Spam was introduced as a staple diet for World War 2 soldiers. It was easy to ship and serve food that was nutritious. Even today, spam continues to be one of America’s most liked forms of meat. This little box of canned happiness has found its way to every American kitchen because it’s convenient to eat. Who doesn’t want you to save a little time when they are tired? While spam is an excellent food for you, can dogs eat spam?
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Can Dogs Eat Spam?
The straight answer is no. Spam is made of ham and pork. Even though pork and ham are not individually dangerous for your dog, the canned version of these could be toxic for your canine friend. When packed, spam is drowned in a solution containing a high sodium level. It is common knowledge that sodium ion poisoning can be fatal for many dogs. Read further if you want to know how spam reacts to your dog’s body.
What Is Spam Made Of?
The main ingredient of spam is pork. This meat is combined with other ingredients like salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrate. This combination is then canned and sold. The salt and sodium nitrate acts as a preservative for the meat.
It contains the following:
1. Sodium content: Spam has 790 mg of sodium in every serving. There are six serving in one can of spam, totalling 2470 mg of sodium in one can. While sodium is essential nutrition for your dog, it can be harmful in such a high quantity. Sodium can cause dehydration and lethargy in dogs. It can also lead to sodium poisoning if consumed in high quantity.
2. High level of fats: There is a total of 36 grams of fat in one can of spam. This high fat in spam can cause weight gain in dogs fed regularly. In addition, eating high levels of fats can cause pancreatitis in dogs.
3. Preservatives: Anything that is canned will contain some amount of preservatives. Such is the case with spam too. While packing, some preservatives are added to spam, harming your dog. Preservatives can cause diarrhoea and can affect the immune system of your dog
4. Artificial flavouring: Some variants of spam contain artificial flavouring. This might contain garlic and onion also, which are toxic for dogs. Garlic and onion can cause adverse symptoms in dogs.
Why Is Spam Harmful To Dogs?
Spam contains an alarmingly high level of sodium which can be toxic for dogs. Since feeding spam to dogs is more harmful than positive effects, you should avoid feeding your dog spam. Even though spam is loaded with a high amount of protein, it is unsafe for dogs. While dogs need protein daily, spam is not an intelligent choice for dogs as it is loaded with sodium.
How Can You Safely Feed Your Dog Spam?
There is no way to feed your dog safely. Even after cooking it, spam does not become a healthy dog treat. Since it is loaded with sodium, it becomes a highly unhealthy food for dogs. Feeding your dog spam can lead to multiple health complications like:
- Pancreatitis
- Obesity
- Dehydration
- Sodium poisoning
Your Dog Ate Spam. What Do You Do?
Many times dogs catch hold of human food, and accidents happen. If your dog ate one small bite of spam, you should not be worried about them. However, a whole can of spam can harm your canine friend. Additionally, the size of your dog also matters. If you have a small dog that ate one slice of spam, it could start showing symptoms. If you have a large dog that ate a slice of spam, it might not be a matter of concern. You should look for symptoms like diarrhoea, vomiting, lethargy, excessive thirst, etc., in dogs if you suspect they ate spam.
What Can You Feed Your Dog In Alternative To Spam?
You can feed your special dog food that is meant for dogs, like premium jerky, boiled chicken, deboned tilapia fish, dog kibble etc. However, dogs don’t digest human food well and should be kept from it.
Conclusion
Since spam has a high quantity of sodium, it becomes a very unhealthy food for dogs. Therefore, you should avoid feeding it to your dog at all costs. No matter the spam, chicken or turkey, it should never find its way to your dog’s bowl or mouth. Keep in mind that:
- Even with the highest source of protein that ham and pork have, the canned version of any food is hazardous for your dog.
- There is no safe way to feed your dog spam, which should be avoided entirely.
- Spam can cause many health complications in dogs like upset stomach, heart-related diseases, and spikes in blood sugar.
FAQS
Can Dogs Eat Spam Meat?
You should avoid feeding your dog any spam meat. Spam is loaded with a high amount of salt and sodium. Sodium can highly jeopardize your dog’s health if you feed them any food high in sodium.
Can dogs eat raw spam?
It would help if you did not feed your dog spam, cooked or uncooked. It doesn’t matter if the spam is raw; it should never be served to your dog. Eating sperm can cause extreme health conditions like diarrhoea, upset stomach, and heart-related issues.
Can dogs eat spam once?
A small piece of spam will not harm your dog significantly. However, feeding sodium-loaded food should not make it a habit. It is ok if your dog ate spam accidentally. However, ensure that it does not show symptoms like diarrhoea, disorientation, upset stomach and lethargy.
Can dogs eat cooked spam?
No, it would help if you did not serve your dog spam. Even though spam is safe for humans to eat, dogs can react highly to it. It doesn’t matter if the spam is cooked or uncooked. You should never feed spam to your dog. Spam contains a high level of sodium that can threaten your dog’s health.
