Many owners think about whether to salt their dogs' food when preparing dishes for them from natural products. Veterinarians recommend adding salt to food, but warn about the need to follow the correct dosage.
Beneficial features
Table salt is a combination of chlorine and sodium ions. Chlorine is involved in the synthesis of gastric juice necessary for digesting food. Sodium regulates heart rate. Since the substances are not produced in the dog’s body, they must come from food.
TO beneficial properties seasoning refers to the ability to retain moisture in the animal’s body, that is, to prevent dehydration.
In addition, it activates muscle growth and stimulates nerve conduction in the brain.
Daily dose
Salt is a natural flavor enhancer. Many dogs refuse unsalted food but will happily eat a seasoned portion. Therefore, from puppyhood, animals must be taught proper nutrition.
The daily dose is 0.0001 grams per 15 kg of live weight. It is impossible to accurately calculate it at home. Therefore, veterinarians recommend salting the dog’s food in such an amount that its taste is not felt on the tongue.
Salt absorption occurs in the small intestine, and the kidneys, sweat glands, and intestines take part in the process of its elimination. If the functioning of any of these organs is weakened, it is necessary to transfer the dog to a salt-free diet.
Remember, there are foods that already contain salt. These include raw meat, lard, buckwheat, cottage cheese, kefir, and parsley. Salt is used in the production of pasta, semi-finished products, canned food, and sausages.
There is an opinion that dogs do not need salt in their daily meals, but once a week you need to give your pet a piece of pickled cucumber, fish, or sausage. Veterinarians recommend not to go to extremes, as this can cause a deterioration in the animal’s well-being.
Symptoms of excess
Salt can be deadly to dogs. During the research, scientists found that fatal intoxication occurs when taking 3 grams per 1 kg of animal weight.
Even a little oversalting is harmful to your pet. It causes thirst that is difficult to quench.
The dog begins to drink a lot, which leads to edema. The animal empties its bladder frequently. But the urine comes out unnaturally light, since the kidneys do not have time to fully perform their functions.
The blood becomes thick, and it becomes more and more difficult for the heart to pump it through the vascular system. The situation is complicated by dysfunction in the hypothalamus due to deterioration of nerve conduction. As a result, the regulation of all biochemical processes in the dog’s body is disrupted.
Consequences of overdose
Sodium deficiency also negatively affects a dog's well-being. She becomes lethargic, weak, drowsy. When switched to a salt-free diet, pets lose interest in their favorite activities and refuse food and walks.
Scientists have concluded that salt and sugar act as a natural antidepressant. Salty and sweet dishes lift the mood and increase the activity of the animal.
Dehydration
A salt-free diet can lead to problems with fluid retention in the body.
Dehydration is manifested by deterioration of the coat and skin, weakness, and slow pulse.
The dog is thirsty and tries to drink from any container or puddle. The dog can be poisoned by harmful substances from dirty water. Dehydration is treated with Regidron; antibiotics (for example, benzylpenicillin) can also be added.
Hypertension
An excess of sodium in the blood leads to changes in its composition. Because of this, the entire cardiovascular system suffers, which is manifested by an increase blood pressure. Symptoms of this disease are tremors of the limbs, disorientation in space, dilated pupils, and nosebleeds. The treatment complex includes switching to a salt-free diet and taking medications.
Urolithiasis disease
If you uncontrollably salt the food of puppies and small breed dogs (lapdogs, Pekingese, Yorkies), stones will form in their bladder. Such dogs have a genetic predisposition to urolithiasis.
It manifests itself as pain when urinating, blood in the urine. For treatment, the animal is prescribed anti-inflammatory, painkillers, and diuretics.
Cystitis
Without timely treatment, urolithiasis can be complicated by concomitant diseases. Cystitis is most often diagnosed in pets. Its symptoms are frequent urination, pain in the perineum, and puddles of urine on the floor. To prevent the disease from becoming chronic, the animal needs anti-inflammatory and antibacterial therapy. The owner is prohibited from adding salt to the dogs' food until the excretory system is completely healed.
Cases of poisoning
Sometimes dogs manage to steal from the table salted fish, sausage or vegetables. They quickly eat food without even tasting it. As a result, the animals' bodies are subjected to serious testing. After all lethal dose salt for a pet 25-30 kg is only 80 grams.
Symptoms of poisoning table salt similar to initial stage rabies – foamy salivation, diarrhea, vomiting, tremors of the limbs. If urgent measures are not taken, the dog’s skin sensitivity disappears and paralysis develops.
