The Truth About Salmon That Made Me Stop Feeding It To My Dogs

Salmon is known for its omega 3 content, vitamin D, and high quality protein. I've fed it to my dogs for years (they go crazy for salmon bellies!) But after recently diving deep into the realities of the salmon industry, especially farmed Tasmanian salmon, I’ve personally decided to stop feeding it to my dogs... sorry boys!

This blog is not advice and I am not telling anyone what they should do.

It is simply my own view and why this decision makes sense for me and my dogs.

Recently the Federal and State Government approved 700kg of the antibiotic Florfenicol to be used by factory salmon farm companies in Tasmania in just a few short weeks. Florfenicol is not a mild antibiotic. It is potent, fat soluble, and stays in the tissue of the salmon.

At the same time, the public has been warned not to fish or swim within 3km of the salmon farms in southern Tasmania, yet the salmon itself is still considered perfectly safe to eat. That contradiction pushed me to look deeper...

Below is what I found and why I have personally chosen cleaner options like sardines, mackerel, anchovies, mussels, oysters, krill oil and cod liver oil instead.

DIRTY SECRET 1: Farmed Salmon Flesh Is Grey

Farmed salmon do not naturally have a pink colour. If they do not consume krill or prawns in the wild, their flesh is grey. Manufacturers add synthetic colourants to the feed using a “SalmoFan Colour Chart” to give the illusion of wild colour.

DIRTY SECRET 2: Disease Runs Rampant

Crowded sea pens create the perfect environment for sea lice, bacterial infections viral outbreaks, fungal disease and high mortality rates. Some farms lose 20 to 30 percent of all fish before harvest!

DIRTY SECRET 3: Heavy Antibiotic Use

Many salmon farms rely on antibiotics, medicated feeds, and parasite treatments to keep fish alive in overcrowded pens.These residues build up in fatty fish tissue. Our dogs then consume them.

DIRTY SECRET 4: The Feed Is Highly Processed

Farmed salmon are fed pellets made from fishmeal, fish oil, poultry by products, blood meal, soy protein, GM crops, synthetic vitamins and colourants. This creates a fat profile that is heavy in omega 6 and not naturally rich in omega 3.

DIRTY SECRET 5: High Levels of PCBs and Dioxins

Farmed salmon contains three to five times higher levels of PCBs, Dioxins and Persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals accumulate in fat and are linked to inflammation and immune disruption.

DIRTY SECRET 6: Environmental Damage

Waste from salmon pens including faeces, uneaten feed, chemicals and antibiotics settles on the ocean floor, creating biological dead zones. Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour has had multiple environmental collapses linked to salmon farming.

DIRTY SECRET 7: Sea Lice Spread to Wild Fish

Sea lice thrive in crowded pens and then spread to wild fish populations, causing severe mortality in young salmon overseas.

DIRTY SECRET 8: Mass Fish Die Offs

Tens of thousands of fish can die at once due to oxygen drops, storms or disease. These events are often quietly reported or minimised...

DIRTY SECRET 9: Wildlife Is Harmed

Predators such as seals, dolphins and seabirds are attracted to salmon pens. They are often relocated or killed to protect stock.

DIRTY SECRET 10: Marketing Creates a False Health Halo

Packaging shows pristine waters and healthy looking fish. The reality behind the farms tells a VERY different story.

Why I Am Switching To Cleaner Options For My Dogs

My dogs are small and small bodies accumulate toxins faster. After everything I learned, I would not choose farmed salmon for any dogs, especially those with gut issues, allergies or inflammatory tendencies.

Farmed salmon can increase:

• Toxin load

• PCBs

• POPs

• Antibiotic residues

• Microplastics

• Omega 6 fats

Even very small amounts of antibiotic residue can contribute to:

• Gut microbiome disruption

• Increased allergy and skin issues

• Immune dysregulation

• Antibiotic resistance

• Liver burden

  
  

Cleaner and safer options include Sardines, Anchovies, Mussels and oysters, Wild mackerel, Cod liver oil, Algae oil, Wild caught salmon if it is accessible.

These options are wild caught, low toxin and naturally high in EPA and DHA.

Final Thoughts

Again, this is simply my personal decision and my personal point of view. I am not telling anyone what they should or should not feed. I believe in transparency, clean feeding and giving my dogs the best chance at good gut health and low inflammation.

For me, cutting out farmed salmon fits with that goal.