Can I feed my pets raw salmon?
3 min read
Have you heard that you shouldn't feed raw salmon because of parasites? This is a raw feeding half-truth that is as old as the internet itself.
It's absolutely true that if you live on the Pacific northwest coast of the USA, or you source salmon from this area, you shouldn't feed it (or eat it) raw. This is due to the possible presence of a parasitic fluke, that is mitigated by cooking.
But if you live (and source salmon) anywhere else in the world, you can absolutely feed it to your pets raw, and I encourage you to. Salmon is a great source of vitamin D3, but cooking it at a typical temperature can destroy much of this important vitamin.
Salmon is also full of omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for the health of the brain, the joints and overall immune function, due to their anti-inflammatory qualities. These healthy fats are best fed raw and fresh, for optimum benefit and to avoid any risk of rancidity.
Salmon bones are also fantastic all rounder bone option for dogs and cats of all sizes. From the tails, fins, spine and head, there's truly something for everyone. They're also usually very cheap, or free, if you get friendly with your local fishmonger. My local fish shop sells heads for $1, which is an entire day of food for my dogs.
Salmon heads are one of the few meaty bones I can give them that keeps them occupied for more than a few minutes, making it a great choice for enrichment too.
One thing to be mindful of is that salmon is a culprit when it comes to heavy metals, which is why we opt to use sardines in our blends instead (despite salmon being a more cost effective choice).
You can safely feed salmon occasionally, but we recommend pairing it with leafy greens to help with detoxifying heavy metals - check out out Green Goddess functional topper for a hit of leafy greens and beneficial herbs, all wrapped up with some green goat tripe so they'll actually eat it 🌿
Do you pets dine on salmon?
