Shark Cartilage

[Poo d'état]

Does anyone here feed their dogs shark cartilage? Our Frenchies absolutely love them, and i've read that they're good for roughage, like bones. I've noticed on the package though that it says to feed only one piece a day - does anyone know why that is?

[megan_]

I'd check where they come from. There is some shocking footage of fisherman catching sharks, cutting off only the fins and then throwing them back into the sea - where they drown because they can't stay upright. And the flesh isn't even used for food.

[Asalei]

Shark cartlidge fed daily in conjucntion with green lipped mussels are excellent as an effective supplement in the management of arthritis and other degenerative joint diseases.

Edited February 6, 2009 by ~Erin~

[Poo d'état]

I'd check where they come from. There is some shocking footage of fisherman catching sharks, cutting off only the fins and then throwing them back into the sea - where they drown because they can't stay upright. And the flesh isn't even used for food.

I have heard about that though i think it's when they're used for shark fin soup. Brings up a good point though, which part of the shark does the cartilage come from?

Shark cartlidge and green lipped mussels are both excellent for arthritis and/or preventing it.

It's a great natural alternative to other powders and additives.

Yep, that's mainly why we started feeding it, after Mila broke her elbow.

[luvabull]

I'd check where they come from. There is some shocking footage of fisherman catching sharks, cutting off only the fins and then throwing them back into the sea - where they drown because they can't stay upright. And the flesh isn't even used for food.

I have heard about that though i think it's when they're used for shark fin soup. Brings up a good point though, which part of the shark does the cartilage come from?

I've always wondered that too

[anniek]

Does anyone here feed their dogs shark cartilage? Our Frenchies absolutely love them, and i've read that they're good for roughage, like bones. I've noticed on the package though that it says to feed only one piece a day - does anyone know why that is?

Yes, but not from a "package" - fresh from the fish man :rolleyes:

[Poo d'état]

Does anyone here feed their dogs shark cartilage? Our Frenchies absolutely love them, and i've read that they're good for roughage, like bones. I've noticed on the package though that it says to feed only one piece a day - does anyone know why that is?

Yes, but not from a "package" - fresh from the fish man :p

Really? That's fantastic, does the average fishmonger have them or do you need a special one?

[kyliegirl]

I would be against feeding shark cartilage for this main reason.

I would kindly like to suggest avoiding purchasing shark cartilage because it just promotes more towards the way they are killed. Currently there is no monitoring of how sharks are killed nor is there a current yearly quota on how many sharks can be killed per year (unlike whales and other fish which do have fishing quotas, as much as i dislike whale killing too). The most common way they get this cartilage is by de-finning sharks and then throwing them back into the ocean alive to drown or bleed to death. Over 8 million sharks a year are killed this way, and the more people who keep supporting this method the faster we will lose the shark population and the more screwed up the ocean will be when the main predators of the ocean are killed off. The less sharks there are the more we will see of other species like zooplankton (which includes the jellyfish species) which is alot of bad news for not just people, but also ocean life which do not eat jellyfish.

http://www.sharkfriends.com/sharks/sharkfinning.html

Edited February 7, 2009 by kyliegirl

[Poo d'état]

Kyliegirl the video link didn't work, does it state that the cartilage comes from the fin? The SharkFriends link only mentions using for shark fin soup.

I found this in the product blurb on the OzPetShop site:

"...These chews are a natural by-product of the Australian fishing industry. No additional sharks are harvested to produce this product..."

Eta:... which i guess depends on how ethical the Australian fishing industry is?...

Edited February 7, 2009 by ruffdiamond

[Just Midol]

Kyliegirl the video link didn't work, does it state that the cartilage comes from the fin? The SharkFriends link only mentions using for shark fin soup.

I found this in the product blurb on the OzPetShop site:

"...These chews are a natural by-product of the Australian fishing industry. No additional sharks are harvested to produce this product..."

Eta:... which i guess depends on how ethical the Australian fishing industry is?...

One of the most ethical fishing industries in the world.

But not very ethical.

Shark fishing is a huge no-no in the marine conservation world. The sooner commercial & recreational shark fishing is banned the better.

http://www.amcs.org.au/default2.asp?active_page_id=164

Edited February 7, 2009 by Just Midol

[kyliegirl]

that should work... It works when I click it.

Midols link is also a good one..

While yes most of the site is about shark fin soup on mine, its the only part of a shark which is really kept as the fins have alot of protein. The fins arent only used for soup, they are the main part of the body used for every other food/herb/health product out there.

I would never use shark products.

[Poo d'état]

Thanks for the links guys, i'll have a look into it.

[Ashka]

Only one piece a day because of the heavy metal contamination, especially Mercury.

The higher in the food chain the more Mercury, large sharks are at the top if you ignore humans.

We catch and eat some of the smaller 4 ~ 5 kg species off the beach in the lower South Island, elephant fish, rig, blue boy etc. Not all members of the shark family are huge and rare.

Edited February 8, 2009 by Ashka