Is it ok to feed my dog tuna?

Only if it's ethically caught

Seriously though, I heard a doctor on the radio a few months back saying that humans should eat certain fish like tuna no more than a couple of times a week because of mercury levels, so I reckon the same thing might apply to feeding it to pets.

i feed my cocker tuna... but only once every two weeks, as tuna does have very high levels of mercury personally 5 nights a week i feel is far too much etc.... i also feed him sardines in oil (great for thier coats).... a raw egg mixed in once per week etc...

In order for your dog to loose weight you shpould only add extras ie tuna, raw egg, sardines, all bran (for his anal glands) ... twice /three times per week.... the other days the dried food would be enough... i know you mentioned you feels its too bland but dogs have different tastes to us... honestly 4 nights of dried food would help reduce the weight and keep your dog healthy!

on the days you dont add anything extra to your dogs diet you could add a small spoon of cod liver oil... good for thier joints and coat

Best of luck

DBB wrote: »

I'd agree that you might think about varying the meaty treats a bit.
The problem with tuna is that it's near the top of it's "food chain", and these predators tend to accumulate toxins and heavy metals that were ingested by the creatures they eat.
The wisdom as I understand it is that you're better feeding an oily fish from the bottom of the food chain, such as sardines, as they don't have the cumulative effect of toxins that the top predators do.
Not to say there's anything wrong with a bit of tuna now and again, just not all the time.
Oily fish like sardines are really good for dogs, physically and mentally, and you only need to add a small bit to their food to convince them to really enjoy boring dry food!

I use sardines once or twice a week, the dogs LOVE sardine night!
Also at 49c a can in Aldi I just buy a tray and they are a very cheap treat in their dinner.

I wouldn't be happy with 5 days of tuna.To much salt and yes accumulations of toxins could be an issue especially as dogs are that much smaller so have build up quicker than humans.My main issue with it is that its being added to an already complete dog food so she doesn't need it for a supplement.

Is there a reason that your adding in extras if your trying to get her to loose weight?
It sort of defeats the purpose of feeding her a light food.....

You can over do fish and fish oils, just like any other food so perhaps twice a week instead perhaps makerel as a change it can be cheaper sometimes and it's not as over fished as tuna.

Stop the supplements, OP, they will only hinder your dog's weight loss. Don't worry about the food appearing 'bland'; dogs don't experience taste in as complex a way as we do. As I said to my brother who was worried about his dog not liking the dry food; he licks his arse, doesn't he? Then he can't mind the taste of the food too much. My dogs have been on dry food, with very few additions, for years and each and every day they react like they've had filet mignon put on their plates.

Your dog may stop eating for a day when you cut out the extras because he wants the nice little bits. Don't give in, a day without food won't hurt him, and he'll eat what's put in front of him from then on.