Can Dogs Eat Salmon Skin?

The Short Answer is:

It is safe for your dog to eat salmon skin if it is cooked without toxic ingredients. You should only give your dog salmon skin on occasion or as a special treat since it is high in fat.

In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Salmon Skin?“.

Youhave gathered everyone around the dining room table including the family dog your husband and your children.

Lets see if he gets any leftovers.

He might have a lucky night tonight.

There are still some salmon skins left over after the family just ate salmon fillets.

On the one hand its a waste of time to throw it away all it makes the bin stink and its a bit of a waste. On the other hand it would be a shame to throw it all away!

Even though you know that feeding your dog from the table will encourage him to beg even more should dogs even eat salmon skin?

Here is a hopeful answer to that question.

I’ll get straight to the point- can dogs be poisoned by salmon skin?

Can Dogs Eat Salmon Skin? Is Salmon skin poisonous to dogs?

As with other fish salmon also contains a lot of protein and its skin is no exception. 

When properly cooked its a wonderful addition to your dogs diet. 

What is the point of cooking it correctly?

Parasites and bacteria found in salmon

This is because salmon like a lot of other fish could contain parasites and bacteria. Moreover the figures are pretty frightening. Approximately 75% of wild Pacific salmon have been found to be infected with the herring worm parasite says a new Canadian study. 

This study suggests that there has been an increase of 300 parasites in raw fish since the 1970s.

And thats whats important.

Salmon has no parasites or bacteria that are harmful to our health or the health of our dogs unless the fish is eaten raw or not cooked properly. 

I will briefly go over the bacteria that may be found in salmon if you want your skin to crawl a bit more. 

Vibrios salmonella and shigella are some of those.

We’ll cover how to safely prepare salmon for dogs in a later section.

Nonetheless lets take a look at some of the benefits of feeding salmon skin to your dog for now.

Nutritional value of salmon skin

In a quick search on Google salmon skin seems to be a potential superfood for your dog.

This could have a significant impact on a wide range of health issues.

I will however only look at the big picture since I’m wary of retaining you for too long.

Among the buzzwords or buzz nutrients in salmon skin are Omega acids.

We have all probably heard this phrase by now since the news has featured it so prominently in recent years.

Dogs benefit from these acids by having better vision and cognitive function. The skin contains oil that may make the coat and skin of your dog shine – or at least make them glow.

As a final note I would like to mention the role the oils play in a dogs mobility as they should improve their joints. 

However all this news can be good can not it?

The answer is no. 

There is a downside to all that wonderful oil we just talked about.

Salmon skin has high fat and calorie content.

As much as six hundred calories can be found in a 100g serving of salmon skin which contains approximately 40% fat.

We need to put these claims into some sort of context now.

One piece of salmon skin isnot going to make your dog the most intelligent dog in the world or get him a rosette at a local agility competition.

Also your dog will not become obese as a result.

What is the right amount of salmon skin to feed your dog?

Can I feed my dog salmon skin every day?

The salmon skin calculator that after you type in the weight of your dog will tell you how much salmon skin your dog should eat is not available at this stage of the article. 

This calculator isnot available on any page. I can only give you some vague and general advice instead. So can you feed dogs salmon skin? You should feed your dog salmon skin in moderation.

Due to their higher calorie intake skinnier dogs might be able to eat more than larger ones.

Giving them salmon skin every time you eat salmon would be the logical thing to do.

I would guess that most of us do that about once or twice a month.

Those intervals are sufficient.

Make sure only a small portion of skin is given to them. 

An amount about equal to half of a slice of bread is sufficient.

In other words do not give all of the salmon skin from a half side that your family has just eaten to your dog.  

Alternatively cut the remaining section into portions wrap each one up and put it in the fridge.

A sliver should be carefully removed every few days. 

In this second part of my essay I’m going to compare the different preparations of salmon skin.

Fried vs grilled vs smoked salmon skin

It is not good for your dog to eat salmon skin fried in too much oil because it can cause pancreatitis.

Smoked salmon is also not a very good option as the smoking process may not get rid of all the parasites on the skin and some smoked fish skin may contain excessive amounts of salt which can harm your dog.

Can dogs have cooked salmon skin?

It is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to serve your dog cooked salmon skin that is cooked at 145°F. You can also serve your dog baked salmon skin as long as you stay away from harmful ingredients. 

You can also choose salmon skin that is water-based instead of oil-based or brine-based for your dog.

I now want to enter salmon skin in another contest after reviewing different ways to prepare salmon skin.

On the other hand this one looks at how nutritious it is compared to other fish skins. 

Salmon skin vs Sea bass skin vs Mackerel skin

Which of the three emerged as the winner of this contest?

Sincerely I have no idea where to start.

It is simply not possible to find information on the nutritional value of each of these fish skins.

As I have already mentioned in my previous post I have already outlined the salmon skin analysis data.

The only thing I was able to confirm is that the skins from different fish contain different nutrients.

In fact when we give it a little more thought it soon becomes evident that while taking the skin off of salmon or sea bass may not be too challenging stripping the skin off of a mackerel might not be so easy. 

Salmon is a better source of Omega 3 acids than mackerel when it comes to the flesh of the fish. 

Let me now move on to something a little more serious and deep concerning salmon poisoning.

Salmon poisoning in dogs

In the earlier paragraph I mentioned that a dog that eats raw salmon might be prone to infections and parasites.

The parasite herring worm and bacteria salmonella were mentioned earlier.

In addition to making your dog ill parasites and bacteria can make you ill too. 

However there is a separate disease that occurs specifically in dogs called salmon poisoning.

Poisoning by salmon in dogs is a serious illness that occurs only when dogs consume raw salmon. 

We’re fortunate because this disease is a real threat only in the Pacific Northwest.

Sadly your pup might die if you do not treat it.

After dampening the mood a bit I would like to conclude this article by offering some tips on how to safely prepare salmon for your dog  

How to safely cook salmon for a dog?

As I teach grandma to suck eggs I’d like to share with you a few tips for preparing salmon correctly for your dog.

The temperature of the flesh should read 145°F if you use a food thermometer when you poke it into it. 

The salmon flesh can be seen as opaque if you want to do it visually. Lastly I do not want you to be overly concerned with food safety but raw salmon poses a risk before its cooked because of its potential to contaminate other foods.

I would like to conclude by asking whether we should feed our dogs old salmon- not salmon that have been alive for a long time. 

Specifically I mean salmon that was stored in the back of the refrigerator for a few days longer than it needed to be. 

Can I feed my dog old salmon?

I’m talking about what you already know.

Fish that has been in the refrigerator for too long to feed to the family (well the human portion of it) but you do not want to waste it and dogs can eat rotten food can not they?

Maybe I’m talking to a weird side of my personality in which I hate waste but am also cheap at the same time!

The advice is simple- do not give in to temptation.

If you want to avoid running into arguments with your nearest and dearest about where that horrible smell comes from in your kitchen wrap it up and throw it in the trash.

Donot worry about the slightly expensive mistake just use the salmon much earlier next time. 

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.