Can Dogs Eat Ham? Is Ham Safe For Dogs?

Should dogs be allowed to eat ham? Well, there is no definite answer to the query. However, several things need consideration before you feed ham to your dog.

First, like almost all other things related to your dog, you should ask your vet before serving ham. The main reason for this is that ham is one food meant for humans.

That one time of the year when holidays are around is December. In especially those days, you cook more

delicious items than you would during the rest of the year. When we are cooking, we occasionally tend to share scraps of the same with our furballs to show them how much we love them.

It also needs to be said that the way they beg for food is irresistible for most pet parents. However, it is significant to be conscious and cautious in serving food. The reason is that some human foods are far more dangerous for dogs compared to humans.

A lot depends on how the food is cooked. Ham can genuinely be termed one of such foods. Be sure that you are not serving anything harmful to your dog.

Here is what you need to know about feeding ham to your dogs. 

Can dogs eat ham?

Ham is a protein that is necessary for dogs. However, if you have bought the ham from a store, there would be plenty of sodium.

This amount of sodium would be bad for humans too. The same about the effect it has on dogs. However, this meat’s dangers to dogs are not limited to sodium. They are full of other sodium-based preservatives like nitrites and nitrates.

So much sodium can lead to some severe side effects on your dog. It can be poisonous as well. If they have excessive sodium in their diet, it could lead to symptoms like vomiting, lethargy, and diarrhea. In addition, it can lead to issues such as kidney damage and seizures at a severe level.

Apart from these, ham contains more high-fat content than all other meats. You may already be feeding your dog the necessary amount of healthy fat. Therefore, extra fat in their diet should be avoided.

The dangers that ham bones pose 

One of the worst things you can have your dog eat is cooked ham bones. So, it would help if you were careful with them. Cooked bones tend to become soft, and as such, they may splinter when your dog is having them as a treat or chewing on them.

These bone splinters are severely harmful to your dog. They can kill them as well. If your dog ingests such splinters, it can damage its internal organs.

It may also cause damage to their mouths. Apart from that, the raw ham bones have bacteria dangerous for your dog. So, talk to the vet once before feeding ham to your dog.

If you are feeding your dog ham in small pieces and it should not be lethal for your dog on rare occasions.

However, you need to ensure that your dog does not have any medical condition that makes meats such as ham a strict no-no for them.

If you are doubtful about this, it is better to talk to your vet before giving them ham in any quantity or type because this is a food for humans rather than dogs.

Conclusion

The processed nature of ham makes it potentially dangerous for dogs. After all, it has gone through so much curing. Thus, ham is one meat that should be left for the consumption of humans.