Can dogs eat Hijiki seaweed (boiled)?

What kind of food is this?

A type of seaweed. Light at 11kcal per 100g, with 3.7g fiber, on the high side among seafood.

Iodine is 960µg per 100g. Its appeal is fiber you cannot get from fish flesh, delivered by a sea vegetable.

How to serve

When preparing from dried hijiki, soak it in water and discard the soaking water, then boil it and discard the cooking water as well. The trace amounts of inorganic arsenic in hijiki dissolve in water, and research by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has shown this preparation greatly reduces it. Because it is high in iodine, for dogs under thyroid treatment or care it is something to discuss with your vet. Iodine content varies greatly by type of seaweed, so when using several kinds on the same day, look at how much seaweed you are using overall.

In food-energetics terms

In food therapy, this is classified as 'cold.' It is said to have a strong cooling effect and is often chosen when the body is holding excess heat. For dogs prone to feeling chilly, keeping it modest is safest.

(Food energetics is a long-standing idea of supporting the body through everyday meals. Treat it as one extra hint alongside the nutrition numbers.)

Related foods

• Wakame seaweed (raw) Safe to feedAlso an iodine-containing seaweed›
• Mozuku seaweed Safe to feedAlso a seaweed, with soluble fiber›
• Kombu kelp (dried) With careA seaweed especially high in iodine›