The Benefits of Kelp for Dogs + Recipes – UPDATED 2023!

Kelp for dogs has many benefits!

It’s a seaweed that’s known as a powerful whole food nutritional supplement, both for dogs and cats (and us humans, too!).

That said, here’s what we’ll look at besides its benefits:

• How much kelp powder per day for dogs?
• Where to buy kelp for dogs
• How to feed kelp to your dog
• Easy raw dog food recipe with kelp for beginners
• Advanced raw dog food recipe with kelp
• Dangers of kelp for dogs

Kelp Benefits for Dogs

Kelp is a great source of fiber and a great anti-inflammatory superfood.

It’s also naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids like iodine, calcium (10 x more than milk!), magnesium and zinc.

That said, it:

• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps aid digestion
• Increases metabolism
• Promotes healthy skin, coat & pet hair regrowth
• Helps cut down on shedding
• Helps with skin allergies by reducing itching
• Supports a healthy thyroid
• Helps alleviate arthritis pain
• Reduces joint inflammation
• Repels fleas

Also, did you know about the benefits of kelp powder for dogs teeth?

As a matter of fact, kelp helps keep your dog’s (and cat’s) teeth cleaner if you offer it on a daily basis.

It also improves their breath, so if you’re avoiding your pup’s doggie kisses because of breath issues, feed them kelp!!

You’ll thank me later.

Also, if you feed ground raw dog food without whole raw meaty bones, go ahead and mix it with some kelp powder for better oral hygiene.

Here’s a tip for picky kibble-fed dogs: Make some homemade kelp dog treats rather than just sprinkling the kelp powder onto the dry dog food!

That way, it doesn’t fall to the bottom of their bowls and gets wasted.

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

How Much Kelp Powder Per Day for Dogs?

You can feed kelp to dogs of all ages, including puppies and seniors, and the exact amount depends on your dog’s weight.

That said, dogs can have 1/4 teaspoon of kelp per 10 lbs of body weight per day, but shouldn’t eat more than 3 teaspoons per day.

Just FYI, cats can have 1/8 of a teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight per day.

My pup Wally weighs 38 lbs, so he can have just shy of a teaspoon of kelp per day.

With that in mind, one bag lasts him a little over 2 months!

Where To Buy Organic Kelp For Dogs

I used to buy a a mix of kelp, celery seed powder, alfalfa powder, flax seed powder and parsley from a brand called Kelp Dog.

However, they went out of business and now I buy my kelp powder from Raw Paws Pet Food.

This particular kind is certified 100% USDA Organic Icelandic Sea Kelp and doesn’t contain anything else besides dried kelp.

A resealable 8 oz bag is $11.99 and comes with a teaspoon scoop. That makes it easy to measure out your pup’s respective amount of kelp.

Each bag holds approximately 65 teaspoon scoops of kelp.

That’s a good option to try it out with your pups, but not the best deal.

You’ll get the best bang for your buck with their 3 for the Price of 2 Bundle Deal for $23.99.

Tip: Save even more with my 15% OFF affiliate discount code K9Savings at checkout!

You can also purchase the Raw Paws Pet Food Kelp Powder on Amazon – but you won’t be able to use the discount code there, just FYI.

How To Feed Kelp To Your Dog

You can simply sprinkle the kelp over your dog’s food, regardless of whether it’s dry dog food, canned, homemade, or raw.

I personally feed raw dog food, so I just sprinkle it over Wally’s raw meals and then mix everything together.

He usually gets his kelp with dinner because I have a tendency of forgetting it in the mornings as I’m still waking up when I feed him, lol!

Sometimes I also make homemade dog treats with kelp.

Here’s another great kelp treat idea, especially during the hot summer months:

Spread some plain (goat) yogurt on a LickiMat, sprinkle it with kelp powder, then freeze it for a few hours.

Wally LOVES his frozen yogurt kelp LickiMat!

Easy Raw Dog Food Recipe with Kelp for Beginners

Here’s a SUPER easy raw dog food recipe with kelp for beginners.

It only consists of 2 ingredients: complete chicken and organic Icelandic kelp!

Both ingredients are from Raw Paws Pet Food!

Below are daily feeding guidelines for the complete chicken for dogs:

• 0 to 30 lbs : 4 oz for every 10 lbs
• 30 to 100 lbs : 3.2 oz for every 10 lbs
• above 100 lbs : 2.8 oz for every 10 lbs

If you notice that your dog starts filling out too much, reduce his daily food amount by 1-2 ounces. Likewise, if he’s getting too thin and his ribs are visibly showing, increase his daily food amount by 2-3 ounces.

