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Anyone who has ever been around a dog has seen the look — the look dogs give you when they see you eating some kind of delicious human food and they decide they want to try it too.
They stare at you with their big puppy-dog eyes, and no matter how much you shoo them away or train them not to beg, you start to wonder if they can eat it too, especially when it comes to meat.
A big meat we wonder about is ham and pork in general.
People eat bacon with breakfast, pork with dinner, and full hams on major holidays. So the question is, can dogs eat ham or other pork products?
Ham
The answer is no. Ham is a highly preserved meat and as a result, should not be fed to your dog.
It is very high in sodium, which is bad for your dog, and it is a cured meat, meaning there are preservatives in the meat that can also be harmful to your dog.
Overall, it is not recommended to feed your dog ham at all.
Bacon
Let’s talk about bacon as well.
This is a pretty common household meat and many people cook it for breakfast or for consumption with hamburgers or other meats and veggies.
As soon as you smell it cooking, you know your dog will be right there smelling it with you, and boy is it ever tempting to give them a little taste! But is it safe to?
The answer, unfortunately, is definitely not. Bacon has a ton of fat and salt and is a highly preserved meat.
All of these things in combination are too much for your dog to handle. It will upset their stomach and they will not be able to digest the meat.
Because bacon has a high salt content, eating too much of it can actually be fatal for your pup and end up giving them pancreatitis.
If you absolutely have to give your dog bacon, remove the fat from the strip, and only give them a small bite. Your dog can probably handle a tiny bite, but it really is best to avoid bacon altogether.
Pork
Pork is a little bit different than bacon. Since it has to be fully cooked to be safe for anyone to consume, dogs can eat a little bit of fully cooked pork.
You should still remove the fat off it before you cook it and double check it after it’s cooked to be sure all the fat is gone. Also make sure it’s regular pork, not cured pork.
In addition, if you feed your dog undercooked pork, they run the risk of contracting trichinosis, a bacterial infection that can be very dangerous.
Pork Bones
Dogs love bones! Everybody knows this, but did you know some bones are not safe to give dogs? Pork bones are among them.
Pork bones can easily splinter and crack when your dog chews on them, meaning they can end up swallowing small slivers of bone. They are not able to digest this bone and the slivers can get stuck and perforate the dog’s insides.
This is why it’s best to avoid giving them these bones altogether.
Pork Skin
Pork skin is another product that is not okay for dogs to consume.
It is very high in salt, which as mentioned earlier, can be very detrimental to your dog’s health. Pork skin can lead to pancreatitis, which can be fatal for your dog.
Dogs can eat the fully cooked pork (minus the fat), but be sure to remove any skin before feeding it to your dog.
Conclusion
Overall, the only safe form of pork here to feed your dog is fully cooked, regular pork with the fat completely removed.
It is highly recommended to avoid any other form of pork if you want to keep your dog healthy. As much as they will love the taste of all the yummy things you’re cooking up, it is better to only feed them the safe meats!
Thanks for reading. Are you considering feeding your dog pork? Feel free to share your situation in the comments below.
