Can dogs eat bacon? The answer is no they shouldn’t.
Bacon is merely pork that has been preserved by smoking, curing or salting.
This may sound okay on the face of it, and clearly humans love bacon, however this process of preserving the meat can have bad effects on your dog should they eat bacon.
Sodium nitrate is the problem ingredient. The presence of this within bacon makes it terrible for your dog to eat. Studies have shown sodium nitrate to be a cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Which doesn’t sound good you might agree.
Bacon also contains a high amount of saturated fats and salt.
A dog’s digestive system is not designed to absorb saturated fats and salt. If your dog eats bacon it may cause an upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and if too much is consumed, pancreatitis.
Bacon and Dogs
The list of why they shouldn’t continues. Bacon is high in calories. The same problems that occur within humans are present. Too much bacon in a dogs diet could lead to obesity and heart disease.
Experts have warned that feeding a dog just a couple of slices of bacon a day, would drastically increase your pets risk of bowel cancer.
To avoid all these issues – do not give bacon to your dog.
Can Dogs eat bacon – Grease?
The answer is still no I am afraid.
Some Owners like the idea of pouring a little bacon grease over their dog’s ordinary food to give it a tasty kick. If you do this you are spoiling your dog to the detriment of their health.
Bacon grease is really high in saturated fats and is too calorie dense for your dog to eat. There is very little nutritional benefit either.
While dogs definitely like lapping up extra bacon grease, any veterinarian would recommend against it.
Can Dogs Eat Bacon – Raw
Get over the idea of letting your dog eat bacon.
While raw, bacon still contains all the harmful ingredients we have mentioned above. The high amounts of fat contained within, can lead to pancreatitis as well as unhealthy weight gain.
That doesn’t mean to say that other types of raw food are bad for your dog however. The idea of healthy raw food diets for canines has gained a lot of ground over recent years.
Should you be interested in experimenting with a raw food diet, you should definitely do your research first otherwise you could end up making your pooch very ill.
One very good website I can recommend on the subject is Raw Paws. The site goes into great detail on all aspects of raw feeding, with products and information giving you the knowledge to safely feed your dog no matter their size or breed.
Resources
- Pet Poison Helpline on salt toxicity for dogs
- PetMD article on obesity in dogs.
- Interesting article on the dangers of saturated fats for dogs.
- Can dogs eat raw chicken?
- Can dogs eat hot dogs?
- Can dogs eat beef jerky
Comments
Can dogs eat bacon? If you have any comments on your own experiences with feeding your dog bacon please leave them below.