Samwise Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We've been feeding Sam Orijens Six-Fish dry food... it's high-quality stuff, and he seems to be doing well on it. It's the only brand we feed him for now and put him on it because he has some dandruff issues. Yesterday at the pet supply store, an employee/maybe the owner (who has seemed a little "off" before) told me I shouldn't be feeding it to him because it contains tuna and salmon and can give him mercury poisoning. I know big fish can become dangerously contaminated, but is this a serious concern? Should we switch to another food, or alternate foods, or stick with it? Quote Sam, formerly known as Macabres Mandate Featuring his humans Alexandra & Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spottydog Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've never heard of salmon in general being contaminated with mercury, and as for tuna, apparently it's only albacore tuna, which is the fanciest kind...do you think they are going to put that in dog food? Not likely. I would contact the manufacturer with your concerns and see what they have to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sireltonsmom Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 There's something fisher folks spray on fish to keep them fresh til they go in to port. It is ok for humans but NOT for greyhounds and other dogs. We do not feed ours any fish based food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissn333 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Stop and think for a moment. Do you really thing that dog food companies would make fish-based foods if they were poisonous to dogs? My dogs can't eat chicken, lamb, or turkey. Fish is what we have. TOTW Pacific Stream and we've never had an issue. Quote Kristin in Moline, IL USA with Ozzie (MRL Crusin Clem), Clarice (Clarice McBones), Latte and Sage the IGs, and the kitties: Violet and Rose Lovingly Remembered: Sutra (Fliowa Sutra) 12/02/97-10/12/10, Pinky (Pick Me) 04/20/03-11/19/12, Fritz (Fritz Fire) 02/05/01 - 05/20/13, Ace (Fantastic Ace) 02/05/01 - 07/05/13, and Carrie (Takin the Crumbs) 05/08/99 - 09/04/13. A cure for cancer can't come soon enough.-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I have often wondered about heavy metals in fish based foods as well. I know they recommend that humans only eat fish a certain number of days per week due to mercury and other contaminants. Eating it at each and every meal would concern me a bit, but I guess it would depend on the type of fish in the food. I would be looking into where the fish is sourced from. I am guessing a lot of it is from fish farms from China and/or other countries otherwise the food would cost an arm and a leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 From a VERY cursory read of that infallible source of all knowledge, the internet, it seems that most of the issues with heavy metal poisoning in pets occur environmentally, in the same way as they occur in humans. So lead poisoning, zinc poisoning etc all of which are separate from food eaten. Further, most heavy metal issues in fish seem to be in the top predator fish, like tuna, which I don't think are included in dog food. A possible source is in fish oil, because its so concentrated. But, really, one of mine can't do red meat, and doesn't do great on chicken, which leaves fish. And they do OK on it so I think its a question of doing the best you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samwise Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I have often wondered about heavy metals in fish based foods as well. I know they recommend that humans only eat fish a certain number of days per week due to mercury and other contaminants. Eating it at each and every meal would concern me a bit, but I guess it would depend on the type of fish in the food. I would be looking into where the fish is sourced from. I am guessing a lot of it is from fish farms from China and/or other countries otherwise the food would cost an arm and a leg. It DOES cost an arm and a leg! 3/6 of the fish are freshwater fish, and the other three are not too high on the food chain. This is the food. Thank you all for your advice! We may get a different food as well and rotate them. So far, he hasn't had any real issues. Quote Sam, formerly known as Macabres Mandate Featuring his humans Alexandra & Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Giselle Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Economically speaking, it would make most sense for dog food companies to use "throw away" fish, which is what I believe "Menhaden fish meal" (a very popular dog food ingredient) is. When fisheries go for the big species to sell for human consumption (salmon, tuna, etc.), they inevitably get TONS of smaller by-catch that people can't or don't want to eat. I believe that that is the stuff that goes into dog food, and, according to basic ecological principles, these fish are the ones with the least amount of mercury or other environmental toxins. In short, I don't worry too much about it, and I also rotate between a mix of poultry --> beef --> fish kibbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissn333 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 It is so difficult to find a kibble that is JUST beef (no chicken or lamb or any other protein also in there). If you know of any, please share! My mom has been looking for a while. We're also limited on what we can get around here but our feed store is starting to carry more high-end things. So far the closest thing we can find is American Natural Premium's grain free Buffalo - but it also has pork in it. That MIGHT be okay. Quote Kristin in Moline, IL USA with Ozzie (MRL Crusin Clem), Clarice (Clarice McBones), Latte and Sage the IGs, and the kitties: Violet and Rose Lovingly Remembered: Sutra (Fliowa Sutra) 12/02/97-10/12/10, Pinky (Pick Me) 04/20/03-11/19/12, Fritz (Fritz Fire) 02/05/01 - 05/20/13, Ace (Fantastic Ace) 02/05/01 - 07/05/13, and Carrie (Takin the Crumbs) 05/08/99 - 09/04/13. A cure for cancer can't come soon enough.-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Orijen most definitely does not use fish sourced in China. A link to their website has been posted above, for anyone who is interested. This company sets very high standards for sourcing their ingredients, and they also have a very strict quality control process. I was sent the following some time back when I asked if they used beef products processed by XL Foods (some of you may remember that huge recall): "We do not purchase any product from XL Foods, so the beef recall from this company does not affect our ingredient supply. Our Quality Assurance department follows protocols for testing from the time ingredients enter our plant, through production, and packaging. Once the food is released to the warehouse it goes into a Quality Assurance Hold area. Our Quality Assurance technicians sample the product and send it to a Government Certified Laboratory for Microbiological testing. Every sample is tested for known pathogens: Salmonella, Listeria, Clostridium, and Enterobacteriaceae which includes E. Coli and other Coliforms. All of our finished kibble is held before shipping in order to have Nutritional testing as well. No product is shipped until all of our tests come back clear." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Celestrina Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 It is so difficult to find a kibble that is JUST beef (no chicken or lamb or any other protein also in there). If you know of any, please share! My mom has been looking for a while. We're also limited on what we can get around here but our feed store is starting to carry more high-end things. So far the closest thing we can find is American Natural Premium's grain free Buffalo - but it also has pork in it. That MIGHT be okay. If you think that buffalo would be ok, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Sweet Potato would be a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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