Cites H.E. Woodman, Fish Meal as a Food for Live Stock. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Bulletin 63 (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries: London, 1933).
Description:

‘Sir, - I was very sorry to read the article in your issue dated February 21 by “Medicus” on the question of Fish Meal for Dogs, and with the greatest possible respect for medical knowledge, I must in all fairness to the important industry which I represent, point out that he is not correct in what he says.

...

... if “Medicus” would read Bulletin No. 63, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, he would see the wide difference between the two products [of white-fis meal and fish meal].

Breeders can be assured that white-fish meal is, without a single doubt, the finest protein food for dogs or cats, silver foxes, poultry, pigs, and every animal in the home or on the farm.

...

If any of your readers would care to have a copy of Bulletin No. 63, this will be supplied free on application to The Publicity Bureau, Association of Fish Meal Manufacturers, 148, Fleet Street, London, E.C. 4, who will also be glad to give any information regarding the qualities and use of this important product to anyone who may be interested.’

Cites Medicus, 'Fish Meal for Dogs', Our Dogs 102 (21st Feb. 1936), p. 578.
Description:

‘Sir, - I was very sorry to read the article in your issue dated February 21 by “Medicus” on the question of Fish Meal for Dogs, and with the greatest possible respect for medical knowledge, I must in all fairness to the important industry which I represent, point out that he is not correct in what he says.

Perhaps I should first explain that under the Fertiliser and Feeding Stuffs Act – passed to protect all users of this product -  there are two grades – white-fish meal and fish meal. The former is manufactured from fresh edible fish, and is the most nutritive feeding-stuff on the market to-day. Its freshness is guaranteed by the fact that it is produced, packed, and usually delivered to the customer within 24 hours of the fish being landed at the port.

Every manufacturer of white-fish meal must give a full analysis in accordance with the provisions of the Act, and the salt content – never more than 3 per cent – has never been known to cause any ill-effect, particularly when one remembers the proportion of white-fish meal is merely 10 per cent of the total ration used.

The term white-fish meal does not refer to the colour of the product (which should be neither white nor brown, but a shade all of its own – sea-grey), but to the fact that only the better class of fish – that is, white fish, such as cod, haddock, hake, etc. – are used in its manufacture, and purity of every bag is guaranteed by the manufacturers.

“Medicus” admits the value of iodine in white-fish meal, but if he examine the mineral content he will find many other constituents essential to health. To name just a few: Phosphorous, calcium, chlorine, sulphur, magnesium, copper, fluorine; in fact every mineral found in the sea in minute quanitites.

.. [detailed break-down of chemical content of ‘white-fish meal’]…

All this refers to white-fish meal only, and not to fish-meal, which is usually imported, and is not recommended for animal or stock-feeding; and if “Medicus” would read Bulletin No. 63, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, he would see the wide difference between the two products.

Breeders can be assured that white-fish meal is, without a single doubt, the finest protein food for dogs or cats, silver foxes, poultry, pigs, and every animal in the home or on the farm.

The consumption of white fish-meal in this country is increasing at the rate of 5,000 tons each year, and this would indicate that breeders and feeders are more than satisfied with the results; and in conclusion I would quote a well-known authority, who writes:-

“It is clear, therefore, that white-fish meal compares favourably with other feeding stuffs as an economical source of proteins and minerals. In this connection it is interesting to note that many of the shrewdest and most successful breeders continue in all circumstances to employ white-fish meal in the rations of their animals.”

If any of your readers would care to have a copy of Bulletin No. 63, this will be supplied free on application to The Publicity Bureau, Association of Fish Meal Manufacturers, 148, Fleet Street, London, E.C. 4, who will also be glad to give any information regarding the qualities and use of this important product to anyone who may be interested.’ (pg.)

 

Relevant passages from "Medicus" article:

'In the first place it is important to know what is meant by "fish meal." I have used it at odd times for many years past for the feeding of young poultry - always taking care to stop it in good time before they begin to lay or before they are intended to be used for the table. Its value in that direction is very variable. Sometimes it will tend to hasten growth or to speed up laying; at other times it does more harm than good by overheating the system. It rarely happens that one can get two samples exactly alike. The reason for this is that this "fish meal" is refuse dried and powdered; by "refuse" I mean not necessarily bad fish unfit for human consumption, but offal of various kinds and surplus fish for which there is no market at the time and which cannot for various reasons be put into cold storage.

...

... before using, and still more before recommending it, I should want a complete analysis. The worst feature it generally contains is a high percentage of salt. Salt is not good for dogs. It produces vomiting, and that is an obvious sign of stomach irritation...

... my first first demand in purchasing fish meal for dogs would be to have a sample guaranteed from salt. That, I fear, would be a very disturbing demand to make of the average producer of fish meal, because it is notorious that all sorts of surplus dried and salted fish are ground up and sold in this way. I can well believe that fish meal with all its salt will make excellent cattle food - though whether or not it wold cause an unpleasant flavour to the milk I cannot say. Probably some of the farmers who read Our Dogs can tell us that.

Fish meal is usually offered in two forms - the white and the brown. The latter is what is mostly sold, as it covers up all sorts of waste material, whereas the white has to be prepared from white fish and is less less likely to have been salted. In regard to that (which is the only fish meal I myself would entertain for a moment as suitable for dog food) the question arises: What, if any, are its advantages over meat meal or (for that amtter) raw meat - the natural food of the dog for which Nature has equipped him with special sets of teeth for tearing and crunching bones and for picking them clean of meat before they are crunched?

There is one valuable content only in fish - as a food for dogs - and that is the iodine which it contains. This iodine, however, is mostly to be found in the liver. Cod-liveroil and its much-advertised substitute, halibut-liver oil, are rich in iodine content, and for that reason are very valuable adjuncts to the food of growing puppies... But as regards iodine in fish meal I should be very dubious about that... If one of my dogs has skin complaint or any trouble that in my view would benefit by iodine treatment, I should much prefer to make sure that he gets what he really wants by giving him twice a day the appropriate quantity of French tincture of iodine mixed carefully with a little creamy milk than to trust to an imaginary iodine content in any meal that had not actually been prepared within a few hours beforehand so that its iodine could not possibly have disappeared.' (pg.)