Fish are among the healthiest foods we humans can eat, and the good news is they’re good for dogs, too!
Does this mean dogs can eat tuna fish?
The answer is yes… and no.
Let us explain! Tuna fish are naturally loaded with nutrients that benefit canine health in various ways. Unfortunately, the human impact on the environment has made these fish quite dangerous for our furry friends to consume. For this reason, we don’t recommend feeding tuna fish to your pooch.
Keep reading if you want to know why tuna fish and dogs don’t mix!
Mercury: The Main Reason Tuna Fish Is Bad for Dogs
In a perfect world, tuna would be safe for dogs to eat.
Unfortunately, we live in a timeline where our industrial activity pumps the world’s rivers, lakes, and oceans full of mercury. This chemical element contaminates various species that call these waters home—including tuna fish.
Mercury builds up in the tissues of aquatic creatures; the larger and longer the animal’s lifespan, the more mercury they absorb. And tuna just so happens to be a large, long-lived species.
Tuna fish therefore contain much higher mercury levels than other seafood.
Mercury is poisonous to humans, which is why it’s a bad idea for us to eat tuna regularly. However, because dogs are smaller than us humans, mercury is more poisonous to them. Which also means that the smaller a dog is, the greater the danger mercury poses.
If your dog eats tuna, they could end up suffering from mercury poisoning, which can cause dogs permanent damage. Its symptoms include:
- Strange behavior, such as destructive self-chewing
- Anxiety and nervousness
- Bloody vomit
- Bloody, watery diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Blindness
- Loss of sensation in paws
- Lack of coordination
- Convulsion
- Tremors
- Abdominal swelling, inability to urinate (due to kidney damage)
- Coma
- Death
These symptoms are initially unnoticeable but grow in severity over time. In fact, a dog may appear unaffected for as long as two months following mercury exposure. This can convince an owner that their tuna-eating pet hasn’t been poisoned, which can lead to disastrous consequences.
The greater the amount of mercury a canine consumes, the more obvious and immediate the symptoms.
Which brings us to:
The types of mercury poisoning
There are two types of mercury poisoning in dogs, which are dependent on how you feed your pooch food contaminated with mercury.
These two types are:
Chronic mercury poisoning: This occurs when a dog is exposed to low mercury levels on a regular basis, such as when you feed your pet small tuna slices every day or several times a week. The toxin slowly accumulates in the animal’s body, resulting in initially unnoticeable symptoms that gradually grow worse.
Acute mercury poisoning: This occurs when a dog consumes a significant amount of mercury, such as when you give your dog a meal consisting of several huge, fat slabs of tuna. This can result in immediate, high-intensity mercury poisoning symptoms.
Fresh vs. canned tuna
Raw, fresh tuna generally has more mercury than canned tuna. This means both you and your dog are less likely to get poisoned eating canned tuna than something like tuna sashimi or tuna sushi.
Canned tuna also contains lower mercury levels than tuna steaks.
Nevertheless, because canned tuna still has more mercury than other types of food, your dog is better off not eating it.
Cat food
If you’re a fur parent to both a canine and a feline, ensure your dog doesn’t eat any wet cat food, as this usually counts tuna as an ingredient.
In fact, since mercury can also poison cats, it’s best to give them cat food that doesn’t contain tuna.
Treating Mercury Poisoning
To treat your dog’s mercury poisoning, bring them to a pet clinic or hospital. Here, they’ll be given oxygen therapy, IV fluids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics.
The vet will likely also administer activated charcoal and chelation medication, which bind with mercury. This will then allow your dog to expel the mercury from their body through urination.
Sadly, there’s no repairing the damage caused by mercury. If your dog has already experienced severe mercury poisoning symptoms, then the damage done to their central nervous system, heart, or kidneys is permanent.
FAQs About Tuna Fish for Dogs
It’s time to answer more commonly asked questions about tuna fish for dogs!
My dog ate tuna. What should I do?
Remain calm and determine how much your dog ate.
