Sausages are a food of great distribution and consumption throughout the world. Specifically, Frankfurt sausages are enormously popular: it is one of the fastest and most famous foods on the planet, known as hot dogs in Spain or, internationally, the classic ‘hot dogs’. But about this tasty food there are some doubts when it comes to providing it to dogs.
Dogs have a great interest in eating all kinds of foods and sausages are no exception. You have probably given yours a piece on more than one occasion to satisfy your desire, but it is important to know if it is really convenient for your health. To find out if dogs can eat sausages, the benefits they bring them and how to give them to them, in we recommend that you continue reading this article.
Can dogs eat sausages or not?
Generally, sausages contain certain nutritional benefits and are not composed of any ingredients that are toxic to the canine organism. Despite this, they are a food that is not recommended for dogs due to their high fat and salt content.
When assessing the disadvantages and benefits of including sausages in a canine diet, more drawbacks are found, especially if they are offered in large quantities or on a regular basis. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid the consumption of sausages in dogs.
Frankfurt sausages are not composed of any toxic ingredient for the dog organism, but due to its high levels of salt and fat, in addition to containing different additives, make this food very unrecommended for dogs.
In any case, the punctual consumption of sausages, including those of Frankfurt, should not have serious consequences for the health of your little furry, but if you consume them in large quantities or very frequently, it can trigger a series of long-term damages.
Benefits of giving sausages to dogs
- They are a source of minerals such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc or selenium.
- They provide proteins of animal origin and with a high biological value. This contribution only applies to fresh sausages, since the Frankfurt type contains a protein of considerably worse quality.
- Contribution of some B vitamins such as vitamin B1 or thiamine, vitamin B2 or riboflavin, vitamin B3 or niacin, vitamin B6 or pyridoxine and vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin.
However, as already specified throughout the article, the nutritional benefits of sausages do not compensate for their negative effects on the health of dogs due to the high salt and fat content of this food. Sausages contain lipid levels ranging between 20% and 30%, so they are a fatty food with a high salt content. Therefore, they are not recommended for dogs.
How to give sausages to my dog
If you want to give sausages to your dog, you should do it in small pieces. Dogs can eat turkey, chicken, beef or pork sausages, but it is preferable that you opt for turkey and chicken, as they are usually the ones that contain less fat.
Regarding the way of preparing the sausages before giving them to your little furry, if they are fresh, it is necessary that you cook them. But if it is Frankfurt type sausages, you can give them directly, since dogs can eat raw sausages: being Frankfurt type, they are a meat derivative that has been treated with heat, that is, they are already cooked.
On the amount you can give your dog of sausages, a small amount in a timely manner should not cause any harm to his health. If you need to give him a pill prescribed by the veterinarian and you have no other alternatives, you can cut a small piece of sausage to hide the medication inside and ingest it in this way.
However, whenever possible, replace sausages with other healthier foods that also serve you for this same function. In this sense, in OneHowTo we recommend using lean meat, fish, wet food for dogs or some sausages for dogs, that is, made specifically for these animals.
In this article we tell you if raw meat is good for dogs?
Contraindications of giving sausages to dogs
Despite not being a recommended food for dogs, they can eat sausages occasionally. Even so, there are contraindications to their consumption for certain dogs, so they should not eat them under any circumstances in the following cases:
- Dogs with hypertension.
- Dogs that are overweight or obese.
- Dogs with kidney disease.
- Dogs with heart disease.
- Dogs with allergies or some food intolerances.
- Dogs that need a low-fat diet, such as dogs with gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, etc.
- Elderly dogs.
- Dogs whose digestive system is especially sensitive to changes in their diet.
Now that you know if dogs can eat sausages, don’t miss these articles on Can dogs Eat Yogurt? and Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?
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