Here’s what’s in the complete chicken:

Chicken Breast, Chicken Leg Quarters, Chicken Heart, Chicken Backs, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard

If your pup doesn’t do well with chicken, you can also add the kelp to other complete protein sources, for example:

• Beef (Beef Round, Beef Meat, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet)
• Beef & Green Tripe (Beef Round, Beef Meat, Green Beef Tripe, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet)
• Goat (Goat Meat, Goat Heart, Goat Tongue, Goat Bone, Goat Liver, Goat Kidney, Goat Spleen)
• Lamb (Lamb Meat, Lamb Heart, Lamb Tongue, Lamb Tail, Lamb Liver, Lamb Kidney, Lamb Spleen)
• Beef & Mackerel (Beef Round, Beef Meat, Wild-Caught Mackerel, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet)
• Duck (Duck, Duck Bone, Duck Heart, Duck Liver, Duck Gizzard, Boneless Skinless Duck Breast, Herring Oil, D-Alpha Tocopherol)
• Turkey (Turkey Meat, Turkey Breast, Turkey Frames, Turkey Heart, Turkey Liver, Turkey Gizzards, Turkey Fries = Testicles)
• Pork (Pork Meat, Pork Heart, Pork Tongue, Pork Bone, Pork Lung, Pork Liver, Pork Kidney, Pork Spleen, Pork Pancreas)

Chicken and beef are also available as completes with vegetables:

• Chicken with vegetables (Chicken Breast, Chicken Leg Quarters, Chicken Heart, Chicken Backs, Chicken Liver, Organic Carrots, Organic Green Beans, Organic Broccoli, Organic Spinach, Chicken Gizzard)
• Beef with vegetables (Beef Round, Beef Meat, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Organic Carrots, Organic Green Beans, Organic Broccoli, Organic Spinach, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet)

Tip: You can get 15% OFF your Raw Paws Pet Food orders with my affiliate discount code K9Savings at checkout.

Advanced Raw Dog Food Recipe With Kelp

This next raw dog food recipe is more advanced and consists of multiple ingredients:

• Kelp
• Duck head (raw meaty bone + eyes + brains)
• Mackerel head (including eyes + brains)
• Duck hearts (muscle meat)
• Bison green tripe (muscle meat)
• Pork jowl (muscle meat)
• Venison meat (muscle meat)
• Venison spleen (secreting organ)
• Goat liver (secreting organ)

The kelp is from Raw Paws Pet Food.

I got the duck head, mackerel head (whole mackerel that I cut into smaller pieces), duck hearts, bison green tripe, pork jowls (update: no longer available) and goat liver from Raw Feeding Miami.

Tip: Take 10% off your Raw Feeding Miami order with my referral discount link.

The venison cuts are leftovers from last hunting season (my boyfriend hunts).

Dangers of Kelp for Dogs

It’s important not to feed too much kelp, so please follow the feeding guidelines I mentioned earlier:

Dogs can have 1/4 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight per day.

That said, their daily kelp intake should not exceed 3 teaspoons of kelp.

Dogs who eat too much kelp can get diarrhea and suffer from hyperthyroidism since kelp is naturally high in iodine.

Hyperthyroidism in dogs happens when your dog produces too much of the thyroid hormone, and symptoms are weight loss, anxiety, and diarrhea.

Depending on where the kelp is sourced, it can contain harmful metals.

That’s why it’s important to only buy kelp that’s been thoughtfully sourced from clean, deep waters.

Kelp that’s safe to feed is harvested off the coasts of Hawaii, the Northwest USA, Canada, Iceland and Norway.

This kelp is considered much less contaminated by industrial pollution than kelp from the Southern Pacific Ocean.

The kelp from Raw Paws Pet Food is harvested off the coasts of Iceland!

The Benefits Of Kelp For Dogs: Bottom Line

Kelp for dogs has a plethora of health benefits!

It helps support a healthy thyroid, reduces skin allergies and itching, makes dogs shed less, helps aid digestion, reduces joint inflammation and arthritis pain, and also repels fleas!

Kelp is readily available in powder form and easy to feed.

Just sprinkle it over your dog’s food and mix it all together.

Do you feed your dog(s) kelp? Let me know in the comment section below!

Content Related to Kelp for Dogs:

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• 20 Easy No Bake Valentine’s Day Dog Treats
• How to Feed Raw Fish for Dogs
• Phytoplankton for Dogs

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