Canines can eat mussels sparsely. They’re excessive in protein and different vitamins that will profit your canine. Nevertheless, they don’t present every little thing your canine wants, so they need to solely be thought of an occasional deal with. It’s finest to steam the mussels first, as this removes any potential micro organism that may make your canine sick.
That stated, mussels is probably not an acceptable dietary addition for all canine. All the time seek the advice of together with your veterinarian earlier than introducing any new meals to your canine’s food regimen. Generally it’s finest to begin small and work your method as much as bigger quantities. Introducing your canine to any meals rapidly or in massive quantities may end up in abdomen upset as your canine’s digestive system wants time to adapt to the brand new meals.
How Many Mussels Can Canines Eat?
It relies on the dimensions of the canine. Smaller canine ought to eat much less mussels than bigger canine. It’s best to by no means enable treats to make up greater than 10% of your canine’s food regimen. Subsequently, should you’re utilizing the mussels as a deal with, your canine ought to eat very few.
Inexperienced lipped mussel extract is included in lots of joint dietary supplements and diets, and that is typically how house owners select to present mussels to their canine for his or her well being advantages. Research have proven inexperienced lipped mussels can have a optimistic impact on mobility and ache in canine with osteoarthritis, however {that a} common every day quantity is required for as much as 2-3 months earlier than these dietary supplements have an impact. In fact, it is best to at all times communicate to your vet earlier than including any complement to your canine’s food regimen. Some dietary supplements can work together with medicines or make sure diseases worse. Simply because it’s pure doesn’t imply it’s 100% protected.
Advantages of Mussels for Canines
There are lots of potential advantages of mussels for canine. Nevertheless, green-lipped mussels are the commonest selection given to canine. Subsequently, they’re additionally essentially the most studied.
Listed here are the potential advantages of feeding mussels to your pooch:
Can My Canine Eat Mussel Shells?
Whereas canine can eat mussels, we don’t suggest feeding your canine mussel shells. These aren’t very digestible, so that they don’t present any profit to your canine. As a substitute, they will trigger a number of issues, largely as a result of they’re very laborious.
Firstly, mussel shells is usually a choking hazard. They can’t be chewed utterly and may simply break into sharp items. In case your canine swallows massive items of shells, they could choke. When your canine is chewing, they could doubtlessly break their enamel on the laborious shells. Damaged enamel may be very painful and should require veterinary care.
Even when the shells get swallowed safely, they will hinder your canine’s intestines. They don’t seem to be very digestible, so they’ll transfer by way of your canine’s intestines in complete items. The sharp edges also can tear the intestines, inflicting inside bleeding and related issues. Each of those issues may be lethal and should require surgical procedure.
A canine’s digestive system could react negatively to mussel shells, even smaller items. They might vomit or have diarrhea till the shells are handed. The shells can injury their throat in the event that they vomit them again up. This may be extraordinarily severe, as you would possibly anticipate.
Which Mussels Are Finest for Canines?
There are two kinds of mussels which are generally fed to canine: blue mussels and green-lipped mussels. We’ve already mentioned this latter species extensively, as it’s scientifically confirmed to assist with sure well being situations. They’re notably recognized for selling joint well being attributable to their glucosamine and excessive ranges of omega 3s.
Blue mussels are extra generally obtainable than green-lipped mussels, so they’re additionally a preferred possibility for canine house owners. Whereas they aren’t as closely studied as green-lipped mussels, they’re a very good supply of protein and omega fatty acids.
They possible have lots of the similar advantages as green-lipped mussels, although they is probably not as potent.
Methods to Feed Mussels to Canines
When you’ve determined to feed your canine mussels, it’s essential to organize them appropriately. All the time feed your canine cooked mussels. Uncooked mussels could include dangerous micro organism and parasites that may trigger foodborne illnesses in dogs. Cooking the mussels totally will kill any potential pathogens and make them protected for consumption.
Don’t season the mussels whereas cooking. It’s finest to feed your canine solely plain mussels with nothing additional added. Be cautious of sauces. Typically, mussels cooked for human consumption aren’t protected, as they typically include seasonings. You’ll have to prepare dinner your canine their very own mussels.
As with all new meals, introduce mussels to your canine’s food regimen in small quantities and observe their response. Some canine could have allergic reactions or sensitivities to shellfish, so it’s important to observe for any hostile reactions. Virtually all canine will react negatively if they’re fed too many mussels too quickly.
Conclusion
Mussels is usually a protected and nutritious addition to your dog’s diet when given sparsely. They’re excessive in protein and include useful vitamins, notably green-lipped mussels. These mussels are excessive in omega fatty acids and glucosamine that are recognized to help a canine’s joint well being.
As with including any new meals to your canine’s food regimen we’d advise getting the go forward out of your vet and to assist keep away from any hostile reactions, begin with small quantities and regularly improve the portion.
When feeding mussels to your canine, at all times guarantee they’re cooked totally to remove any dangerous micro organism. Keep away from seasoning the mussels, and by no means feed your canine mussel shells as they can pose choking hazards and result in severe digestive points.
Featured Picture Credit score: Graphichead, Shutterstock
