Can Dogs Eat Crawfish? Health Benefits & Risks Explained
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Crawfish is a favorite shellfish to add to all sorts of recipes, and if you have a dog, you’ve probably been subject to pleading puppy eyes when you’re eating it. Fortunately, crawfish is safe for dogs in moderation. You should always make sure that it’s cooked, that the shell is removed, and that there are no seasonings before you let your dog eat it.
When handled the right way, crawfish is just as healthy for dogs as it is for us. There are a few concerns, however, such as the shell and potential pathogens in raw shellfish. Here, we cover all these risks, along with preparation tips and the health benefits of crawfish in general.
Can Dogs Eat Crawfish?
Also known as crayfish, crawdads, or mudbugs, crawfish are popular additions to dishes across the U.S.A. This freshwater shellfish contains calcium and fatty acids, making it a healthy treat—if it’s served to your dog properly. Your dog should only eat crawfish in moderation, and it must be unseasoned, fully cooked, and de-shelled.
How your dog might react to shellfish should also be considered. Some dogs can be allergic to crayfish and other crustaceans, or their stomach might be too sensitive to digest the new food properly. Whenever you add a new treat to your dog’s diet, you need to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t have a negative reaction.
Is Crawfish Healthy for Dogs?
The biggest reason that crawfish is a good snack for your dog is the health benefits that it provides. Many of the nutrients that you benefit from when you eat crawfish are the same for your dog, though they should eat much less crawfish than you do. Here are a few of the health benefits of crawfish.
- Omega-3 – Like all fish, crawfish is high in fatty acids, especially omega-3. Fatty acids help keep your dog’s heart healthy, boost brain development, and keep their fur and skin in top shape.
- Protein – The right balance of protein in your dog’s diet can support their muscle and bone health and their overall body welfare.1 Crawfish is low in calories, so it won’t put your dog’s diet at risk while providing them with a healthy source of protein.
- Vitamins and Minerals – Magnesium, riboflavin, phosphorus, niacin, and calcium are all essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your dog needs. Crawfish contains all of them, so adding a crawfish or two to your dog’s dinner every so often can help supplement the balanced nutrients that they receive from their main diet.
Health Risks of Crawfish for Dogs
Although crawfish is considered a healthy snack for dogs, there are a few ways that it can be dangerous. Before feeding crawfish to your dog, keep these risks in mind.
Choking Hazard
The biggest risk posed by crawfish is the shell, which they should not eat. The hard shell can get caught in their throat or somewhere in their digestive system.
Dangerous Bacteria
Many raw fish—shellfish in particular—contain harmful bacteria. In some cases, freezing can kill the pathogens, but cooking is the best way to ensure that your crawfish is free of any parasites that may hurt you and your dog.
This is why it’s important to cook crawfish properly before eating it. Your dog can be affected by the same pathogens that make you sick, so they should never eat raw crawfish either.
Nutrient Imbalance
On its own, a single piece of crawfish is a tasty and healthy treat for your dog. However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Your dog might love crawfish enough to eat it all day, every day, but it should never replace their main diet.
Dogs need the nutrients in their dog food to keep them healthy. Too many snacks—even specially formulated dog treats—can cause health issues by providing too many or too few of the nutrients that your dog needs.
Seasonings
One reason that most human food is dangerous for dogs isn’t the food itself but the way that it’s prepared. We add extra flavor to most of our food with seasonings, which often include ingredients that are harmful to dogs.
Crawfish is often topped with Cajun seasoning, which is a blend of paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, pepper, oregano, and sometimes onion powder. Garlic and onion, even the powdered forms, are toxic to dogs.
The amount of salt that we add to our food is dangerous for dogs too. Although dogs can have a certain amount of salt, which is why it’s in dog food, dog food recipes are carefully tailored to suit a dog’s specific needs.
The extra salt on human food that dogs will ingest when you give them table scraps—or a crawfish—can cause digestive and neurological problems, including vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Salt toxicity can be fatal if not prevented or treated properly.
How to Prepare Crawfish for Your Dog
There are many ways to prepare crawfish, but not every option is safe for your dog. If you want to prepare a crawfish for your dog, use these tips to ensure that your dog’s snack is healthy for them.
- Boiled or Steamed – Frying is one of the most common and convenient ways to cook shellfish of any kind. For your dog, though, you want to stick with boiling or steaming the crawfish. Both methods still require you to ensure that the crawfish is fully cooked before giving it to your dog or eating it yourself.
- Plain – Crawfish tastes great on its own, which makes it perfect to eat plain or with seasonings. If you’re planning on feeding crawfish to your dog, though, make sure you don’t use any seasonings at all.It might seem plain and boring compared to spicy Cajun sauce or other seas.onings that you love using, but you won’t need to worry about accidentally poisoning your dog with toxic seasonings like garlic powder.
- Shelled – The shell is the hardest part of the crawfish, both to chew and digest. Removing the shell entirely, including the head and the tail, is the best way to ensure that your dog isn’t at risk of choking on a piece of shell in their windpipe or suffering from a stomachache. If your dog eats some of the shell by accident, keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t have any adverse reactions. An obstruction in their digestive system or their throat has the potential to be fatal and will require veterinary intervention
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Conclusion
Prepared in the right way and fed to your dog in moderation, crawfish is a safe and healthy addition to your dog’s diet. However, only give them one or two pieces—depending on the size of your dog—of boiled or steamed crawfish without the shell, head, or tail.
Make sure the shellfish is fully cooked in order to remove any pathogens. To keep it a healthy snack, ensure that it doesn’t become the main part of your dog’s diet.
- See Also: Can Dogs Eat Caviar? Facts & FAQ
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