One of the most delicious treats that we love to have on our weekends is sausage. It enhances the taste of burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, etc. Seeing and smelling this meaty texture, our dogs beg for a bite from it. But can dogs have sausage?
Unfortunately, you can’t offer the sausage that you are having to your dog. However, you can prepare or buy sausage for him that is plain. It is the ingredients in the sausage that are harmful to dogs. Baking a sausage without any ingredients would make for a great occasional treat for them.
Can Dogs Have Sausage?
Yes, dogs can have sausage unless it has no ingredients. Why do we like this treat? Of course, because of its taste. This taste comes from the ingredients that we add to it. Such as onion, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, flavourings, nutmeg, and many more spices.
Certain commercial sausages may contain preservatives and additives that can cause harm to dogs. Skipping these ingredients when making sausage can make it safe for your furry friend.
Even a plain sausage can have side effects. That’s why you must keep the quantity of this treat low.
Can Sausage Be Bad For Dogs?
When we say dogs can eat sausage, we don’t mean that they should eat sausage. Eating a lot of sausages can lead to several health issues.
Not all sausage brands are safe for dogs. So you must choose the product wisely.
Contains Harmful Ingredients
Flavoured sausages are high in salt, fat, and spices. The spices include onions, garlic, and nutmeg. It’s important to keep dogs away from these ingredients. Besides, nutmeg has myristicin, which is another toxic compound for pets. Their stomach is too sensitive to digest these ingredients. These ingredients can be a threat to dogs’ red blood cells too.
High In Calories
While small dogs can eat 640 calories a day, a single sausage contains only 176 calories. Allowing him to eat sausage will only add to his calories.
High In Fats
A pork sausage has 8 grams of fat. Meanwhile, small dogs should have 13.8 grams of fat per day. If he is an underweight dog, his fat content can be 82.5 grams a day. Anyway, the fats present in a single sausage are too much. This can lead to pancreatitis, as too much fat inflames the pancreas.
High In Salt
Some vets deny offering sausage to dogs because of its high sodium content. One sausage has 0.93 grams of salt, and small dogs can have 200 mg of salt in a day. This means that sausage has more sodium than pets need. Too much salt can surely harm them.
Can Pose Risks Of Cancer
Unfortunately, sausage falls into the category of carcinogens. It means it is a food that can cause cancer. Other processed meats, like hot dogs and bacon, are as risky as sausages. This is most relevant when humans or mammals eat them more than necessary.
Sausage Meats Can Be Bad
Sausage meats are not completely like sausages. Their only difference is that they have an outrageous amount of pork. Besides, sausage meats have added flavourings and preservatives, like sulfite. Feeding this type of processed meat to our paw friends can upset their stomachs and disrupt body organs.
Raw Sausage Is Bad
Like flavoured sausage, raw sausage is harmful to dogs, but not for the same reason. Raw sausage is prone to pathogens and bacteria, like coli and salmonella. Dogs can easily get sick of these. Also, some canned sausages have raw onions and raw garlic with the raw meat. They are even more harmful because of the added toxicity of the added ingredients.
Are There Any Benefits Of Having Sausage?
The benefits of having sausage for dogs are minimal. It has trace amounts of protein, vitamin B6, vitamin D, cobalamin, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
These are all very limited in processed meats, but they can somewhat benefit a dog’s health. He can gain good muscle health, brain health, bone health, and, of course, satisfaction from the taste. In short, you can expect less while offering sausage to your pet.
How To Offer Sausage To Dogs?
After smelling the meat of the sausage, your dog can’t resist himself. What will you do then? You can prepare the sausage in the safest way to avoid potential side effects.
You must skip adding seasonings, like onion powder, chilli flakes, garlic powder, etc. The sausage that you have purchased from the store should be completely plain.
As said earlier, raw sausage is risky for dogs. So bake the sausage, but don’t fry it. After baking, use a soft, clean cloth or a paper towel to remove the excess oil from the meat.
Dogs can become choking hazards from eating large slices of sausage. So cut the baked sausage into thin slices. You can add those slices to the dog food or over white rice.
How Much Sausage Can You Give Your Dog?
Before offering sausage or any food to your dog, you must consider his size. For example, you offered three slices to a small breed and three slices to a large breed. The small breed will show negative symptoms, while the large breed will stay calm and composed. It is because large bodies have more ability to digest foods compared to small bodies.
If your dog is small, like Basenjis, two small slices of sausage are enough for him. Again, Border Collies and other medium breeds can eat up to four slices. Pit bulls and other large breeds can have six to eight slices. Again, Newfoundlands and all extra-small dogs can eat about one plain sausage.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have Sausage?
Can dogs have sausage every day?
The sausage that we eat is always a no-no for dogs. But if you offer them plain sausage, that should be an occasional treat for them. Eating this regularly will make them gain weight and have an upset stomach.
Can dogs eat chicken sausage?
Instead of pork, you can use chicken to make sausage for your canine friend. In markets, you will find a variety of chicken sausages that are safe for dogs.
Is sausage safe for pets?
Almost all pets and mammals can eat sausage if it is not seasoned or has any harmful ingredients.
What meat is not good for dogs?
If you do not process meats like chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc., they are safe for dogs. For example, fried meats, bacon, and salami are not good for dogs. If you can serve them in plain form, meat is safe for them.
Final Thoughts
Since sausage has more downsides than benefits, we may think, Can dogs have sausage? The answer is yes if you offer it to them once a week in small amounts. Also, you must cook the sausage with no salt, spices, or seasonings.
Most vets don’t allow offering pork to dogs. In that case, you can opt for chicken or beef sausage for your pet. Always keep the slices of sausage small to avoid the additional risk of intestinal blockage. For small dogs, make the pieces so small that they can gulp them.
