You may find your pooch salivating while you’re enjoying your juicy ham. Could be that wagging tail, those puppy eyes, or the look of expectation — the temptation to indulge your pet with tasty food is great. Could not hurt, right? Wrong. Though ham won’t likely cause a visit to the vet right away, giving your dog this food may not be the best thing to do.
What’s Wrong with Ham?
Your four-legged friend doesn’t have the ability to say no to delicious treats so you’ll have to be firm on their behalf. Here are good reasons to motivate you to stand your ground on this.
It Has High Sodium Content
Yes, ham for all its mouth-watering goodness contains high amounts of sodium, making it unhealthy for people and doubly so for dogs. While dogs need sodium in their diet, you need to maintain a delicate balance as they only need approximately 100 mg per 30 lbs of body weight daily. Ham and other processed foods sodium content are way higher than the healthy level because of its flavoring and preservatives like sodium nitrite and nitrate.
It Has High Fat Content
Most fresh ham has a layer of fat that keeps it moist and juicy even during roasting. This could pose a problem for your pooch as they most likely have all the fats they need from their regular food and the extra fats from ham could overload the pancreas, the organ responsible for the breakdown of fats. So that yummy, fatty tidbit of ham may not just cause weight and heart issues for your pooch, it could also lead to pancreatitis over time.
Yes, It’s Protein, But…
While ham is a source of protein, your pooch is better off with other protein-rich food since it won’t be getting high-quality protein from this kind of food.
What About Ham Bone?
And before you go and feed ham bone instead, that wouldn’t be good for your four-legged pal as well. Cooked ham bones could splinter and the shards could damage your dog’s mouth, throat, or internal organs. Raw bones could be a better option but it has some risks as it may harbor some bacteria that can be harmful to your pet. Additionally, you shouldn’t underestimate your pooch’s jaw power as it may be able to break the raw bone and swallowing it may cause internal damage.
What To Do If Your Dog Has Eaten Ham?
If your dog helped itself to this juicy treat, don’t panic. Having a bit of ham one time will most likely not cause any harm your pooch. Problems usually arise when ingested in large quantity or if they regularly eat this kind of processed food. In which case, you need to be more vigilant in observing for warning signs like diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, allergy, bloating, and unusual bowel movements. When your pal exhibits these, it’s better to visit the vet right away.
Though you want to give your fur baby everything that will make them happy, giving in to that cute puppy eyes isn’t giving them any favor. Dogs only go by their senses; and unfortunately, when it comes to food, common sense isn’t one of them.
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