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As we know, a dog is a carnivorous animal. They are always fond of meat. That’s why many dog owners might think of giving some meaty food to their adorable dog. Since spam is mainly composed of pork and is always available in the front of our cupboards. So, some dog owners have the intention of sharing their plates with their dogs. But is it safe?
The answer is -no, you can’t provide SPAM to your adorable companion. Simply, dogs can’t eat spam. As a responsible dog owner, it’s always important to know which food is safe and which isn’t for our furry friend. In this article, we will take a deep dive to find out the actual truth if our dogs can eat SPAM.
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Table of Contents Show
What is SPAM?
As a branded canned food, SPAM is a cooked pork meat product manufactured by the Hormel Foods corporation. Since its introduction in 1937, this product has gained popularity all over the world and is widely used in meat pies, meatloaf, and sandwiches. The can of SPAM almost looks like a can of dog food with its appearance in the grocery store. Therefore, our pet owners might get puzzled and try this for their dog, having no consultancy with the veterinarian.
What is the Composition of Spam?
The primary ingredients of SPAM include pork shoulder and ham. Additionally, it constitutes other ingredients, such as:
- potato starch,
- sugar, salt,
- spices,
- water, and
- preservatives like sodium nitrite.
Also, natural gelatin is formed during cooking. Despite its nutritional attributes, SPAM is very rich in salt, fat, and preservative, which is a great issue of concern.
Nutritional Composition of SPAM
As a processed meat product, SPAM contains a high amount of sodium salt, carbohydrates, and fat. Usually, one can of SPAM comprises almost 1000 kilocalories and a serving size of 100 g of SPAM provides 310 kilocalories. Other nutritional value includes:
- Total fat: 27 grams
- Protein: 13 grams
- Saturated fat: 10 grams
- Trans fat: Nil
- Total carbohydrates: 3 grams
- Cholesterol: 70 milligrams
- Sodium: 1369 milligrams
SPAM also comprises a moderate amount of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, and magnesium.
Is Spam Bad For Dogs?
Undoubtedly, yes, SPAM is bad for our lovely canine friend. Pork, the primary ingredient of SPAM, is not harmful to our lovely dog. But as processed canned food, SPAM contains higher amounts of fats and salt, which puts a negative impact on your dog’s overall health. That’s why it’s always recommended to avoid feeding SPAM to your canine friend.
Risk of Feeding SPAM to Your Dog
Any food containing a high amount of fat and sodium salt is dangerous for our dogs. Higher levels of sodium salt in your dog’s food can cause increased blood pressure (hypertension) and various heart and kidney problems, which are detrimental to your dog. Excessive salt intake aggravates the signs of heart problems, which include the following:
- Difficulty in breathing
- Increased respiration
- coughing
- General weakness
- Tiredness,
- Exercise intolerance, etc.
Salt Poisoning
Also, salt poisoning is a major concerning issue if your dog consumes a large amount of SPAM. Usually, a dog weighing almost 33 lbs requires only 100 mg of salt daily, but a can of SPAM contains more salt than it. This ultimately leads to sodium salt poisoning in your dog. You must require an immediate veterinary assistant in case of salt poisoning in your adorable dog. The symptoms of sodium salt poisoning in dogs include:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Dehydration
- Extreme thirst
- Increased urination
- Incoordination
- Kidney failure
- Muscle spasm
- Headache
- Abdominal swelling and pain
- Increased heart rate
- Seizure, etc.
Canine Obesity
Higher fat in SPAM also helps your dog to develop canine obesity, which negatively affects a dog’s health and longevity. An obese dog usually differs from a lot of health conditions, for example,
- Hypertension,
- Diabetes mellitus,
- Heart diseases,
- Arthritis,
- Pancreatitis, etc.
Pancreatitis is a life-threatening condition of your dog, which is the inflammation of the pancreas of your dog. In the case of pancreatitis, your dog might develop some symptoms like loss of appetite, persistent vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal swelling, long-lasting abdominal pain, lethargy, etc. Besides these, high-fat processed food increases the risk of cancer in your dog.
As a responsible dog owner, you should concern regarding the presence of preservatives and spices in SPAM. As a part of the processed meat product, these constituents are solely responsible for developing digestive problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. in your dog. It has been reported that excessive intake of sodium nitrate can result in methemoglobin, a potentially fatal blood disorder in your dog.
Can Dogs Have Spam?
No, dogs can’t have spam. We have already discussed the reason behind it. For our furry friend, this SPAM won’t provide any benefits, rather than its harmful effect.
Is Spam Good for Dogs?
Based on our previous discussion, it is clearly proved that SPAM is not a good food for dogs. Simply, you can’t provide SPAM to your adorable dog at any cost. Though the main ingredient of SPAM is fine, other ingredients of it, such as preservatives, fat, sugar, and salt, make it harmful to our dogs.
What to Do if Your Dog Eats Spam?
Despite all the precautions to take about not giving SPAM to your lovely dog but still, your dog can accidentally eat SPAM. At that time, you should remain calm and observe the amount of consumed SPAM by your dog. Additionally, you also need to notice visible signs and symptoms of your dog. If your dog bites a small amount of SPAM, this might not cause any problems at all. You just need to monitor your dog whether it shows some negative reactions like stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
If your dog consumes too much spam and started showing symptoms already, take your dog to the veterinarian immediately. Veterinarians will perform physical examinations of your dog and ask you about the feeding history to figure out the current situation of your dog. After the consumption of a large quantity of SPAM, your dog is likely to get dehydrated with some other possible vital signs, like increased thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, and general weakness. Signs of sodium salt poisoning are already mentioned. Therefore, you need to be careful regarding those signs and symptoms and do accordingly, based on the advice of your vet.
Can Dogs Have Spam Meat?
Dogs shouldn’t eat spam meat. This flavorful processed meat is not okay for our lovely dogs. With too much salt, this spam meat dehydrates our dogs faster. Especially young pups are less likely to tolerate excessive salt intake, which develops sodium poisoning rapidly. Eating a slice of spam meat accidentally is okay, but consuming a lot of spam meat requires urgent veterinary support to protect your doggo from adverse reactions.
Can Dogs Eat Cooked Spam?
The short and quick answer is “NO”. Uncooked and cooked spam doesn’t make any difference in their nutritional properties or safety issue for dogs. Both remain unsafe for dogs and we shouldn’t feed cooked spam to our adorable companions. Therefore, pet nutritionists suggest choosing some alternative natural healthy dog treats for our lovely dog. You can easily make some homemade dog treats by using fresh fruits or vegetables like carrots, broccoli, beets, kale, pineapple, etc.
Alternatives of SPAM
Since SPAM contains a good amount of protein per serving, so, for a healthy alternative, you can easily give steamed chicken or freshly boiled egg to your lovely dog. This will fulfill the protein requirement of your dog’s body and help in the development of muscles and bones. As a plant protein source, you can also choose oatmeal or quinoa which are used during the manufacturing of commercial dog foods. Also, don’t try hotdog, since it’s not a good choice for your dogs. Before introducing any new things to your pooch’s diet, always consult with your nearest licensed veterinarian.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, never choose SPAM as a part of your dog’s diet. Eating spam will greatly affect your doggo’s overall body condition and cause further problems like weight gain, heart disease, etc. As a responsible dog owner, always look after your pet’s health and call your vet immediately if you face any problems. That’s how you can keep your adorable canine companion out of trouble and help him lead a healthy life.