Can Dogs Eat Salami?

Salami has become one of the most popular meats throughout the US. Used for many different reasons like sandwiches, pizzas, or just an added ingredient when you are cooking something. But can dogs eat salami?

No, they cannot, it is not toxic to them, but they also should not be eating it either. Some salami products can have toxic ingredients.

Salami is a preserved type of meat that has been cured, it was originally from Italy but is now sold worldwide. You can buy salami from pretty much any supermarket these days. They will usually have a wide variety, but the most popular type of salami is hard salami that is made from beef.

Can Dogs Eat Salami?

So salami is not toxic, but they should not eat it either? The reason for this is because salami is probably one of the worst types of processed meats out there. As you may know, dogs should not be eating processed food. There are so many different reasons from the additives, seasonings, and preservatives.

These are only really used to keep the taste, so they can expand the shelf life of the product. They do nothing for a dog’s health or nutrition, actually the opposite.

Salami is usually made of several ingredients, usually starting with pork or beef. They will then usually add garlic, seasoning (which can be anything), herbs, a lot! of salt, wine, and vinegar.

All these ingredients and seasonings leave a certain aroma to the salami, which a lot of people love. People love to add this to dishes they cook, to give it a little something extra.

In the above list, 3 things should be avoided. Garlic which is toxic to a dog, wine because it is an alcohol and dogs should not be given alcohol and salt. High amounts of salt are not good for humans, so imagine what it is like for dogs that are a fraction of our size. Salt poisoning is a serious problem for dogs. Here are some more details about the ingredients above.

What is in Salami?

Garlic

As we have mentioned above garlic is toxic to dogs. You must be very careful when giving your dog any meat, to make sure there is no onion or garlic in it.

The toxicity level can vary on the type of meat they are eating but it can go from moderate to severe very quickly. If this should happen then you should contact your local veterinarian straight away or visit a local emergency clinic.

The ASPCA also offers an emergency poison phone line for help and advice. Although it will cost you $60 for the phone call, very worth it though. (888) 426-4435

The reason Garlic is put in Salami is that it keeps the beef or pork naturally preserved while helping keep bacteria away from it. This makes sure the food is safe to eat for a longer period, this is what preservatives and additives do.

Salt

You will be shocked to know that a 100G piece of Salami has around 1610mg of sodium (salt) in it, according to the USDA FoodData Central Database. This is a crazy amount of salt for anyone, especially a dog. This is a deadly amount for a dog.

If you still intend on giving your dog a slice, think of it like this. 10g is 161mg of salt, a dog’s daily intake of salt should not be any higher than 100mg of salt, based on a 33-pound dog. A dog receives the correct sodium count they need for their diet in their dog food.

So by feeding them a piece of salami, you are adding 161mg of unwanted salt to their diet. If you feed it to them regularly then they are at high risk of serious medical problems, if not worse. Salt poisoning can attack a dog very quickly.

Please note the smaller the dog is, the more in danger they are of getting salt poisoning. Although this does not make it an exception for people with big dogs to feed them whatever they want.

The term hypernatremia means higher than normal concentrations of sodium in blood. Such elevations are commonly seen in abundant loss of water through gastrointestinal tract along with sodium or low water intake. A common source is sodium chloride (NaCl, table salt). Alterations in sodium levels usually accompany chloride level changes, and symptoms related to both are present together.

Read the original article – PetMD

Herbs and Spices

There is a wide range of different salami’s out there, where each one has a wide range of herbs, spices, and seasoning. You should always read the wrappers of the salami. Even though food ingredients on wrappers are not created for dogs in mind, they are created for humans.

Something that says it is fine for humans might not be for a dog. One option that might cause dogs serious health problems is rosemary. This is unsafe for dogs that suffer from epilepsy. Turmeric can cause skin problems with your dog as well.

Water Content – Dehydrated Meat

When salami is being made, there is a lot of water involved but the water does not stay in it. The meat is then dried out and loses around two-thirds of its weight it started with.

