As a responsible dog owner, you probably know that dogs are naturally carnivores. You may have wondered if dogs can eat smoked meat. Sometimes there’s a great sale on such products in stores, and you might want to surprise your furry friend by buying them something like delicious bacon. However, you’ll do better if you don’t buy it.

Smoked Meat

Various seasonings are used to make smoked meat and bones, which coat the meat to make it tastier. These seasonings, such as nitrite curing salts, are not suitable for humans, let alone our four-legged companions. Sodium nitrite acts as a preservative in meat products, but when combined with amino acids, it creates carcinogenic substances. Moreover, smoked meat products and bones are too salty for dogs. Dogs cannot process excessive amounts of salt, and this can later lead to kidney problems.

Some of the meat products that are smoked include certain sausages, hot dogs, bacon, salami, pork ribs, and many more.

Smoked Bones for Dogs

The essence of BARF feeding lies in giving your dog raw meat and raw bones. There’s a good reason for this. Cooking methods like boiling, baking, or smoking make bones more brittle, causing them to splinter into sharp pieces that can harm your dog. That’s why smoked bones are unsuitable for dogs, and you should always give them only raw bones.

You can read more about how to properly feed bones in our article.

The Impact of Smoked Meat and Bones on a Dog’s Health

1. Pancreatitis

Smoked products can cause inflammation of the pancreas. These products contain fattier cuts of meat, which means more fat that pancreatic enzymes have to break down. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

2. Salt Poisoning

As mentioned earlier, smoked meat products are full of salt, which dogs cannot fully process. Symptoms of salt poisoning may include vomiting, excessive thirst, diarrhea, tremors, and fever.

3. Obesity

Because smoked meat products are full of fat and salt, dogs can gradually gain weight and become obese. Obesity can contribute to the development of heart disease, joint problems, diabetes, and more. Additionally, obesity significantly shortens a dog's life. Smoked meat, smoked bones, and human food in general are very inappropriate for dogs. You can read more about other inappropriate foods for dogs in our article.