[Molly F]

I have read that fish based diet is no good for cats, not just because of the mercury and other toxins in larger fish, but because it can cause a vitamin block/deficiency.
Does anyone know if this is also true for dogs?
Feeding Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch now, which uses herring, salmon and whitefish, which I *think* are on the safer end, mercury wise.
I’m not married to it or anything as I think Freya’s allergy issues are environmental rather than food, just wondering.

[anonymous]

I have been using Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea kibble as a base for about 5 years, my dog with environmental allergies does well on it in conjunction with treatment from a dermatologist. I also give my dogs a little tuna once or twice a week when I open a can for myself. No problems so far. They also get cooked chicken, chopped cooked lean meat, scrambled egg as topper.
There are only so many things I can worry about.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
It is believed that hyperthyroidism in cats may be linked to eating fish flavored foods. Hyper-T is becoming extremely common in cats. I have not heard anything about fish flavored foods causing dogs any harm. I have four cats and my oldest has been being treated for the condition now for a couple of years.

I feed my dogs fish flavored kibble once every four or five months with no issues so far.

[Susan]

Hi, I’ve read it’s not good to just feed your dog a fish based diet/kibble, if feeding a kibble you should rotate between different meat proteins…. I was feeding an Australian kibble Meals For Mutts Sardines & Salmon in the Summer months then in the Winter months feeding Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, then Under the Sun Pork kibble, now I’m feeding “Canidae” Life Stages kibble that’s Turkey, Lamb & Fish.
I like Canidae kibbles they’re are excellent for dogs with skin & stomach problems.
Canidae grain free Pure Sea is suppose to be excellent for dogs with food & skin allergies then there’s the Canidae Pure Land Bison, Pure Wild Boar, Pure Sky Duck, Pure Elements Lamb, Pure Meadow Chicken..
Rotate between a few different brands & if there’s a problem your dog isn’t on the same brand or same protein for too long cause your rotating between different brands..
My boy was eating Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion but the kibbles colour kept changing with each new batch from brown to black then he’d have real sloppy poos bad gas, I emailed Earthborn & the lady said they get different trucks of potatoes, sometimes rustic potatoes, brown, white, etc so the colour of the kibble was changing, I said but why is he having bad gas/wind pain & real sloppy poos, she couldn’t answer my question, then it occurred to me some truck loads of potatoes are more rotten or green then other truck loads & my boy has a very sensitive stomach, he has IBD & he can’t handle it, where a dog with a stronger stomach is fine…

[Susan W]

A lot of times dog foods that use salmon are feeding farm-raised salmon instead of wild-caught. Farm-raised fish – regardless of what kind – are lower in the nutrients you want for your pet. Menhaden fish is a fantastic fish for Omega-3s, etc, is ONLY wild caught, and is the type of fish that breeds like fleas so there’s always a ton of them. Do a google search for Menhaden fish and which companies use it in their food.

[Cannoli]

Hi Molly,

There is no science out there yet that I have read that feeding your dog fresh fish can cause a vitamin deficiency. I guess maybe if all you did was just feed them fish than I can see the concern. Molly is that what you are asking? That only feeding them fish will cause a vitamin deficiency?

Although one interesting article I read was regarding the Alaskan Eskimos and that they solely fed their sled dogs frozen fish and seals. Most lived to a fine ripe age. So who the heck knows dogs can thrive on anything. Ha

[Author]

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