Can I give my dog salt?

Excessive canine consumption of salt can cause complications including serious dehydration. That’s just one reason why snacks, such as chips or pretzels, aren’t appropriate for dogs.

Sodium is necessary but Fido’s food will fulfill this requirement. If your dog ate some salty junk food it’s no reason to panic. Just ensure there’s plenty of fresh water available to maintain hydration.

Dogs are not immune to many of the same food cravings humans experience. But salivating over sodium is a bad habit. Don’t enable it because, over time, too much salt will lead to health problems.

Can I Give My Dog Some Salt? Answer: Not Recommended

Of course, it isn’t dangerous but limiting sodium consumption is recommended.

Everything in moderation is a good policy. Giving your dog a couple of salted peanuts won’t make any difference one way or the other. They may just get thirsty afterwards. But allowing a dog to stick their face in a bag of chips, or eat mouthfuls of pretzels, is just irresponsible pet parenting.

Having fresh water at the ready is so important to head off the possibility of doggie dehydration.

Some Salt is Surely Sensible

Dogs do need sodium in their systems to help with growth, but it’s such a small amount and it’s usually included in store-bought dog food. The Association of American Feed Control recommends that at least 0.3% of sodium should be included in dry dog food.

Some dog foods offer much more than 0.3 percent. This is no reason for concern unless your dog has been specifically put on a low sodium diet by the vet. Proper sodium levels keep your dog healthy but some additional intake won’t do any serious damage. Moderation and mindfulness is the key.

Sodium’s a Slippery Slope

If your dog is suffering with kidney, liver, or heart problems the vet may put them on a low-sodium diet. By reducing the sodium, you’ll lower the dog’s blood pressure. This diet may mean that you will need to cook your dog’s food or the vet may have a suggested dog food formula for you which is low in sodium. During this time do not let your dog get into the salty snacks!

Usually a dog will need to eat a lot of salty snacks to get sodium iron poisoning. Symptoms of this include vomiting, diarrhea, tremors and in some cases seizures. Watch for thirst and excessive drinking. Prevention is the best way for your dog because such a situation is entirely avoidable.

Salt Water & Sea Water

Dogs seem to liven up at the beach. Running around and excessive exercise in the heat naturally causes thirst. If you don’t have fresh clean water available your dog may turn to the sea water to quench their thirst. That’s really bad! This has got to be the worst way to consume salt for anyone, including dogs.

Dogs that drink too much sea water get what’s known as beach diarrhea. This is a result of the ocean water salt in their systems. For this reason, always take fresh clean water with you when you bring your dog to the shore.

Every fifteen minutes or so, take your dog to a shaded area and give them some fresh water. This way you’ll eliminate their temptation to drink the sea water as well as enable a cooling off period before they excitedly run off again. Treats that contain rock or sea salt are better than the processed kind.

Conclusion on Salt

Giving a pet dog too much salt will eventually catch up to them in the form of poor health. As with anything, including sodium, moderation makes sense. Understand that regular dog food contains all of Fido’s salt requirements. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by keeping salty snacks out of your dog’s reach. It’s important to provide a supply of fresh water whenever your best buddy eats foods high in sodium.

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