Sardines for dogs...

toadfly

Quick question..

I know people on here have recommended giving sardines to dogs to help their coat, skin etc so yesterday was in Dunnes and got some in sunflower oil. When I opened it up I chickened out of giving it to them as the bones are so tiny. Gave them a little bit I could pick out with no bones.

Any thoughts? They are both Yorkies (small ones!)

Thanks.

andreac

Sardines are absol fine for dogs, theres no problem feeding them at all. Those little bones dont affect them as they are very soft.

Winty

Let them fill their boots

It will be good for them, dont worry about the bones

anniehoo

A cheaper and easier alternative is to break a cod liver oil capsule and mix it with their normal food. One capsule for a medium/largish dog and half of one for a small dog will be fine. This is excellent for coat quality and shine aswell as other health benefits for their joints etc

EDIT/ do not give it to cats as it can cause Vitamin A toxicity if given regularly

patmac

anniehoo wrote: »

A cheaper and easier alternative is to break a cod liver oil capsule and mix it with their normal food. One capsule for a medium/largish dog and half of one for a small dog will be fine. This is excellent for coat quality and shine aswell as other health benefits for their joints etc

EDIT/ do not give it to cats as it can cause Vitamin A toxicity if given regularly

Also just give once a week as it can make them pooh a lot if overdone.

toadfly

Great thanks all!

mymo

I give Sardines, tuna, Mackerel, whatever other fishies in a coffin(my daughter called them this when younger, it kinda stuck) I get. My two seem to love fish of all sorts, once its in oil and ready for humans to eat, it should be fine. Any bones left in are very soft.
I just mix a can into the food, but if they're the tiny Yorkies I would just give half between them at the most to start as it can be a bit much for the bellies. As said once a week is plenty, and watch out for the fishy kisses after:p

scudzilla

Brodi gets a tin of sardines in sunflower oil, mixed with her Royal Canin nuts once a week, she loves it and works wonders for her coat

Sigma Force

Tinned fish in oil is fine but if they are on a balanced diet wouldn't over do it too much it's high in vitamin A and with things like tuna can contain levels of mercury.

Seven seas vitacraft do a coat conditioner which is brilliant stuff, it's oil as well.

Or even just a dash of sunflower oil or olive oil now and then if you run out of fish.

Or if you're having fish yourself you could give them the skin, no bones then.

Peter Banks

Our five Yorkies go mad for any tinned fish (even ones in tomato sauce). But, as other posters have said, don't overdo it, once a month is sufficient as it can "disagree" with their stomachs and you are left with some major poo clean-up!

Morganna

Feed away its excellent for them .

happypuppy

Hi,

I was given same advise and had same worries however I did give them to him and he likes it!

I used a fork to mash it together and broke up the bones before i gave it to him and he had no problems with it. (My dog is a Westie)

iguana

The only problem I've had with feeding fish to my dogs is that now whenever I have fish for myself they go mental thinking it's for them.

Xiney

The bones are very soft - I eat sardines (in brine) relatively often myself.

The cat seems to think that at least one of the sardines in the tin has his name on it though :rolleyes:

toadfly

Thanks for all the replies, gave them 3/4 of a tin yesterday between them they loved them! Will get them once a week so.

paultf

What's the point in adding supplements like sardines or salmon oil to your dogs feed? Is it for a treat or to make the food more appetising or to improve dogs coat?

Its just I give my dogs Burns and I sent them an email asking should I add salmon oil or similar to the food. The response I got is below.

"Dear Paul,

Thank you for your recent e-mail enquiry.

If you are feeding the Burns diets then there should be no need to add any
extra oil to the diet.

We believe if a dog has a dull coat or a coat in poor condition it is a sign
of waste toxin build-up. This indicates the diet is exceeding the dogs needs
in some way which can be a number of reasons such as;
- too much food
- the diet is too high in protein & fat for the dogs needs
- too many treats or tit-bits are fed with the Burns diet
- there is an ingredient within the food which is not suiting the dog or the
dog is finding it hard to digest.

As long as you are reducing your dogs daily intake of Burns to compensate
for the Kelties given this should be fine.

Kind regards
Rebecca"

PS Kelties are Burns dog biscuits.

Xiney

paultf wrote: »

sign of waste toxin build-up

ah, "holistic science"... what bull****. :rolleyes:

most high quality dog foods will not require supplementation, yes... but there is no such thing as "waste toxin build-up" - if there was your dog would be on dialysis.

Morganna

Xiney wrote: »

ah, "holistic science"... what bull****. :rolleyes:

most high quality dog foods will not require supplementation, yes... but there is no such thing as "waste toxin build-up" - if there was your dog would be on dialysis.

I agree Xiney

paultf

Xiney wrote: »

ah, "holistic science"... what bull****. :rolleyes:

most high quality dog foods will not require supplementation, yes... but there is no such thing as "waste toxin build-up" - if there was your dog would be on dialysis.

Don't know much about "holistic science" nor "waste toxin build-up"!!!! All I know is Burns suits my dogs.

Going back to what the OP asked about adding sardines, the point I was trying to make with the email from Burns, is with Burns there is no need to add anything extra as Burns is a complete food. And I am sure there are other complete foods in this category aswell.

jamesd

My Akita goes mad for any fish, he gets some sardines or tuna once a week as a treat.

iguana

paultf wrote: »

Going back to what the OP asked about adding sardines, the point I was trying to make with the email from Burns, is with Burns there is no need to add anything extra as Burns is a complete food. And I am sure there are other complete foods in this category aswell.

