There are certain human foods that we want to let our dogs try because we don’t want them to miss out on how yummy they are! One of these is smoked salmon.
If you’re on this page, you’ve made the right choice to check if it is safe for dogs to eat smoked salmon before feeding it to them!
Can dogs eat smoked salmon? We talk about the benefits of salmon, and how it can be a danger to dogs with salmon poisoning and sodium ion poisoning!
Can Dogs Eat Salmon?
The short answer is — yes.
Salmon is good for your dog and they should like it. You are allowed to feed salmon to your dogs as long as the fish is fresh, boneless, well-cooked, and prepared in small portions.
In fact, salmon is a typical ingredient in most dog food products, both wet and dry.
Salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. These help the immune system and help to reduce inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids can also keep your dog’s coat shiny and healthy.
Feeding salmon to young puppies helps develop their brains as well as assisting older dogs to concentrate better. Especially those that are a little senile.
Choose fresh boneless fillets since they are less likely to have small bones. Then, poach, grill, roast, steam, or bake the salmon with little to no oil and no seasonings.
Here’s another tasty way to prepare salmon for your dog.
Just like with any kind of food, portion control is important. Serve your dog an appropriate portion size and limit their salmon intake to once a week or less.
Can Dogs Eat Smoked Salmon?
Fresh, boneless, and well-cooked salmon is good for dogs, but what about smoked salmon? Is it any different in terms of nutritional value? Is it better for your dog?
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Smoked salmon is not recommended for your furry friend. What makes it a bad choice for your dog is that it is cured, meaning that it contains an excessive amount of salt.
Dogs should not be fed foods containing a lot of salt because of the risk of sodium ion poisoning.
Another reason you shouldn’t be giving smoked salmon to your dog is because of the slim chance that it has parasites. While that’s not likely to happen, you do want to be on the safe side with this.
Likewise, raw or under cooked salmon shouldn’t be fed to your dog. It might contain Neorickettsia helminthoeca parasite, which causes salmon poisoning disease. This disease can be fatal.
Raw salmon also contains a lot of small bones that are brittle and can cause choking or lodging in their stomach and intestines.
Dog Salmon Poisoning
In dogs, salmon poisoning is deadly if left untreated. Aside from too much sodium in smoked salmon, raw salmon can cause poisoning.
The problem with this is that it can take up to a week before your pooch shows any signs. Thus, your vet might not even consider it as salmon poisoning because it is hard to diagnose and treat.
It is also possible for dogs with salmon poisoning to spread the infection to other dogs in your house through their fecal matter.
Here are some symptoms of dog salmon poisoning:
- vomiting
- lack of appetite
- diarrhea
- rapid weight loss
- lethargy
- dehydration
- swollen lymph nodes
If you think your dog is experiencing dog salmon poisoning, take them to the vet immediately. Inform them if you know or think your dog has eaten raw or under cooked salmon.
Your fur baby may also undergo some tests, such as fecalysis to detect the parasite’s egg within the feces. They might also get a needle sample from a swollen lymph node to reveal the diagnosis for salmon poisoning.
Antibiotics may be prescribed by your vet to kill the organisms that caused the poisoning and a wormer to kill the parasite. IV fluid might also be needed if your dog is dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea.
Dog Sodium Ion Poisoning
Sodium ion poisoning is a possible health risk that your dog faces when you feed them smoked salmon.
In most cases, if your dog consumes too much salt, they will drink a lot of water to combat the effects and no damage will be done.
However, if there is no water, or if they consumed too much salt from smoked salmon, the cells in the body will start to release water and destroy their brain cells.
The neurological symptoms of dog salt poisoning include dizziness, headache, and seizures. This sickness also causes muscles to lose moisture, shrivel, and become stiff, which will create shaking and jerking.
If your dog experiences sodium ion poisoning, they will be admitted to the hospital for oxygen, IV fluid therapy, and electrolytes to manage dehydration.
As soon as they are discharged, your vet will require a low-sodium diet to keep the level of sodium in their blood under control.
Salmon Dog Food Products
To stay safe, it’s best to buy salmon products made specifically for dogs. There are good wet and dry dog foods with salmon in them! Here are our favorites.
Purina Beyond Grain-Free Ocean Whitefish, Salmon & Sweet Potato
Looking for wet dog food with salmon? Purina offers one with ocean whitefish, sweet potato, and salmon!
It has 44% protein, 17% fat, and 31% carbs. It is the perfect blend of ingredients with the nutrients that your furry friend needs!
With its moisture and ability to be mixed with other sauces and foods, Purina will definitely be appealing to your dog!
Canidae Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato
The Canidae Grain-Free Pure product line includes 11 dry dog foods, including Salmon & Sweet Potato.
Fish meal is the second main ingredient of this dog food, which is meat concentrate. And this is better because the fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.
It’s much better than most dry dog food out there, especially in terms of protein. Aside from salmon, it has peas, lentils, alfalfa, flaxseed, and more!
It’s also grain-free, making it suitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Choose the Best Salmon for Your Dog!
Although salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, your dog can suffer from salmon poisoning if you feed it to them under cooked or raw.
As for smoked salmon, it can cause sodium ion poisoning which has severe neurological and muscular symptoms.
Because you want what’s best for your dog, you should never feed smoked salmon to them!
Instead, go for fresh, well-cooked, and boneless ones, or a salmon-packed dog food product like the Canidae Grain-Free Pure or Purina dog foods.
For more on salmon for dogs, find out whether dogs can eat canned salmon.