This can cause dogs several health problems, in the long run. Starting with a urinary tract illness, heart, kidney, and liver problems. It will attack most of the main parts of a dog’s body if they are given it on a regular basis for a long time.

High-Fat Content

One of the main problems when it comes to processed meat is that they are very high in fat. Which can lead to your dog becoming obese, which is a big health problem for your dog by itself.

If you feed your dog a high-fat content daily then your dog is at risk of having problems with their pancreas, called pancreatitis. This is not a nice thing to have your dog suffer with. It will cause them serious pain for the rest of their life and leaves them in a dangerous condition.

Now, this is not us singling salami or pepperoni out. All processed foods, along with cured meats should not be eaten by dogs. They are not good for their health; this can be things from corned beef to bacon.

Red wine

Now we should not have to say this, but dogs should not be touching anything with alcohol in it. A lot of classic salami recipes contain wine, usually, around 1/3 of a glass of red wine is used.

This is another trick for extending the shelf life of the salami. Even if it is only a small portion of red wine in the salami you should still not be feeding your dog it. Dogs should be T-Total; Alcohol is toxic in any amount to dogs.

Check out the table below showing what the USDA FoodData Central Database shows what is in your average Salami of 1oz (28g).

Salami - 100g

Can Dogs Eat Pepperoni?

Pepperoni is another type of salami and should not be fed to your dog. They have the same type of bad ingredients as mentioned above. There sodium amount for 100g of Pepperoni is 1750mg, which is more than the average salami mentioned above.

Check out the table below for everything you will find in Pepperoni.

Pepperoni - 100g

You should not be giving your dog pepperoni. There is very little nutritional value for it, along with being highly processed. Usually a cured combo of both types of meat beef, and pork.
The above table is from the FoodData Central Database from the USDA. As you can see there is not much good for a dog in that table. The sodium is a shocking amount.

This type of food, along with the spicy flavor that it has can cause your dog to have a serious stomach upset. Especially if they are not used to this type of food.

You will be surprised what is added to pepperoni to make it. Have you ever seen it on a pizza and seen how greasy and shiny it is?

Combination of Ingredients in Pepperoni

That is not something you want for your dog. Pepperoni has a combination of ingredients that do not make it worth the risk. For example, they use paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, fennel seeds, and mustard seeds. That is a dangerous list for dogs, especially garlic and mustard.

These ingredients can cause your dog to have serious diarrhea, vomiting or worse. If this happens you need to contact your local veterinarian straight away or visit an emergency clinic.

Even if your dog has eaten pepperoni with no problems for years, you are not helping their long-term health. They will eventually, if not already become overweight. Your dog will start to have joint and heart problems. Not to mention it will do a serious number on their pancreas, which can lead to diarrhea that has blood in it.

What If My Dog Has Eaten Salami or Pepperoni?

As mentioned above salami and pepperoni is not toxic to dogs, they are just seriously unhealthy for a dog to eat. So if they have sneaked one or two slices, then it should not cause them any harm.

Do not get me wrong, they just ate their whole recommended daily allowance in one go. That is why they should not be eating such a thing. But they should not have a problem with it, as long as it was a once-off.

They may become thirsty as there is a lot of salt and other ingredients in them. So make sure they have plenty of water and have time to go outside more.

If you feel like your dog is acting differently, it has been a while and they are still thirsty, been sick, or had diarrhea then you should contact a local veterinarian to make sure they are ok. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to our loved ones.

If you would like to see how Salami is made in a factory, please watch the below video. This is just one example how salami is made by one company. There is many different ways that salami can be made.

Summary

Overall as mentioned above, salami or pepperoni is not toxic to dogs, it is just seriously unhealthy for a dog to be eating it. We have stated a lot of reasons why you should not be feeding your dog salami and pepperoni. If given regularly then you are risking your dog’s health with some serious health issues, if not worse.

There is a lot of different things out there that dogs can eat that are healthier. Check out our article on what foods dogs can eat for some ideas.