Can You Feed Tuna Instead Of Sardines?

[~Aimee~]

I have read that sardines are really good to feed to dogs but the smell really puts me off. Is tuna just as good and is it ok to feed to puppies?

TIA

[Miss Monster]

Tuna is fine for them! Mine love it - they do flips whenever I open some - whether it's for them or not!

[Ruftybear]

We used to give sardines to our GSDs because it was great for their coat and general health. I think you use sardines because they are an oily fish and while I don't think it would hurt to give them tuna, I don't know that it will be as good as the sardines. Maybe if you feed them outside the smell might not be as bad ... I can't stand the smell of them either.

Also ... if you are planning on giving it to a puppy, only use a small amount to start with so you don't upset their tummy. As with all puppies, any change of diet needs to be done slowly. That's been my experience anyway.

[New Age Outlaw]

Salmon is an oily fish too (I think)...I sometimes give mine salmon for something different.

[Dame Aussie]

We have always given our dogs tuna, they love it!!

My 4 month old girl gets sardines a few times a week and tuna maybe once a week, it's good for them

[Leema]

My dogs get tuna. Don't think they've ever had sardines, but salmon didn't go well for them (boney).

[vrox]

sorry guys..this might seem like an utterly stupid question, but is that raw sardines, or canned sardines? (unflavoured, i presume). and tuna as well??

[Golden Rules]

sorry guys..this might seem like an utterly stupid question, but is that raw sardines, or canned sardines? (unflavoured, i presume). and tuna as well??

Nothing wrong with raw sardines if you can be bothered getting them but tinned sardines are what people here are referring to I think.

Sardines are better than tuna because they are oily, and if you get tinned sardines, they come in an oil bath so the dog gets even more oil! Tuna is one of the least oily fish, hence humans often eat it when on a diet

I have occasionally bought sardines in tomato sauce (tinned) - just grabbed the wrong cans at the time - dogs loved them just as much if not more.

But the point of giving sardines is the benefit of the oil in them.

Salmon is a nice oily fish too but a lot more expensive than sardines.

Mackeral is another good oily fish.

[Guest Willow]

I have occasionally bought sardines in tomato sauce (tinned) - just grabbed the wrong cans at the time - dogs loved them just as much if not more.

I've done that too

I get the Woolies own generic brand of sardines, and the packaging is virtually identical....the dogs thought they had died & gone to heaven, after we got a few confused looks.....("is this really for us????")

Edited September 23, 2008 by Willow

[trishalouise]

Sardines and Mackerel in this house - just the tinned homebrand stuff in oil and they love it. I have sometimes thought about going to a fish market and getting fresh stuff but don't know what is good to get! I hate fish - couldn't stand to eat it myself but surprisingly I am getting used to the sardine smell. I always used to get my husband to feed them on fish night!!

Trish

[Pug Hugger]

sorry guys..this might seem like an utterly stupid question, but is that raw sardines, or canned sardines? (unflavoured, i presume). and tuna as well??

Tinned with tomato sauce here - Louie loves it and a bit of 'dead orse' won't hurt him

[puggy_puggy]

Any fish that still contains bones are fine so that the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is maintained.

Canned sardines are probably the easiest.

You can also feed whole raw fish, still containing bones.

[PossumCorner]

...sardines are really good to feed to dogs but the smell really puts me off. ...

Fresh sardines are only about $6 a kilo in the fish shops in most shopping centres around eastern suburbs (Melb). That works out much cheaper than buying canned sardines, and there is no smell. Only a normal fresh-fish smell.

[Chocolate]

I've been buying canned sardines because there are no fish shops nearby to get fresh. The price of the generic brands are much cheaper but then the other day when I picked up a pack of three generic brand I noticed product is from Thailand. I looked at the more expensive Brunswick and they are from Canada. Having been to Thailand and Canada and seen the waters I much prefer to give my dogs the Canadian produce, the waters off Thailand are just a big rubbish bin of waste.

[jillybean]

My dog loves canned sardines! I tried buying fresh mackrel once and she refused to eat it. She picked it up by the tail and tossed it around like it was a toy, then left it to fester out in the sun when she was bored with it. Clearly sashimi is not her thing...