We were in Spain some time ago and we were eating some great seafood in A Coruña.

And Sami, our Westie, was looking to us with such a face: the perfect combination of sad puppy eyes and “I’m-staying-put-you-don’t-have-to-give-me-if-you-don’t-wanna”. I mean, look at him:

Can dogs eat octopus?

Yeah, this is what I searched on Google when I saw his face. We normally don’t give Sami human food, but sometimes we let him taste. Like watermelon.

Octopus is good for dogs, with some caveats. Keep in mind we’re not vets so you should ask your vet, just to be sure.

First, the pros of your puppies eating octopus:

High protein content

Octopus is almost only protein. It has up to 5% fat in total and it’s good fat, so it’s good for dogs as well.

Vitamin B12

Octopus has vitamin B12. It helps with digestion, which is also good for your puppy.

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Food Database says 100g serving of steamed octopus contains 163 calories, 29.62 g of protein, 4.37g of carbs, and 2.07g of fat. YOu can see more details on their website, here.

Potential cons for dogs eating octopus

1. Cooked or Raw Octopus?

We only gave our Westie cooked octopus. We read that raw octopus can have potentially bad results:

As with any other raw produce, the octopus can be packed with germs. For instance, in this study published in 2006, a group of researchers from Greece examined a wide range of randomly selected seafood samples for the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms potentially pathogenic. They found Aeromonas hydrophila (can be even fatal for dogs) in 78% of octopus samples, Proteus vulgaris (a common cause of urinary tract infections) in 26% of cases, and many more. Another study found that octopus can also be polluted with leads.

Source: DogHint

2. Pay attention to condiments used to cook octopus

Condiments aren’t good for dogs. So you have to cook the octopus without them or, at the very least, clean them before giving it to the dog.

Here’s what Sami, our puppy, had to say:

Sources: USDA Food Database, DogHint, HealthyDogTreats