# Raw salmon a danger to dogs!!



## Mavrk (Mar 11, 2011)

I wonder what those feeding raw will say about this. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Freezing kills the parasite (I can't remember the specifics, but for some reason 3 weeks sticks in my head). Also I *think* it's only an issue with wild caught salmon, not farmed, but don't take my word on that.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I know when I first researched into feeding raw that all the websites/books said to not feed raw salmon. I think like Iowagold said, you can freeze it for 2 weeks or something to kill the parasites but I don't risk it. Ranger eats herring, mackerel, and sardines...he doesn't need more fish to his diet. 

So yes, raw salmon is a no-no.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

The issue is only with Wild Salmon not Farm raised.


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## booklady (Mar 3, 2009)

It's called salmon poisoning and it is caused by a bacteria or parasite in the spinal column of raw wild salmon. It is NOT in the meat or skin.

Of course it is not a good thing to have happen, but it is curable now if caught in time and once having survived it - a dog is immune from being affected by it again. Not as common as it used to be, but still not unusual in my area.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

it's a fluke found only in pacific salmon, not atlantic, and I believe cooking does not kill it but I could be wrong.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Daisy's been eating raw fish since she was very young. She's never been sick from it, and she's 11 years old now. I never give her raw salmon though. Even though I know this applies only to Pacific wild salmon, I don't trust truth in labeling enough to take a chance.

This warning does not apply to all fish, and it doesn't apply to cookied salmon, only wild Pacific raw salmon.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I saw this on an episode on Monster Inside of me on Animal planet. 

Below is that case that also harmed a human. I am not sure if the parasite can do the same damage in dogs, or it does other damage.



> *25 year old female dancer*
> Symptoms: cramps in abdomen, cramps worsen, nausea, sickness. 4 hours later pain is extremely bad. She had been out for a meal with her mother and thought food poisoning could be the cause but her mother her eaten the same thing so this was ruled out. She is taken to hospital. Severe pains. She arrives at ER in a critical condition. Doctors put her on IV drip. Bloods are taken, CAT Scan done. Results/CAT scan shows a mass which is causing a blockage and they think this is the cause. But what is the mass? They think tumour? Cancer? They prepare to operate.
> A 20cm incision is made in her abdomen. Cancer or tumour could only be diagnosed until after the procedure. The mass was removed and taken for testing. She had to wait 3 days for results. Under microscope the mass was analysed. Doctors found fragments of a worm! A dead worm! They must determine the type of worm before any treatment can be given. Many questions were asked regarding had she eaten raw fish, sushi or salmon?
> It appeared she was suffering from Anisakis. It normally infects sealions. When inside humans it can be very dangerous. This type of worm is more dangerous DEAD than alive! Once inside, the worms burrow but can get stuck and eventually die, causing obstruction. Immune response is huge and kicks in and surrounds the dead worm.
> ...


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

does anyone know if there's any medication we could "have on hand" in case our dogs injested salmon? 

we live on a river that gets a heavy salmon run

My old man, Obi (RIP 2010) was an avid fisherdog, but never put a mark on them that I knew - possibly he had developed immunity before he came in my life.


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## booklady (Mar 3, 2009)

I live six blocks from the Pacific and between two river estuarys....it does happen here and the best advice is to get the dog to a vet. There's a fairly simple cure for it now, but you do need a vet to prescribe and monitor. 

Most cases come from dead salmon washing up on the riverbank or beach and from carcases left by gulls or raccoons. As I mentioned on the other thread, my grandfather and all of the oldtimers used to feed a raw salmon to a pup when they first got it....it was considered immunizing. If the pup lived, it was considered immune to the poisoning.

I've never heard of anything to keep in the first aid box for it, best handled by a vet.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

The 90% fatality number is for _untreated_ cases. If caught in time, salmon poisoning is very, very treatable.

I've never heard that the parasite wasn't in the meat and only in the spine. In fact, I've heard of it for years as a danger to pregnant women who might eat salmon sushi (the parasite is normally easy to treat, but the meds are dangerous to a fetus). Salmon sushi never includes spinal material or brain.

If my dog ate raw salmon, I honestly wouldn't worry until he showed symptoms. I would however mention the salmon to the vet immediately if my dog showed intestinal trouble and I brought him in.

All raw food, particularly meat, carries the danger of a foodborne bacteria or parasite (or both, as with salmon). That doesn't automatically mean that you have to prevent your dog from eating salmon for all time. Humans can catch these parasites too, but we still eat raw salmon all the time.


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