Can dogs eat tuna?

Tuna are large, long-lived fish, and they accumulate mercury from the smaller fish they eat. Albacore, often sold as white tuna, typically contains roughly three times as much mercury as skipjack, the species usually sold as light tuna. Fresh tuna steaks from large bluefin or bigeye tuna can be higher still.

There is no need to panic over a spoonful, but it makes sense to limit tuna to once or twice a week at most.

Tuna in brine is much saltier than tuna in water. Tuna in sunflower or olive oil adds a lot of fat and calories, so drain and rinse it if that is all you have. Avoid tuna mayo mixes, lemon pepper, chili, or garlic-flavored tuna, and do not share the tuna from your sandwich or pasta bake.

Tuna in water contains about 100 to 120 calories per 100 g drained.

A dessertspoon of drained tuna mixed into food is plenty for a 10 kg (22 lb) dog. A large dog can have two or three tablespoons. Many owners use a small amount to tempt a fussy dog or to hide a tablet. If your dog is refusing its normal food for more than a day, though, speak to your vet rather than relying on tuna.

Raw tuna from sushi-grade steaks is best avoided because of parasites.

Canned tuna made for cats is often not complete for dogs and can be high in fat. The occasional stolen mouthful from the cat's bowl is not dangerous, but feeding cat food regularly can unbalance your dog's diet and cause weight gain.