Can Dogs Eat Cod?
Yes. Fresh or frozen cod, cooked, with no bones, skin or salt, is a lean white fish that's easy to digest, like hake. Salt cod, even after soaking, isn't a good idea.
What it gives your dog
Fresh cod has about 80 kcal and less than 1 g of fat per 100 g (3.5 oz), with about 18 g of highly digestible protein, vitamin B12, iodine and selenium. That's why, like hake, it's used in bland diets and for dogs that need low-fat food. On the other hand, it provides little omega-3 compared with oily fish.
The important caveat is salt cod. Before soaking, it's around 20% salt, and even well desalted it keeps more sodium than fresh cod. Typical salt cod dishes don't work either: Spanish recipes like bacalao al pil pil or a la vizcaína contain garlic, onion or dried peppers; fritters and croquettes are fried and salty; brandade has garlic and oil. Battered fish and chips is out too, for the frying and salt. The bones, although few, can lodge in the mouth or throat. And raw cod can carry bacteria and parasites like Anisakis.
How to serve it
- Fresh or frozen, never salt cod
- Boiled, steamed or baked, with no salt or oil
- Boneless and skinless, flaked
- Never in garlic sauces, fritters, croquettes or battered and fried
How much can they eat?
As an extra, two or three times a week: small dog (under 10 kg / 22 lb), 30-40 g (about 1-1.5 oz) cooked; medium (10-25 kg / 22-55 lb), 60-90 g (2-3 oz); large (over 25 kg / 55 lb), 100-150 g (3.5-5 oz). In a bland diet or homemade recipe, follow the recipe's amounts.
Risks
- Salt cod or poorly desalted cod: too much salt
- Bones
- Recipes with garlic, onion or deep-frying
- Raw: bacteria and parasites
- Cod liver oil without vet guidance: too much vitamin A and D
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs eat desalted salt cod?
It isn't the best option. Even well desalted, it keeps more salt than fresh cod, and it's hard to know how much. A small piece, well desalted and cooked plain, won't hurt them, but if you cook for your dog often, buy fresh or frozen cod, which has no salt.
Is cod good for dogs with diarrhea?
Plain cooked fresh cod is one of the proteins used in bland diets, along with rice, because it's very low in fat and easy to digest. It should have no salt, skin or bones. If the diarrhea lasts more than a couple of days, has blood in it or comes with vomiting, take your dog to the vet.
Can I give my dog cod liver oil?
Only with your vet's guidance. It provides omega-3, but also a lot of vitamin A and D, which build up and are toxic in excess, especially if their food already includes a supplement. To give omega-3, fish oil or salmon oil carries less risk of overdoing those vitamins.
General information reviewed against veterinary sources. If your dog has eaten something that worries you, call your vet or a 24-hour emergency vet right away, without waiting for symptoms.