To provide assistance, forcefully inject 5 ml into the dog’s mouth with a syringe. vegetable oil. Then, every hour, give your pet water, strong iced tea, and milk. For the next two days, do not feed your dog any solid food. After the veterinarian's permission, you can switch to soups, vegetable purees, and food for weakened animals.
Preventive measures
In super-premium food, the manufacturer calculates the exact dosage of all nutrients, taking into account the breed of the dog. After all, toy terriers, Labradors and mastiffs require different nutrition, corresponding to the size and activity of the dog.
When preparing dishes from natural food products, veterinarians allow food to be slightly salted. However, salty biscuits, sausage, and canned vegetables are contraindicated for dogs.
Teach your pet from puppyhood not to eat without the owner's permission. Many foods that are considered delicacies for humans are harmful to animals. And there may be spoiled or even poisoned food on the ground.
Few owners of four-legged pets have not once thought about Should you salt your dog's food?. There are situations when an animal, eating a certain way, suddenly refuses some of its usual dishes and shows with all its appearance “it doesn’t taste good to me,” although it happily waits for the treasured piece of dry-cured sausage or cheese to arrive from the owner’s dining table. Is it worth torturing an animal and waiting until it gets really hungry and begins to gobble up everything in the bowl with gusto? Or is it enough to add a little salt to bland porridge or a piece of meat so that your pet stops neglecting bland breakfasts?
What experts say
The issue is controversial and there is no consensus on this issue in the literature. Some scientists believe that a lack of salt in the diet is a direct path to the development of abnormalities of the skeletal system in puppies during the stage of their active growth and development. Therefore, its artificial introduction into food is necessary. Proponents of another point of view argue that the dog should receive salt directly from food in the form in which it is naturally found there, and not artificially. But both sides still have something in common: there shouldn't be too much salt, otherwise the dog will die.
Should a dog's food be salted? It's up to the owner to decide.
A loving owner always tries to make the pet’s life better and try to bring more joyful moments into it, because the dog’s life is short-lived, and one wants to give it the maximum of good things.
If a pet flatly refuses to eat bland food and happily starts dinner if a little salt has been added to the bowl, you should not torture the living creature. But it must be remembered that in this case it is very difficult to maintain moderation and calculate exactly the dosage that will be harmless or, better yet, beneficial. It is important to understand that salt poses a great danger to the life and health of a dog if the owner systematically and thoughtlessly includes it in the pet’s diet.
What is important to remember if it’s “yes”?
Salt is necessary for a living organism because it participates in hematopoiesis, promotes the secretion of gastric juice, affects the processes of protein breakdown and increases appetite. However, for the normal functioning of a dog’s body, a small pinch of salt is enough, i.e. it should be there, but not tasted.
Salt is dangerous for dogs in large quantities and its consumption leads to death. And even if nothing happened from even one over-salted piece of sausage, then frequent overdoses of this substance will lead over time to irreversible processes in the animal’s organ systems, in particular, to severe diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. Cystitis and kidney stones are common diseases in dogs that eat salty foods, and they are very difficult to treat, accompanied by further exacerbations.
If the dog regularly receives food fresh meat, it already contains a sufficient amount of salt. In the meat of a freshly killed animal (for example, during a hunt), the salt content is quite high, since its main concentration is in the blood. What if the owner feeds the dog boiled foods, porridge? In this case, during the cooking process, you can add a pinch of salt (half, or even 1/3 less than if you added it to yourself), since its natural amount is washed out during heat treatment.
When deciding whether to salt your dog’s food, it’s worth considering how often and in what quantity the pet gets “oversupplied” from the owner’s table. For example, cheese or pickled herring, sausage contain a lot of this substance. So why then salt the main food if a large dose has already been received with the treat?
All dog lovers know that The dog should always have fresh water and in sufficient quantities. So, after increasing the amount of salt in the food consumed, you need to especially pay attention to the filling of the drinking bowl. The dog will drink more and more often, that's a fact.
It is best not to make such a decision thoughtlessly, not to point your finger at the sky, but to take care of the dog from the very beginning by taking it to a veterinary clinic for a biochemical blood test. Perhaps salt is generally contraindicated for her. What if she was just so lacking?
Finally
There is nothing wrong with the owner wanting to do the best and wondering whether or not to add salt to the dog’s food. But in such a case, the risks may not be worth it, so to make such an important decision you need to think everything over a hundred times. An excess of salt, like any trace element or vitamin, can cost an animal its life.
