Can Dogs Eat Salmon? Raw vs Cooked and Australian Safety

Cooked salmon is one of the foods I’m most enthusiastic about recommending to clients. It’s genuinely good for dogs. Bruno gets salmon regularly, and it’s one of his favourite foods. The omega-3 content is bioavailable, the protein is excellent, and the mercury content is minimal.

The raw salmon question is more nuanced, particularly for Australian dog owners, because the risk profile is different here than it is in North America.

Cooked Salmon: The Clear Winner

Let me start with cooked salmon because this is straightforward. Cooked salmon is excellent dog food. The omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, are in forms that dogs can absorb and use directly. These aren’t just good for skin and coat, though they definitely improve those. EPA and DHA have documented benefits for joint health, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health.

The protein is high quality, about 25 grams per 100 grams, and salmon provides essential amino acids in appropriate ratios for dogs. Mercury content in salmon is minimal compared to other fish species, making it a safe choice even with regular feeding.

You can feed cooked salmon to your dog multiple times weekly without concerns. Remove all bones, make sure the fish is thoroughly cooked, and offer it plain without seasoning. It’s that simple.

Raw Salmon: The Geographic Difference

Here’s where Australian dog owners have an advantage that international advice doesn’t address. Raw salmon in North America carries a real risk from Neorickettsia helminthoeca, a bacterium that causes Salmon Poisoning Disease. It’s endemic in Pacific salmon and documented in specific regions of North America.

Australian salmon species don’t carry this organism. The disease hasn’t been reported in Australia. That means raw salmon from Australian sources has a different risk profile than raw salmon from North America.

This changes the equation. In North America, the recommendation is to avoid raw salmon entirely. In Australia, raw salmon is less of a risk from that specific disease.

The Practical Raw Salmon Approach

That said, cooking is still the safest approach, even in Australia, because it eliminates not just Salmon Poisoning Disease risk but also parasitic risks from other organisms. Raw salmon could potentially carry parasites, and cooking inactivates those.

If you’re going to feed raw salmon, it should be sushi-grade, handled with the same care as human food, boneless, and not fed excessively. Raw salmon fed occasionally is different from raw salmon as a dietary staple.

The other concern with raw salmon is thiamine deficiency. Raw fish contains thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down thiamine (vitamin B1). Dogs fed excessive amounts of raw fish long-term can develop thiamine deficiency, leading to neurological signs. Cooked salmon doesn’t have this problem because heat inactivates the enzyme.

The Practical Australian Approach

For Australian dog owners, the safest recommendation is cooked salmon multiple times weekly. It’s excellent nutrition, easy to prepare, and carries no risks.

If you want to feed raw salmon occasionally, Australian salmon is safer than salmon from other regions because of the absence of Salmon Poisoning Disease. But it should be occasional, not dietary staple, and sushi-grade quality.

I feed Bruno raw salmon very occasionally, usually when I have good-quality sushi-grade salmon at home. More often, he gets cooked salmon. The nutritional benefits are maintained, and there’s no risk calculus involved.

Salmon Skin and Bones

Salmon skin is fine and actually beneficial because it contains some of the omega-3 content. However, salmon bones should be removed because cooked salmon bones can splinter. If you’re feeding raw salmon, you can include raw bones, which are much safer. They’re soft and pliable enough that they don’t splinter the way cooked bones do.