s diet, it’s important to keep additions at 15% or under of your dog’s daily serving - this will prevent you disturbing the balance of their meal, and ensure you are adding to their health rather than reducing it.

Lastly, keep mercury content in mind when feeding fish. Too much mercury in a diet can actually lead to mercury poisoning, which is extremely harmful to dogs. In rare cases, it can even be fatal.

As a general rule, the smaller the fish, the smaller the dose of mercury. The larger the fish, the larger the mercury content. So to maintain a safe and healthy balance of mercury, it’s wise to feed smaller fish more regularly, and spread apart meals that feature large species of fish.

Fresh fish

If fresh fish is something you can regularly access, it’s a tip-top way to bring your dog’s dinner from silver to gold-standard. Fish can be fed both cooked or raw – provided it has been stored safely in the refrigerator and not at risk of carrying harmful bacteria or contaminants.

The very best kinds of fresh fish to feed are:

• salmon
• whitefish
• whiting
• salmon
• tuna

When buying canned fish, ensure it’s always packed in water – not oil – and keep it totally free of any seasonings or additional ingredients.

Dehydrated fish

If you’re not down with the slippery, slimy and pungent nature of fresh fish – and we don’t blame you! – dehydrated fish might be just what you’re looking for. Not only that, fish is a short-living meat and won’t last long in your fridge, but dehydrated fish can be shelf stable for months or even years.

Not to be biased – but our personal favourites are the snackable Forage Fish and Jerky.

When dehydrated, there’s no need to deal with the goop or gunk that comes with handling, cutting and portioning up fresh fish. They come pre-packaged and pre-prepared, perfect for the time-poor pet owner. And as an added bonus, sourcing dehydrated snacks means you can often get your hands on less common fish and seafood treats – like shark skin, cartilage, mussels and more – each with just as enormous health benefits.

Fish oil

Fish is ultra-beneficial in its raw form, but if you’re looking for the health benefits bottled and perfect for pouring, fish oil is perfect for it.

When buying fish oil, you’re buying pure DHA and EPA (the Omega-3 fatty acid mentioned before) that have been extracted from whole fish. Fish oil is convenient as you can buy it bottled or jarred, and it generally has an impressive shelf life. And if you’re ultra-sensitive to the smell of fish, but still want your dog to reap the benefits, you can even buy fish oil that is completely scentless.

According to the Canine & Conditioning Rehabilitation Group, many dogs being supplemented with fish oil are not actually being given enough to enrich their health. For the best results, they recommend calculating your doggo’s daily usage of 20mg per 400g of body weight.

Go (get) fish!

We love fish. Doggos love fish. What about you? Now that you know exactly what makes fish a winning food, we hope you love it too.