Many dog lovers still argue on this topic and cannot find a clear answer. Why is that? Now let's look at all the facts for and against.
Arguments
In one of the books there is a quote from an experienced veterinarian and scientist, where he talks about an interesting case. The dog was taken to the veterinarian with a serious illness - rickets. The interesting thing is that the treatment did not help. The doctors, more than one, almost carried the dog in their arms and could not figure out what was going wrong. As a result, it turned out that serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system were the result of a lack of ordinary salt in the animal’s body. Let's look at the benefits of salt.
Kitchen salt has a simple formula – NaCl. It can be seen that it consists of two chemical elements, the presence of which in the animal’s body plays an important role. Sodium takes part in the processes of excitation of all cells of the body. With its help, most useful substances - amino acids, glucose, etc. - enter or leave the cell. With a lack of Sodium, Calcium is absorbed very poorly, which is why skeletal problems arise.
Chlorine, together with Potassium, takes part in the processes of inhibition of the nervous system. This element is part of the gastric juice, and also activates most of the enzymes with which proteins are poisoned.
Another point of view is that salt should not be given to dogs under any circumstances. And this is also correct. If you overdo it, your pet may eventually develop stones in the urinary tract and cystitis.
Conclusion
It is possible and necessary to give salt to your dog, but you need to carefully monitor the amount of salt consumed.
How to create a diet?
Those dog lovers who are against salt have a good argument: wild animals don’t eat it and are healthy, so pets don’t need it either. Now let’s remember how dogs eat in nature: they catch food for themselves - birds, rodents, hares, etc. Their natural source of salt is animal blood.
Those dogs that eat food also receive enough salt, since purchased food already contains all the substances that are useful and necessary for pets.
Animals that are fed natural meat do not receive a sufficient dose of salt, since there is no blood in the raw carcass.
Many dog owners notice that dogs eat salted food much more readily. So you can add salt to your food. When producing food, the dose of salt is calculated as follows: per kilogram of a puppy - 530 mg, for an adult dog - 22 mg. Some may think this is quite a lot.
A very simple way to find out whether your animal has enough salt or not: you need to put two bowls of water. Salt one, leave the other alone. This may also be a solution for those who are afraid of adding salt to their pet’s food.
The advisability of introducing salt into your dog's food.
The diet of dogs is significantly different from the diet of humans. This is due to the physiological characteristics of the body and the need for certain minerals and trace elements. The question arises, is salt necessary for dogs? We will try to figure this out.
In general, there are several theories as to whether it is necessary to salt your dog's food or not. As for industrial feed, which is sold in the form of canned food, everything is clear here. Manufacturers themselves made sure that the food contained sodium and chlorine ions. Usually a small amount of salt is added in production. Accordingly, such food does not need additional salt.
Can I give my dog salt?
- If the question concerns natural nutrition, when the dog’s diet includes meat, fish, and cereals that are prepared independently, then the situation here is different.
- In most cases, experts argue that a lack of sodium, as well as chlorine in the body at a young age, leads to deterioration in skeletal growth and acute disorders.
- Sodium is a trace element that is involved in the formation of bone tissue and skeletal cartilage, usually occurring before the age of one year.
- WITH Accordingly, during this period it is still necessary to introduce a small amount of salt so that the dog has enough of it.
Should dogs eat salt?
If the dog is old enough, then it is necessary to consider all options and evaluate what the dog eats. If it is raw, fresh meat, then it is not necessary to add salt. Fresh meat mainly contains blood; it contains sodium chloride in a small concentration. This is usually the saline solution that makes up dog and human blood. Accordingly, part of the sodium chloride enters the pet’s body along with the blood. This also applies to offal.
Should dogs eat salt?
- It is necessary to evaluate how often the dog eats from the owner's table. This refers to how often the pet gets a variety of goodies, such as herring, cheese, or a piece of dry-cured, smoked sausage.
- The fact is that these products contain a huge amount of salt, so 1-2 pieces a whole day for a dog will be enough to compensate for the deficiency of sodium chloride.
- Remember that such products spoil the dog’s stomach and intestines, so it is necessary to treat your dog with them very rarely. Sometimes it is recommended to give hard cheese; it also contains a large amount of sodium chlorine.
Should dogs salt their food when cooking?
If you treat your dog to foods from the refrigerator, semi-finished products, and processed meat products, then there is no need to salt the food you prepare.
Should dogs salt their food when cooking?
