My Dog Ate Ham

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If your dog ate ham and is reacting adversely, contact your local veterinarian immediately.

Ham isn’t Healthy for Dogs

While dogs love meat, large amounts of ham really aren’t good for them. As noted above, ham is not healthy for dogs due to the high levels of fat and sodium in the meat. In addition, store-bought hams are usually full of preservatives and additives, which also are not good for our canine friends.

Some dogs may develop diarrhea and vomiting just from eating a little bit of ham. This is especially true if the dog has a very sensitive stomach.

Plus, feeding your dog ham on a regular basis can lead to weight gain in your dog, along with high sodium levels, which can lead to a wide range of health issues. For instance, too much fat can lead dogs to develop a painful condition called pancreatitis. And too much sodium can cause kidney damage.

Bone Fragments Can Cut the Mouth

Even if splinters don’t enter the digestive tract, they can still harm your dog. Shards may slice up the inside of your pup’s mouth, causing discomfort and making it difficult to eat. In some cases, splinters can even get stuck around the gums, tongue, or throat and lead to a nasty infection. If shards get caught in the windpipe, it may result in breathing difficulties or even suffocation.

Bone splinters in the mouth aren’t as serious a concern as splinters in the digestive tract. However, you may still want to see a vet to ensure that there is no bone lodged inside your dog’s mouth to avoid serious infections.

My Dog Ate Ham

What Happens When Dogs Eat Ham Bones

Bones are not that bad for dogs. Chewing on raw ham bones can be quite beneficial for their dental health and digestion. But if you do not supervise your dog with a ham bone, you might soon find it gone.

The sharp canines and incisors of your dog can help them breakdown an entire ham bone in just a few minutes. When they’re chewing on the bone, it breaks into hundreds of fragments that are capable of doing a lot of damage to your dog’s digestive organs.

Some dogs might even swallow a small piece of bone without noticing. And in most cases, this piece is what causes hundreds of dogs to get rushed to the ER each year.

Here are some of the most common risks associated with eating cooked bones for dogs:

FAQ

Is ham toxic to dogs?

If you’ve wondered “Can dogs eat ham?”, the answer is no. Deli hams contain a lot of salt and most baked hams are full of sugar, neither of which is good for dogs. You also want to keep raisins and any baked goods containing them out of reach. Items containing xylitol, an artificial sweetener, are toxic.

Does ham upset a dog’s stomach?

Excess fat in ham or other human food can also cause a painful health condition called pancreatitis. And if you do feed a little ham, avoid raw or seasoned ham, as raw meat can carry disease and various seasonings (like onion and garlic) can cause upset canine stomachs or cause poisoning.