It’s remarkable! The unmistakable aroma of bacon being cooked always attracts our furry friends to the kitchen, without fail… But can dogs eat bacon? Is it ok to share this food with them?
Can dogs eat bacon?
While bacon is not toxic to dogs, it’s still not recommended, because it’s a pretty unhealthy food. Excessive bacon consumption has been linked to serious health problems in humans, so it’s not a surprise that there are a few risks that come with feeding bacon to dogs as well.
What are the risks of bacon?
Bacon is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. These fats can cause obesity, lipemia (high levels of fat in the blood) and pancreas inflammation. Symptoms can include:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Lethargy
Additionally, bacon is full of salt and preservatives. Too much of it can make your pup unwell or even cause sodium poisoning. The signs are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Decreased appetite
- Lethargy
- Incoordination
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Bloat – due to excessive thirst
- Twist stomach – potentially fatal!
Finally, bacon has been identified as a carcinogen, with links to causingbowel and gastric cancer.
What to do if my dog ate bacon?
This might all sound very scary, but as long as your dog is healthy, eating a little bit of bacon should be fine. Bacon isn’t toxic, but eating a lot of it at once could put our pup in trouble. Due to this, offering bacon is not worth the risk.
If your dog somehow manages to eat a bunch of bacon, or eats some bacon and starts to show signs of illness, contact your vet for advice.
Play it safe and keep your canine friend away from fatty food like bacon. The potential health problems that it may cause are just not worth it!
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