Dogs are lovely, loyal, playful pets you may ever see. Most the people love the dog and keep them as heir family pet.
Dog is in the family Canidae, they can live up to 13 years. This animal has different species and each of their nutrition are different.
However, to keep and take a look for your dog pet you should know how to take care of them properly.
If you are dog lovers and dog owners, you might get confused and wonder about what is the good food to feed your lovely dogs?
You may have to be careful about little things in order to protect them, right? Well, you are on the right path!
Today I will show you one of the debatable meat called ham. Is it harmful to your dogs though? Well, to know further about the details, let’s find out!
Can Dogs Eat Ham?
This is a very common question to dog owners but first thing first, what is ham?
Ham is actually the leg part of the pork that has been preserved through the process and may contain taste.
Well, dog lovers, it’s been debatable whether or not that ham is actually good for your dog, you may hear that it is bad but maybe in the other way around?
Some may think that it is okay because it contains protein which is good for dogs. Since this topic is debatable, you may know more details about it.
You can take a look at the discussion below.
Why You Should Not Give Ham to Your Dog
In this part, you may know the reason why you should not give ham to your dog.
-High Sodium Levels
Something you should know that harm your dog is that ham is actually contained high sodium. Why is it harmful to consume for your pet?
This high sodium (hypernatremia) can cause illness in the stomach like sodium toxicity even though human actually can handle it, however, pets are sensitive to it.
You may have to be careful to feed your dog with the food that contains high sodium.
If they get hypernatremia (pseudohyperkalemia), this can cause to dehydration and lead to stroke or fever, additionally, the cause of hypernatremia is from diabetes that cannot handle blood levels.
High sodium level can also cause diabetes and kidney problems.
-High in Fat
Fat is commonly good for the body to help the dog’s body, it can help to build energy, muscles, and nerves, however, it is bad to have high in fat.
Did you know that high fat can cause illness to pancreas? If your dog eats high fat, they may suffer from inflammation of the pancreas and obese.
This illness is very common because some people do not know that ham is actually bad for the dogs.
-Bloated
Bloated or gastric dilatation or also called vulvus is really bad for dogs. Bloated can cause gas to their stomach and can make them hard to breathe.
Since ham contains lots of salt, your dog may act thirsty and dehydration. They may drink lots of water to prevent it, unfortunately, unlike humans, a dog cannot handle bloated in their stomach.
This can cause them to death if there is no treatment quickly. To know the signs of bloated in your dog, you can see their stomach look swollen than before, they will try to vomit but nothing come out.
Bloated is dangerous because you cannot take steps to prevent it.
If you see these symptoms to your dog, you must bring your dog to vet immediately to get medical and treatment as soon as possible.
-Various Diseases
What disease that may happen to your dog if they eventually eat ham? Dog may suffer from obesity, hypertension and heart problem.
This cause can happen because ham contains high fats. Then what are the symptoms of them all? Firstly, obesity is bad for your dogs since if they get obesity they may live only around 6 to 12 months.
The signs that you may see are weight gain, extra body fat, and hard to breathe. Secondly, the heart disease signs in dogs are fatigue, hard to breathe, loss of appetite, hard to sleep, and cough.
You may really care for heart problems, however, it cannot be prevented. Thirdly, hypertension sign in dogs is the high level of blood pressure.
If your dog blood pressure is more than 130 mmHg they might suffer from hypertension. To cure hypertension is through surgery. Sounds scary right?
-Digestion Issues
Unlike other meats like ducks, meat, and chicken, ham is actually really hard to chew and it can cause to digestion problems.
The symptoms of digestive problems are vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, increasing gas.
The ham that they swallow will stay in the stomach for so long because they need time to digest.
If you notice the ingredient branded food in the pet store, you might not see “ham” in their ingredient.
Since ham itself is not recommended for dogs. The branded food may be little too pricey but it is safe for your dog and definitely recommended.
Another suggestion, you may give your dog meat from chicken, duck, or beef that safer for your loved ones.
What Should You Do If Your Dog Eats Ham?
If you are late to know about this information and see the signs of sickness like diarrhoea, vomit, fatigue, seizure, or drinking a lot of water because extra thirsty.
You should get your dog to vet right away to get medicine and treatment. This is very dangerous to your dog because they might get a coma and die.
That is why you should know the little information what is good and not to feed your dog.
Can Dogs Eat Ham Bones?
Since dogs cannot eat the ham, can they eat the bones of the ham? Well, you should not give them the bones as well since they might get choke and stuck in their body.