Don’t worry too much if your pooch consumed only a few small slices of tuna. Tuna flesh itself isn’t toxic to dogs, and the low mercury levels found in a tiny amount of tuna are unlikely to hurt your dog. Just make sure they don’t eat any additional pieces. If you want to ensure your pet’s health, contact a vet for advice.
If you’ve been feeding your dog tuna daily, stop now. Mercury has likely already accumulated in their tissues, so eating more tuna will only bring them closer to death. Contact a veterinarian and listen to their instructions; if they ask you to bring your pooch to the pet clinic or hospital for treatment, do so as early as possible.
If your dog ate a significant amount of tuna, you may see mercury poisoning symptoms right away. Rush your dog to the vet; hesitation can have fatal consequences.
Remember to consider your dog’s size. A small amount of tuna for a large dog may be too much for a tiny dog.
If you can’t reach any pet clinics or hospitals, those in North America can call the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 or Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.
Can dogs eat raw tuna?
No. Raw tuna is loaded with mercury, which can make your dog extremely, even lethally ill. It also contains bacteria and parasites that can give canines health complications.
Can dogs eat canned albacore tuna?
Nope. Canned tuna may contain less mercury than raw, fresh tuna, but its mercury levels are still high enough to cause your dog suffering if eaten in excess or regularly. In addition, canned tuna is usually extremely oily, making its consumption conducive to weight gain and the development of pancreatitis.
Can dogs eat tuna steak?
Don’t give your dog tuna steak. In addition to having high mercury content, this food is prepared using all sorts of ingredients and seasonings that can give your dog gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas.
Will cooking tuna make it safe for dogs to eat?
No. The claim that cooking tuna fish reduces its mercury levels is inaccurate. Because the chemical tightly binds to the tuna’s muscle tissue, cooking doesn’t change its mercury concentration at all, which means this fish is as dangerous freshly cooked as it is raw.
Can tuna benefit a dog’s health?
Tuna is jam-packed with nutrients every dog needs to stay healthy. For example, it contains minerals such as potassium and magnesium, which keep their cellular tissue healthy, as well as vitamins B3 and B12, which promote healthy energy levels.
Unfortunately, these benefits aren’t worth the risk of mercury poisoning. Besides, there are plenty of other dog-friendly foods containing the same essential nutrients that don’t contain dangerous chemicals such as mercury.
What kinds of fish can dogs eat?
Your dog is in luck; there are plenty of fish species that canines can safely eat due to containing far lower levels of mercury.
You can, for example, feed your doggo:
- Salmon
- Flounder
- Herring
- Cod
- Whitefish
- Whiting
- Arctic char
- Catfish
- Tilapia
- Sardines
However, make sure you don’t feed your dog any fish containing ingredients and seasonings such as salt, sugar, spices, herbs, and dairy, as such additives can harm them. Properly clean the fish as well as skin and debone them whenever necessary.
Also, feed your dog fish in moderation only. This means 90% of what your dog eats should be vet-approved, high-quality dog food. The remaining 10% should be a combination of healthy treats such as dog-friendly vegetables, fruits, fish, and others.
What other kinds of fish are not safe for dogs to eat?
Don’t feed your dog:
- Swordfish
- Tilefish
- Shark
- King mackerel
These fish are typically harvested when they’re older and larger, which means their tissues contain higher mercury levels. Their internal organs, muscle tissues, and skin also harbor parasites.
It’s also a good idea to avoid farm-raised fish, as these are often contaminated with chemicals and antibiotics that are toxic to dogs.
Conclusion
No, dogs can’t eat tuna. Sure, this fish boasts significant levels of nutrients that can keep your pet healthy. Unfortunately, tuna is also known for its high mercury content, which means any dog that eats it can suffer from permanently damaging, potentially lethal mercury poisoning. So if you’ve been feeding your dog tuna, stop and contact a vet for advice. They may need treatment, especially if they’ve already begun to exhibit symptoms of poisoning.
Keep your pooch safe from the deadly effects of mercury: don’t feed them tuna fish!