Would you be happy spending your entire life eating a perfectly nutritionally balanced composite? My dogs enjoy their dog food but that enjoyment compares nowhere near to how much they adore their fish/chicken/meat. The pleasure derived from eating is nearly as important as the nutrition.

paultf

iguana wrote: »

Would you be happy spending your entire life eating a perfectly nutritionally balanced composite? My dogs enjoy their dog food but that enjoyment compares nowhere near to how much they adore their fish/chicken/meat. The pleasure derived from eating is nearly as important as the nutrition.

I suppose it depends on what dry kibble you are feeding. I think with some foods you can get away with supplementing your food. But if you have a complete food which has all the necessary nutrients are you messing up the balance which your dog gets from a complete food? Anytime I have been in touch with Burns they have told me not to add anything extra. Recently I was thinking of adding some tinned dog food (for a change) to the Burns kibble but I was told not too. Also I was thinking of adding salmon oil - Burns told me not too.

My dogs are doing really well on Burns kibble on its own so I decided not to add anything extra.

I think Burns is one of those foods that you have to be careful with. For example, my Mum has a Bichon. He is on Burns and really enjoys it. Recently he started having blood in his stools. After contacting Burns we figured out we were overfeeding him by about 10-20g (he only weighs 6kg). So I just get the impression that the nutritional content/balance in Burns is such that you can't add anything to it. Maybe that is why its only sold through vets?

All I am saying is if you want to add sardines and the like - fine - and yeah your dog will love it. But there any other complete foods out there like Burns which probably wouldn't be a good idea to add anything extra to them. For example Orijen has a high protein content - would Orijen advise you to add something extra to the food aswell? Your dog would like the extras - sardines, chicken, etc. - but Orijen is packed with protein so why add more? Would it mess up the nutritional balance?

mymo

Burns is not only sold through vets, I know several pet shops and animal supplies places selling it. I tried it myself with my two dogs and it didn't agree with them, one had dry skin on it the other upset stomach. They also will tell you not to mix anything into it as you would be buying less of their food. Its what any business would say.
Mixing in a little fish, or giving raw treats occasionally is fine, so long as you substitute it for an equal amount of the dry food.
Pretty much all the dry food on the market is complete food, but its down to us each as owners to decide how and what we feed.

As for the blood in the stools, I would be worried by that, no food should cause that.

paultf

mymo wrote: »

Burns is not only sold through vets, I know several pet shops and animal supplies places selling it. I tried it myself with my two dogs and it didn't agree with them, one had dry skin on it the other upset stomach. They also will tell you not to mix anything into it as you would be buying less of their food. Its what any business would say.
Mixing in a little fish, or giving raw treats occasionally is fine, so long as you substitute it for an equal amount of the dry food.
Pretty much all the dry food on the market is complete food, but its down to us each as owners to decide how and what we feed.

As for the blood in the stools, I would be worried by that, no food should cause that.

Most foods say they are a complete food. I can go into my local pet store and get a 15kg bag of food for a low price - its suppose to be complete! I suppose foods at that price need to be supplemented because nutritionally they are lacking IMO. But the better quality foods (and more expensive foods) don't need to be supplemented IMO.

I agree there is nothing wrong with giving sardines to your dog as a treat now and again - as you said just re-adjust the feeding amounts. Its just I feel if you give your dog the right dry kibble from the start then there shouldn't be a need to continually supplement it. I am sure there are alot of people adding sardines/salmon oil to their dogs food to improve the condition of the dogs coat - surely though you get this from your food if you have the right one?

PS I forgot you can get Burns from ZooPlus and other online sites. I get mine from a Vet/Farm shop - cheaper than the local vets. Didn't think you could get it in pet stores in Ireland - no pet stores are listed as suppliers on Burns Ireland website. Burns was developed by a Vet if that makes a difference!

PPS " they tell you not to mix anything into it as you would be buying less of their food" - not sure about that statement. If I was going to add Salmon Oil, that wouldn't mean I would buy less of Burns?

iguana

paultf wrote: »

Its just I feel if you give your dog the right dry kibble from the start then there shouldn't be a need to continually supplement it.

My question was completely serious. Would you be happy eating something like astronaut food for the rest of your life or do you derive pleasure from eating great meals?

ghost_ie

iguana wrote: »

Would you be happy spending your entire life eating a perfectly nutritionally balanced composite? My dogs enjoy their dog food but that enjoyment compares nowhere near to how much they adore their fish/chicken/meat. The pleasure derived from eating is nearly as important as the nutrition.

I have to agree with you, Iguana. I couldn't eat the same food day after day and I don't see why dogs should do so either. My lot get plain dry food for breakfast (with a tin of sardines divided between them once a week) but for dinner they always get any leftovers from our meal - bits of fat, chicken skin, leftover potatoes, remains of a stew, etc - mixed in with their own dinners (the amount of dog food they get is reduced in accordance with how much of the remains is mixed in). If we're having salads (in one of my periodic attempts to lose weight) I make up gravy to put on their dry food for dinner. They love it.

paultf

iguana wrote: »

My question was completely serious. Would you be happy eating something like astronaut food for the rest of your life or do you derive pleasure from eating great meals?

You are right. Dogs do love treats like sardines and similar. And they do get great enjoyment out of eating it. And they is nothing wrong with them having it now and again.

Its just the point I was trying to make is that I think some foods don't need to be supplemented. By sticking to the feeding guidelines of Burns I know for sure my dogs are getting the correct amount of nutrients. Since doing this my dogs they are in the best shape of their lives - even my vet said it! They get 2 meals a day and on average 3 Kelties a day (Burns dog biscuits.)

So I don't feel the need to supplement my dogs food. My dogs seem happy as is.

Thats just my view.