Many people say that dogs should not eat salt. Eating too much salt will increase the metabolic burden on dogs and easily cause hair loss and tear stains. However, careful pet owners have discovered that a certain amount of salt is also added to dog food, so Can dogs eat salt?
1. Can dogs eat salt?
In fact, dogs need to eat salt, and salt is one of the essential nutrients for dogs.
The main component of salt is sodium chloride, which can decompose sodium ions and potassium ions to interact, participate in the normal metabolism of dogs, and maintain the electrolyte balance in the body.
If the dog’s body lacks sodium ions for a long time, it will cause dry and split hair, hair loss, reduced water intake, reduced gastric acid concentration, etc. In severe cases, it may even lead to dehydration , loss of appetite, listlessness, etc., so dogs and Like humans, we also need to consume a certain amount of salt every day.
2. Is it harmful for dogs to eat too much salt?
If the dog only eats a little too much salt occasionally, it is generally not harmful, because after eating too much salt in the food, the dog will drink more water on its own and then excrete the excess salt through urine.
However, pet owners cannot allow their dogs to consume excessive salt for a long time, because dogs need to excrete excess salt through their kidneys. Eating too much salt will increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys and may cause kidney failure.
Secondly, dogs who often eat heavy food can easily develop picky eating habits. Long-term picky eating can also lead to chronic malnutrition in dogs.
Finally, long-term excessive salt intake will also put a burden on the dog’s heart. If the dog suddenly eats high-salt food and does not drink enough water, salt poisoning may occur.
3. How much salt should a dog eat every day?
Calculated from the perspective of pet nutrition, the salt that dogs should consume every day is approximately 1% of the weight of their main food. If the pet owner usually feeds his dog dog food, he should not feed his dog other salty foods, because enough salt has been added to the dog food. If he consumes additional salt, Then the dog’s daily salt intake can easily exceed the standard.
If your pet wants to make homemade dog food, you can add 1% salt to the dog’s food, but you should pay attention to the following two points:
1. If your dog’s food is mainly carbohydrates, you need to add about 1% salt. (Normal dogs are not recommended to eat this kind of homemade dog rice, but dogs with diseases such as pancreatitis may need such a special diet.)
2. If the dog’s food is mainly meat, you can add no salt or occasionally add a little salt. Because the meat itself contains a certain amount of salt, there is no need to add additional salt.
