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Mackerel is a great, easily digestible protein source for dogs. It enhances their digestive system, and promotes a healthy liver and kidney, whilst being relatively low in saturated fats and empty calories (good for weight control). These facts alone make Mackerel a fantastic source of nutrition and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, phosphorous, iodine and iron for dogs.

However, there's more to feeding Mackerel to your dog.  The Omega-3 fatty acids found in Mackerel acts as a natural anti-inflammatory making it great for dogs with allergies or intolerances to other non-fish proteins. Mackerel is also great for dogs with joint issues and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is a great source of healthy dietary fats that are enriched with essential fatty acids, vital in a well-balanced diet.  Other proven benefits of Mackerel are

 

Eye Health

Mackerel is an excellent source of vitamin A, known as retinol, which helps promote good vision in low light, slows down age-related sight loss and helps in the treatment of many eye diseases.

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Skin and Coat Health

Mackerel helps maintain healthy skin, including the lining of the nose which is essential in your dog’s excellent sense of smell. And for dogs with skin conditions, fish that’s rich in Omega 3 helps reduce any itchiness, rashes or skin irritation making your dog feel much happier.

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Immune System

Mackerel is a particularly good source of selenium, which plays an important role in the immune system and helps prevent damage to cells and tissues. 

 

Mackerel is a good source of Iron, important in the production of red blood cells, which transport oxygen around the body.  Without Iron, your dog may feel weak and tired.

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The Zinc in Mackerel assists the body to make new cells and enzymes, helps your dog process the carbohydrate, fat and protein in their food, and aids with wound healing.

 

Mackerel contain a healthy level of iodine, which helps make thyroid hormones, essential in keeping cells and your dog’s metabolic rate healthy.

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The eight B-complex vitamins in Mackerel are a great source of B6, B12 and niacin (B3). These vitamins help to break down and release energy from food, keep the nervous system and skin healthy and help form haemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.

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Vitamin A in Mackerel also helps keep your dog’s immune system in tip-top working order, helping it fight off illness and infection, and is necessary for proper bone growth and development, and maintaining healthy bones as your dog ages.

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Joint Health

Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid present in Mackerel which helps maintain healthy joints and tendons, keeping your dog active throughout its life. Omega-3 is beneficial in treating arthritis and other joint problems.

 

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorous which are both essential in strong bones and teeth throughout your dog’s life. And with 75% of dogs in this country not getting enough vitamin D in their diets, it’s essential that we make sure they are fed a good source of this essential vitamin, with natural sources from food a much more effective source than a supplement.

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The abundance of Calcium in Mackerel gives bones and teeth their strength, ensures blood clots normally, regulates muscle contractions including heartbeat, and has a role in cellular functioning, nerve function and digestion.

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Dental Health

The Mackerel skins is great for dental hygiene. Their natural, rough texture helps remove tartar and plaque from your dog’s teeth helping maintain great dental and gum health as well as fresher breath.

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Allergy Support

Mackerel is great for dogs who suffer from allergies and intolerances such as sickness, skin rashes and itching, ear infections, swelling, stomach pain, wind and diarrhea.  Rich in Omega-3 fats, Mackerel tends to be a type of protein that dogs with allergies and intolerances don’t react to.

 

Dogs can be allergic or intolerant to a variety of foods, grasses, dust, fleas – the list goes on!  So if your dog suffers from any allergies or intolerances, hypoallergenic food can be a great choice. Hypoallergenic simply means less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

 

Common protein sources found in commercial dog food include beef, soy, chicken, turkey and egg products and these can provoke an allergic response in dogs with food allergies.  Foods that contain a protein source not commonly used in dog foods, such as Mackerel, increases the chance of the dog not having consumed that protein source before. Meaning the protein isn’t recognized as an allergen by the dog’s body. Feeding these ‘novel proteins’ minimizes the chance of an allergic reaction.

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There are certain nutrients that, when added to a dog’s diet, can help alleviate the symptoms of an allergic reaction. These include Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A.

Omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect so helps counter any inflammation caused by an allergic reaction. It also helps maintain healthy skin which can be damaged by allergic reactions. Adding Vitamin A also helps skin damaged by an allergic reaction as it helps with skin maintenance, cell growth and hair growth.

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For Aging Dogs

Mackerel, as a main staple of your dog's diet, is a great way to provide dogs - especially older dogs- with protein without overburdening their digestive system in the same way that some protein rich red meats may do. So when you consider its benefits in helping to keep a dog’s joints and tendons healthy, Mackerel can be beneficial for older dogs for many reasons.

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To explain more, as your dog gets older, its collagen levels drop. Collagen is essentially a protein and as it makes up a large proportion of the protein found in your dog’s skin and body, it’s a very important one.  Collagen is responsible for the elasticity of your dog’s ligaments, joints, tendons, skin and cartilage. It also determines the strength of teeth, hair, bones, and nails. So in older dogs, as their collagen levels drop it’s important to supplement their diet with a good source of collagen to maintain skeletal and skin health.

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Fish, especially fish skin, is a great source of collagen and is incredibly beneficial to your dog’s health in older age. And supplementing their diet with fish, especially Mackerel, from a young age means that you’ll ensure their collagen levels are maintained throughout their life rather than waiting for the external signs of lowered collagen to show.

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