- If, nevertheless, the dog is on a natural diet, but there is very little fresh meat in the diet, mainly boiled porridge, bone broths, and soups, then it is necessary to introduce salt, but in small quantities.
- It should be about 3 times less than for yourself. That is, salt is necessary, but in much smaller quantities. Please note that salt is white death, and indeed the consequences of an overdose for a dog are much worse than for a person.
- If we can afford to regularly consume large amounts of salt and not experience chronic illnesses for a long period of time Bladder, as well as kidneys, then in dogs the disease develops and progresses much faster.
Salt poisoning in dogs
It is enough just to overfeed him with salty food a few times, the reaction will not take long. In most cases, very serious problems arise with the functioning of the kidneys and bladder.
Salt poisoning in dogs:
- Stones may appear in them, or fluid loss may worsen, with the formation of edema. Please note that if you do add a little salt to your food, be sure to take care of a bowl of water. There should be a lot of it, since after taking salt the dog can become dry. It is imperative that it replenishes the fluid deficiency.
- Remember, if you give your dog fermented milk products, that is, kefir, cottage cheese and cheese, then there is no need to add additional salt. Many radicals say that wild dogs- relatives of dogs and wolves, do not consume salt and live a long life.
- In fact, the body of domestic dogs is significantly different from wild dogs, but wild animals also receive salt. It is found in large quantities in the blood. Since the main diet of wild animals is small living organisms, mainly rodents and rabbits, their blood contains sodium chlorine. It is the basis of all fluids in the body.
Can dogs salt their food on a natural diet?
Another thing is that a pet cannot consume raw meat every day; not all dog breeders have the means to purchase such products. If it's meatsold on an industrial scale, in stores, in most cases it contains salt.
Can dogs salt their food on a natural diet?
- Many sellers soak meat in salt water to increase its weight. Accordingly, there is no need to introduce additional salt in this case. If the meat was bought secondhand from a farmer you know, then it is necessary to add salt to such food.
- Let us give an example: in all Soviet nurseries, dogs were fed with the introduction of salt. When preparing food, it was added in an amount of half of the norm that people administer to themselves. All dogs grew up healthy and strong.
- Accordingly, a small amount of salt is still acceptable. Under no circumstances add enough salt to yourself. Introduce sodium chloride in small amounts so that it is barely noticeable in taste.
Should dogs' food be salted when cooking?
Many people believe that a dog should also taste food, and without salt it is completely tasteless. In fact, a dog's taste buds are different from human ones; they are less sensitive.
Do dogs need to salt their food when cooking?
- If you add more or less salt, the dog is more likely to not understand. Therefore, salt in this case is added only as a way to introduce nutritional components such as sodium and chlorine.
- Chlorine is a harmful chemical element, but it is involved in all processes in the body of humans and dogs. With its help, hydrochloric acid is formed in the stomach. Therefore, without this component there may be problems with digestion.
- Sodium whole blood kidneys chlorine brains skin light whole blood kidneys and liver.
Should I salt my dog's food every day?
If every day some salty food is included in the dog’s diet, then there is no need to introduce additional salt. This rule only applies if offal and meat are given raw, that is, not boiled.
Should you salt your dog's food or not?
- Many fans of natural nutrition claim that wild breeds did not consume salt. Many note that the dogs that guarded the sheep were constantly with the shepherds, receiving practically no food.
- Almost everything they ate was of natural origin. These are small animals and insects. Often shepherds fed their assistants with cakes dipped in whey. Accordingly, salt was present in large quantities in such food.
- If the dog is factory fed, then there is no need to add salt. If you are feeding your dog treats from the table, you do not need to add additional salt to the food you are preparing. If you strictly monitor your dog’s diet and don’t give anything even as a reward from your table, then you need to add salt only in a small amount, about 3 times less than you add to yourself.
Should I add salt to my dog's food: reviews
If you additionally give your dog vitamins prescribed by the veterinarian, there is no need to introduce salt. Typically, chlorine, as well as sodium, are contained in vitamin preparations in the required quantities.Below you can read reviews from dog owners.
Should I add salt to my dog's food? Reviews:
Eugene. I have a German Shepherd, so I cook my own food. I don’t buy food, I don’t think it’s of the highest quality. I don’t salt my food, since my girl’s diet often includes a large amount of raw meat. I think that my dog feels great; it is not necessary to introduce salt.
