Dogs love to eat. In fact, dogs will do whatever they can to join us during our family dinner. And we just can’t resist that puppy face, so as a result, our dog will probably take a bite. This, however, may not be as good for our canine friend as we think. Can dogs eat salami, and is it safe to share it with them?
The answer might surprise you.
Salami is a preserved, cured meat that many of us love to eat. Salami originated in Italy; however, people have spread it everywhere.
Now, there is almost no place in the developed world where some sort of salami isn’t eaten. People’s favorite is hard smoky beef salami, which can be bought in most stores.
While some people prefer eating salami on itself, others love to use it in sandwiches, skewers, and cheese bombs. As this food is so widespread, it’s natural to wonder, can dogs eat salami, or is this delicacy unsafe?
Can Dogs Eat Salami?
Salami is meat, which sounds safe enough. However, it should be kept in mind that salami is one of the unhealthiest processed meats out there.
In fact, any processed food isn’t healthy, and you should avoid it whatsoever. Processed food contains many seasonings and preservatives, so its lifespan can be as long as possible.
Salami itself is typically made from either beef or pork, with garlic, salt, herbs, vinegar, wine, and seasoning. This is what makes it so tasty.
It contains various aromas that we love in any dish. Once this meat is ground, it’s salted and left to dry. This doesn’t sound so bad, so there is no need to wonder can dogs eat salami, right? Wrong.
Seasoning is extremely bad for dogs, and salami has numerous kinds. Even the small amounts of some herbs can cause damage to your dog’s health.
What Seasoning Is Found In Salami?
Below are some of the seasonings that can be found in salami, and how they can harm your pup.
- Salt
100 g of cooked salami contains about 1,740 mg of salt. Just one slice of salami contains about 214 mg of sodium!
Sodium in sufficient amounts is toxic to most living beings, including humans and canines. If your dog has around 30 pounds, this is twice its recommended daily intake.
This is extremely dangerous for dogs with kidney and heart problems, who should have a low-salt diet. Sodium overdose leads to vomiting and diarrhea, but also more severe conditions such as seizures and increased body temperature.
- Garlic
A good salami has to contain garlic! This isn’t only because of its flavor. Salami keeps the meat preserved naturally.
Garlic kills bacteria, which means the meat will take longer to spoil. However, garlic isn’t good for dogs.
Depending on the dog breed, garlic is moderately to severely toxic to canines. Japanese breeds, such as Akita and Shiba Inu, are especially sensitive to garlic.
Garlic can cause your dog to vomit and drool, and it can lead to serious health issues.
- Spices
All sorts of salamis contain herbs and spices in a larger or smaller amount. While some herbs can be healthy for your dog, others are incredibly toxic.
If you wonder can dogs eat salami, you have to check the ingredient list first. Parsley is one of the commonly used herbs, which is beneficial for canines.
However, salamis typically contain a lot of spices dangerous or even deadly for dogs.
This includes rosemary and turmeric. While turmeric causes damage to your pup’s skin, rosemary is particularly hazardous for dogs suffering from epilepsy.
Having in mind other harmful ingredients in salami, we think you don’t want to risk it.
- Wine
A traditional salami recipe includes about one-third glass of fine red wine. This adds taste to the salami, but it can also extend its shelf life as wine contains alcohol.
By now, you should know that alcohol is deadly for your canines. Dogs should consume alcohol in any form, even if it makes a small percentage of a meal. If they drink alcohol or eat food containing it, they risk getting alcohol poisoning.
This can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, heart defects, and even death.
Will Dogs Get Fat from Eating Salami?
Similarly to humans, dogs also have various energy requirements depending on their age, health, and breed. Typically, a puppy will need fewer carbs than an averagely active adult dog.
While salami only contains 336 calories per 100 g on average, these aren’t good calories. Most salamis have at least 1 g of sugar per 100 g!
All of this is extremely counter-productive for a dog trying to lose weight. Salami is high in fat, which is never suitable for anyone, especially dogs.
In fact, salami contains about 26% of fat! The main health risk of eating foods high in fat is pancreatitis.
Not just that, but as salami is preserved meat, it loses about a third of its original weight.
This is because salami loses water during the drying process. In other words, eating too high amounts of salami causes dehydration.
If dogs eat it for a prolonged period of time, they risk damage to the heart, kidney, liver, and urinary tract. This is another reason why you wouldn’t want to feed your dog with salami.
Can Dogs Eat other Kinds of Processed Meat?
When you know the answer to the burning question, ‘Can dogs eat salami’, you may wonder about pepperoni and bologna.
Pepperoni might be even more damaging to dogs compared to salami. 100 g of pepperoni contains about 500 calories. Out of that, almost half are fats – including approximately 15 g saturated fats.
This also includes around 105 mg of cholesterol and 1.6 g of trans fats. Not to mention that pepperoni is exceptionally high in sodium, and it contains about 1,761 mg of salt per 100 g!
Bologna sounds like a bit better option – although it is far from safe or healthy for both humans and canines.
It contains around 247 calories per 100 g, which is a bit less compared to salami or pepperoni.
It also includes ‘only’ 907 mg of sodium and 20 g of fat (including 59 mg of cholesterol and 7 g of saturated fats). Bologna also has a bit more water in it compared to the other two processed meats.
However, it also contains harmful ingredients such as spices, potassium lactate, soy protein isolate, altered maize starch, and sugar.
In short, you shouldn’t feed your dog with any processed meat.
Read Next: Does Raw Meat Give Dogs Worms
Not only are all these ingredients harmful directly after ingestion, but they can also lead to chronic diseases. Some of these diseases include cancer and high blood pressure or hypertension.
What if My Dog Has Already Eaten some Salami?
If you noticed your dog already ate salami after reading this article, you are likely worried. Despite salami being harmful to your beloved companion, you shouldn’t panic right away.
A few slices of salami probably won’t harm your dog, despite them ingesting way too much sodium than recommended.
He is probably going to feel thirsty, and you will notice him drinking more than usual. Frequent urination is also standard and expected.
Make sure your dog has fresh water available and take him to a few more walks than usual. It can take up to 48 hours for your dog to get rid of all that sodium. After this period, everything should go back to normal.
If your dog has eaten way more than just a few slices, it would be best to contact a veterinarian. Take notice of symptoms such as:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Excessive thirst and urination
- High body temperature
- Trembling
- Seizures
How to Prevent My Dog from Eating Salami?
The best way to prevent your dog from eating harmful foods is to leave it away from their reach. Of course, you should train your dogs in time, so they know not to steal food from tables and plates.
If you take them to obedience training in time, you can help your dog lead a healthy, long life. Most well-trained dogs won’t touch their owner’s food even when we’re not around.
Related: Can Dogs Eat Crackers
Still, we would never test this, so it is best to simply store leftovers in the fridge. Food that can’t go inside the refrigerator needs to be stored where your dog can’t reach it. This is the best and safest prevention measure.
Bottom Line
Can dogs eat salami? By now, you have probably concluded that the answer is no.
Salami can be rather harmful to your dog’s health. It contains high amounts of sodium, which can cause serious health problems to a canine. Not just that, but most of the salami’s ingredients are incredibly toxic to dogs.
Of course, there is no need to panic if your dog took a little bite or ingested one salami slice. However, eating even small amounts for a prolonged period of time can lead to many chronic diseases. This is why you should always do your best to prevent your dog from eating any processed food.
