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Author: Subject: puffers
absinvestor
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 11:15 AM
puffers


I have read a couple of comments about puffers but I don't know what they are. We travel with a couple of dogs and I understand that puffers make dogs sick etc. We will be spending two or three months on both the Sea of Cortez side and the Pacific Ocean side of Baja Norte and Baja Sur. What are puffers and do dogs have to eat them to get sick? Thanks Ron
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gnukid
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 11:22 AM


Here is a puffer fish. When they get frightened they puff up and the spines point out to protect it, though in many cases it seems the puffing causes the fish to be unable to swim and the wave action forces it on to shore where it it poses risks to beach walers and dogs. Teach your dogs to leave it alone and pick them up when you find them on the beach.

Apparently the puffer is poisonous yet also parts are edible and it is a fine dilicacy in Japan. There are many varieties and its possible they will become farm fish as there is edible meat.

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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 11:24 AM


They look like a ****** bag with spikes! You will have no trouble in identifying this little fish, usually about a foot long, a foot around and very prickly. They wash up dead on many beaches, and the spines are poisonous, so watch your puppies!
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absinvestor
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 11:47 AM


Thanks. I didn't see any when we lived on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja Norte so I'm guessing they like the warmer water. I appreciate the info. Ron
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David A.
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 12:19 PM


I have heard that if some or certain internal organs are eaten, the dog will expire within 90 mins. Paulina can verify this.
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Taco de Baja
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 12:44 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by absinvestor
Thanks. I didn't see any when we lived on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja Norte so I'm guessing they like the warmer water. I appreciate the info. Ron


There are some without spines in the cold Pacific waters of Baja Norte, I have caught several. Tossed them all back.




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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 12:46 PM


Not all puffers have spines. In fact the kind that have killed the dogs here have no spines but have a distinctive shape. The bad ones here are only 3" to 5" and have a somewhat purple coloring and are slimy. Of what I have been told it is their spleen that is toxic and once broken any part of the puffer can be fatal. Any one with info should chime in here because it is important for us dog lovers to be informed.



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vacaenbaja
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 01:25 PM


People in Puerto Penasco eat the things all the time. Fry em up as fish tacos. I suppose like the chefs in Japan they are carefull to cut out all the more toxic parts like the internal viscera ,skin etc. Even so i would not be game to try em although I have heard that the flesh is tastey. Do a web search on the area and the practice of eating the fish.
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 01:33 PM


We always carry hydrogen peroxide for this. Force some down your dogs throat and he/she will throw up.



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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 02:23 PM


Actually the fish pictured is the porcupine fish commonly found on the Baja beaches. It is related to the puffers, which do not have the heavy spines. The ovaries and liver are very toxic. They are easy to catch when diving as they rely on their spines for protection and will swell up (balloon like). They fill with water or even air when held above the water. Air filled ones float upside down on the surface and are helpless. I have been told that many found on the beaches were caught in shrimp nets, therefore filled with air, then dumped into the sea, floating into shore.
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 02:44 PM


Myself and other investigators ate Puffer Fish Sashimi once while at a Japanese party on Okinawa Japan back in 1985. After we ate it, our Japanese host gave us a broad smile and said "Guess what" Puffer fish is deadly if not prepared by a trained person. Oh thanks a-lot!



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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 03:12 PM


We've eaten it both on the grill and in ceviche. Delicious. To clean it correctly you make a T cut across the neck and down the belly. The skin and insides should come off/out whole...in one piece...and what remains is lots of white meat that tastes better than lobster. IMHO
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 03:43 PM


My brother and sister in law were walking their dog on the beach in Baja norte and the dog ate a dead puffer that had washed up on the beach. They rushed the dog home and to the vet. After two weeks in the pet hospital and $13,000.00 the dog made it. The only lasting affect was blindness in one eye.

We have eaten fugu that was served to us by our favorite sushi chef. It was not that tasty but it was fun to try.




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Gypsy Jan
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 04:13 PM
Pufferfish = Fugu (Maybe More Than You Want to Know)


"Fugu is the Japanese word for pufferfish and is also a Japanese dish prepared from the meat of pufferfish (normally species of Takifugu, Lagocephalus, or Sphoeroides) or porcupinefish of the genus Diodon. Because pufferfish is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine."

"Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the organs, especially the liver and ovaries, and also the skin. The poison, a sodium channel blocker, paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. Currently, there is no known antidote, and the standard medical approach is to try to support the respiratory and circulatory system until the poison wears off."

"As of 2008, advances in fugu research and farming have allowed some farmers to mass produce non-toxic fugu. Researchers surmised that fugu's tetrodotoxin came from eating other animals that had the tetrodotoxin-laden bacteria, and developed immunity over time. Many farmers now are producing 'poison-free' fugu by keeping the fugu away from tetrodotoxin-laden bacteria. Usuki, a town in Ōita Prefecture, became famous for selling non-poisonous fugu. No one has been poisoned eating it"




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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 04:35 PM


Be very careful about eating any Puffers in Baja,
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 05:20 PM


DO NOT MESS WITH IT !!!
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 06:50 PM




Lots of these around. I know people who eat them.

Some of the internal organs are very poisonous, especially the liver. And the skin can reportedly kill you too.

Puffers are the most common fish found washed up on the shore, hence the potential danger to dogs.
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 06:59 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Don Alley



Once we were camping at Playa Escondidia, and I found one washed up on the beach. I had a fire going in front of the palapa, and just for fun I put the puffer on the grill. I got some pretty interesting reactions from people walking by.
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Ken Bondy
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 07:01 PM


To my knowledge the dangerous "fugu" fish is the one shown in Don Alley's post. I have never heard anyone say that the porcupine fish in gnukid's post is toxic/dangerous although I can't imagine anyone would eat one. Speaking of dangerous fish, parrotfish commonly carry ciguatera but are often eaten. Like most grazers their flesh is delicious (think lobster) but it comes with a risk.



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Ken Bondy
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[*] posted on 12-15-2009 at 07:05 PM


How could anyone eat something so cute?





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