Sumptuous Salmon - It’s time to SHINE!

Salmon is a highly popular fish dish for humans. Not only is it full of flavour, but it also carries many health benefits. It’s not just humans that love salmon, though – this fish protein is adored by many dogs, and for good reason.

The NHS recommends that humans eat two portions of fish per week, including one oily fish such as salmon. So, could salmon have health benefits for our dogs too? Find out here as we uncover the benefits of salmon dog food to support your pup’s development.

Is Salmon Good For Dogs?

Due to its high levels of vitamins, minerals, and naturally occurring omega 3, salmon makes a great contribution to a dog’s diet.

Oily fish, like salmon, has huge benefits for our canine companions, such as supporting their heart, joints, skin, and coat. Let’s explore this further:

The Benefits Of Salmon Dog Food

Skin And Coat Support

Poor skin and coat condition in dogs is most commonly caused by a negative reaction to the food they eat.

To keep a dog’s skin and coat healthy, many owners turn to a limited ingredient, grain-free, fish-only protein-based diet that’s naturally rich in omega 3, like Fish4Dogs Finest Complete.

Fish4Dogs Salmon Finest Complete Food is a premium, highly palatable, natural, and nutritionally balanced food made from just nine simple ingredients. It’s grain-free, healthy, and made without proteins like beef, chicken, and pork.

Omega 3 Content

Skin irritation and inflammation can often be caused by circulating chemicals in the body known as series-1 eicosanoids. These compounds are by-products from the body’s metabolism of omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in vegetable oils and chicken fat. A surplus of these omega 6 fats causes an increase in these eicosanoids in the blood, which puts the body in a “state of alert”, causing it to overreact to small disturbances caused by the diet. Omega 3 can counteract the effects of omega 6 putting the body back into balance by producing anti-inflammatory series-3 & 5 eicosanoids.

Omega 6, from chicken and vegetable oil is extremely cost effective, so many standard commercial diets have a high ratio of omega 6 content. Feeding a high-quality fish-based food or supplementing with a small quantity of pure fish oil, is the most effective way of achieving the correct ratio.

Skin Hydration

Another helpful benefit of fish is that fish oils hydrate the skin. They promote the production of sebum, an oily waxy substance that can help with lubrication. With increased levels of sebum, the skin becomes supple and hydrated to give a little extra relief to any skin complaint. Your dog’s hair is coated with a protective oily layer, giving the coat a beautiful shine.

Mobility Support

There comes a time in every dog’s life to slow down and take things a little easier. As they get older, a dog’s joints simply can’t hold up as well as they once did. Whether they’re dealing with a wobble every now and then or an ongoing limp, mobility support is something every dog will benefit from at some point.

Thankfully, salmon offers excellent joint support due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It contains astaxanthin – an antioxidant which works to reduce the amount of oxidation damage done to the joints.

Fun fact: Astaxanthin is what gives raw salmon its distinctive, vibrant pink colour.

A Great Taste!

Aside from all the wonderful health benefits of fish for our dogs, the strong aromas and tastes in salmon, particularly its Umami taste, are a welcome change to dogs from more bland alternatives.

With this in mind, we developed our popular Finest Salmon Mousse, perfect as a topper at mealtime for fussy eaters, or served on its own as a treat. Its palatability and thick texture also mean it’s great to use in interactive feeding toys for enrichment.

The Salmon Bites from our training range are also perfect for keeping your dog entertained. 100% salmon, these are small, cube-shaped treats with a strong aroma and delicious taste, great for rewarding attention and response during training. Your dog will be tantalised by the natural smell and keen to learn, leading to more effective training.

Remember, though, treats aren’t just for training. Sometimes, you simply want to show your pooch that extra bit of love. For this, we’ve got a couple of salmon-based options. First is our Love Salmon Sticks which, due to their shape, aren’t immediately devoured by your hungry pup. Their 10cm size makes them a slightly more difficult treat, adding some enrichment and long-lasting joy.

Then, we have our Love Salmon Cubes. These treats are made with fish skin on the outside for added texture, taste, and nutrition – the perfect high-value snack for those ‘just because’ moments.

Embrace Salmon, With Fish4Dogs

Who would have thought? Feeding high-quality, minimal ingredients food and treats, with no fillers or potentially reactive contents can help support a dog’s health and development, and even minimise vet bills. There’s some (dog) food for thought in these challenging economic times.

Browse our online dog food store today and start supporting your pup through the love of salmon.