Elena, Pekingese owner. I buy food for my dog and very rarely give him treats from the table, such as cheese and sausage. I try not to overuse it, since once my Zhuzha got poisoned from such food. I don’t salt my food, I feed it mostly with food.
Alexey, husky owner. When I got a dog, I had no idea that a large number of questions and problems would arise. Initially, we kept the dog on food, but then the financial situation worsened, now we cook on our own. We often introduce raw meat. I add a little salt to my food. I add a very small pinch, 3 times less than for myself. The dog is healthy.
As you can see, responsibility for the health of pets lies with their owners. Everyone decides for themselves whether the dog needs to be given salt or not. Veterinarians and specialists have not come to a consensus regarding the addition of salt to a dog’s diet.
VIDEO: Salting your dog's food
Do dogs need salt?
When feeding dogs raw natural food, the question often arises about the need to add salt. Let's look into this issue.
On the one hand, no one salts canine food in nature and they do not go to lickers, unlike herbivores. On the other hand, carnivores eat their prey whole, and these are mainly small rodents, including organs and blood. The salty taste of blood is due to NaCl or table salt. This way they get some salt.
Salt consists of two elements - sodium and chlorine. Na+ ions are directly involved in the conduction of nerve impulses and other biochemical reactions. Sodium helps maintain osmotic pressure in cells and is involved in the transport of amino acids, glucose, organic and inorganic particles across cell membranes. With a lack of sodium, calcium is poorly absorbed; moreover, it is removed from the bones and enters the blood. One of the reasons for the development of rickets-like conditions is the lack of salt in the diet. Chlorine is also necessary for animals. For example, it is involved in the formation of hydrochloric acid, the main component of gastric juice.
How is blood distributed in the body of prey? The bloodstream (vessels) contains about 56% of all blood. Part of the blood does not participate in the general blood flow and is deposited in the liver 20%, in the spleen - 16% and in the subcutaneous tissue contains up to 10% of the total blood volume. From the depot, blood enters the general circulation only under certain conditions. Partially, the need for blood and the salt dissolved in it can be covered by giving these organs to your dog. But what remains is “unreceived” blood from the victim’s body. And before going on sale, the carcass is bled, some of the blood leaves these organs and tissues.
How much salt will a dog get if he eats, say, a rabbit or a bird? This can be calculated by knowing the total amount of blood in the potential prey. I found the following data: “The average blood volume: horse 9.8%, cattle 8.2, small cattle 8.2, tallow type pigs 4.6, meat type pigs 7, chickens 8.5, rabbits 5.4, dogs – 6.8, cats 5%. In humans, blood volume is about 7% of body weight.” That is, the average carcass of a conventional prey contains about 8% blood. Let our “prey” weigh 1 kg. It will contain 80 ml of blood. The salt content in the blood is 0.9% (isotonic solution). Thus, such “prey” contains 0.72 grams of pure salt. At the same time, about 46% of the blood is contained in the organs (before the carcass is bled). 0.38 grams remain in the blood.
Thus, if a dog weighing 35 kg eats 1 kg of natural products per day, simulating the carcass of a conditional prey, along with organs and subcutaneous tissue, it needs to add 0.5 g of salt per day, compensating for the lack of blood. If a dog does not eat organs (liver, spleen), it needs about 0.8 grams of salt per day. Salt intake is also not constant for most dogs. Today there is production, tomorrow there is no production. Therefore, the addition of salt can be periodic.
It’s a good idea to remember that many foods contain salt. For example, cottage cheese and other dairy products have a salty taste. Even vegetables contain salt, but in small quantities. Various delicacies, sauerkraut are also salty. This is worth considering when adding salt to your dog's food. For example, an average herring with entrails (300 grams) contains about 10 grams of salt. A piece of herring, the size of 1/10 of a carcass without entrails, will contain about 0.5 grams of salt.
In practice, you can compensate for the lack of salt by adding a little salt to your food. It is quite easy to determine what salinity should be - the same salinity as blood or an isotonic solution of sodium chloride 0.9%. If the diet contains organs, then the dog needs a little less salt. If the dog regularly receives a piece of herring or rinsed from excess salt sauerkraut, feeds on animal carcasses and receives blood, then there is no need to add salt to food. Great way Offering salt to the dog, but not overdoing it, means putting two bowls of water - one with the usual fresh water, the other with slightly salted water (approximately 9 g of salt per 1 liter of water). The dog will be able to choose what kind of water to drink - salted or regular. The method is only suitable for dogs on a natural raw diet. “Sushechniki” get salt from feed.
