Dogs don’t eat fish: dismissing the myth

One of the more widespread myths is that dogs, by their nature, only eat meat. In fact that’s not true, so if you’ve heard from time to time that dogs don’t eat fish, you’ve been getting the wrong message.

Sea wolves: wolf packs that feed on fish

To illustrate that dogs do eat fish and dismiss the myth, we can see the example of sea wolves, packs of wolves found in British Columbia. They are a wolf pack living on the coastal fringe and they swim large distances from island to island to find their food, water or a safe refuge.

It has been discovered that these wolves also find their food in the water and spend a large part of their daily lives watching the water in order to hunt fish. The local people say they learned to do it by watching bears and that they have been feeding on fish for many generations.

This is something that has also been discovered well away from coastal areas. In fact, in the Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota (USA), researchers who were monitoring a wolf pack discovered that they had learned to catch fish in the brooks and that they spent more than 50% of their time fishing.

Their work, published in the journal Mammalian Biology, has been considered as the first case described of a wolf pack away from the coast and feeding on fish. This shows that there are many examples of wolves, direct ancestors of our dogs, that enjoy eating fish.

Why is fish good for dogs?

Fish can be just as good in our dogs’ diet as it is in our own. Food based on products from the sea, such as fish, shellfish and algae, can be the best way to promote vitality and the general state of health for our faithful friends.

Ocean’s fish dog foods provide dogs with a lot of natural antioxidants and marine protein and, with their high content in omega-3 fatty acids, they help to prevent cardiovascular problems and improve immune system responses. They also improve the skin, make the dog’s coat look good and stimulate the functioning of the nervous system.

Our foods also reduce the symptoms in cases of allergies and have a strongly anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, at both gastrointestinal level and in the joints, where they have also been shown to be of great value in reducing wear due to the passing years due to their high content of cartilage.

For older dogs, these foods help to slow down cognitive deterioration. While in puppies they help to strengthen learning capacity, due to better neuronal development.

Ocean’s food varieties

At Ocean we have created five varieties of dog food using products from the sea, so you can choose which one you prefer to give your dog or you can combine them to improve the experience. They all contain the nutrients your dog needs to improve health and welfare and are the following:

Ocean Mediterranean

Our Ocean Mediterranean variety is ideal for dogs that need light diets or during the seasons when they need a lower proportion of fats. This recipe is prepared using sea bream and sea bass, two white fish with high quality protein and a notable content in essential amino acids. This variety is noted for its mineral content, with magnesium, iron and potassium and for high levels of group B vitamins.

Ocean Atlantic

Ocean Atlantic is a food variety designed to achieve greater vitality in your dog. To do this it contains salmon, a fish that is noted for its protein quality and high proportion of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Salmon helps to protect the heart, lungs and circulation and also helps the body to produce melatonin and serotonin, ideal in regulating sleep routines and mental condition.

As a supplement to salmon it also incorporates krill, essential for its contribution in iodine which helps to regulate the metabolism and contributes to better health in claws and coat. It also provides vitamins B3, B12, D, E and K, among others.

Ocean Cantabrian

Ocean Cantabrian is a food variety that provides our dogs with all the energy of the Cantabrian Sea. It contains ingredients such as anchovy, rich in vitamins A, D, E and K, omega-3 fatty acids and proteins of high ecological value. Its content in essential minerals such as calcium, sodium and iron is important for muscle and nerve functions and helps to reduce cardiovascular disease.

As well as anchovy, Ocean Cantabrian also contains albacore, a blue fish with significant nutritional benefits, known for its high concentration of liposoluble vitamins, such as vitamins A and D. Both are essential for your dog’s mucous membranes, coat and stronger bones.

Ocean Pacific

Ocean Pacific combines anchoveta and squid to create a light recipe, healthy and balanced.

Anchoveta is very beneficial to health because it helps to prevent diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems.  It is one of the marine super-foods that also help to control the levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.

Squid, for its part, contains very valuable minerals such as iron, phosphorus and magnesium, together with a low content in fats.

Ocean Arctic

Ocean Arctic is a food made of Nordic fish to provide our friends with a high quantity of vitamin D in their diet. It is an ideal food in reinforcing the immune system and providing the fats that are essential in low temperature seasons. It includes krill, which contain antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in good proportions.

Now you know that fish is not only beneficial in the diet for dogs, but also that they love it, it only remains for you to choose which Ocean food variety suits your best friend’s needs and provides everything to keep your dog always strong and healthy.