Chorizo is a food with great gastronomic and nutritional richness that people can include in their diet as part of a varied and balanced diet. It provides a protein of high biological value and is a good source of minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium. However, some of its nutritional characteristics make it unsuitable for the diet of dogs.
If you are wondering if dogs can eat chorizo,we recommend that you read the following article on our site in which we explain the reasons why chorizo is not a suitable food for dogs.
Is chorizo good for dogs?
A priori, we might think that chorizo, being a meat derivative, is a suitable food for dogs. In fact, if your dog has ever tasted this sausage, you will have been able to verify that its aroma and flavor are to his liking.
However, you should know that chorizo is not a suitable food for dogs. Its composition and nutritional characteristics do not provide benefits for the diet of our pets. In fact, sometimes its consumption can be harmful to your he alth. Therefore, the best option is to keep this food out of the reach of dogs.
Don't hesitate to take a look at this article on other Forbidden Foods for Dogs, here.
Why isn't chorizo good for dogs?
As we have pointed out in the previous section, chorizo is not a suitable food for dogs. Its nutritional composition, far from providing any benefit to your he alth, can become harmful.
Below, we explain the main reasons why chorizo is not a suitable food for dogs:
- High-fat content: Chorizo is a sausage made from meat and fat, generally pork, although it can also be elaborate with meat and fat of other animal species. Depending on the animal species with which it is made, its nutritional composition may vary slightly. However, in all of them the fat content is very high, and can range between 30 and 50%In animals with obesity or overweight, diabetes, liver or digestive problems, it is essential to restrict the amount of fat in the diet, so chorizo should be a prohibited food for these animals. Similarly, in dogs that are in good he alth, it is also advisable to avoid this food to prevent overweight and its associated diseases. Check out this other post with Recipes for overweight dogs or Diabetes in dogs: its symptoms, treatment and complications.
- High s alt content: chorizo is a cured-matured sausage. During the curing process, s alt is added in relatively large quantities in order to dehydrate the product and thus prevent the growth of microorganisms and favor its stability at room temperature. Dogs can tolerate a certain amount of s alt in their diet, however, foods such as chorizo contain an excessive sodium content that can have detrimental effects on their he alth (polyuria, polydipsia, diarrhea and vomiting, among other signs). In addition, this excess s alt can be especially harmful for dogs with kidney diseases. You can find more information about Vomiting in dogs: its causes and treatment, here.
- Especias: the characteristic ingredient of chorizo is paprika, which is added to provide the typical aroma, flavor and color of this sausage. Some varieties of chorizo are made with hot paprika, which is usually unpleasant for the palate of most dogs. In addition, other spices and condiments are often added, such as garlic, which are highly toxic to dogs.
- Trichinellosis or trichinosis: Like people, dogs can also suffer from this parasitic disease caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Trichinosis is a disease subject to strict he alth control, which means that its prevalence in Spain is very low. However, there is a specific risk related to meat from pigs from home slaughter or from wild boar hunted for home consumption that are not subject to the relevant veterinary controls. The curing-ripening treatment to which the chorizo is subjected is not effective in eliminating whipworm, so there is a high risk of transmission of this disease from uncontrolled meatsor tested for trichinella.
We leave you this video from our site where we talk about the times a dog should eat, whether he is a puppy or an adult.
What to do if my dog eats a sausage?
As we have explained throughout the article, there are a number of reasons why chorizo is not a suitable food for dogs. The truth is that if your dog consumes a small portion of this sausage, it is most likely that it will not suffer any adverse effectsHowever, eating a large amount of chorizo or consuming it regularly as part of your diet can be harmful for the reasons that we have explained in the previous section. Regardless of the amount of chorizo that your dog has ingested, whenever you detect or suspect any alteration associated with its consumption, do not hesitate to go to your trusted veterinarianto perform a complete examination of the animal and establish the most appropriate treatment.
At this point, you are probably wondering how to prevent a dog from eating sausage As you can imagine, the strategy is simple. To prevent your dog from consuming this sausage, you must prevent it from having access to areas where it is usually stored (pantries, cupboards, refrigerators, etc.) or to those foods that usually include this ingredient. In this way, you will avoid accidental consumption of this food and, with it, you will prevent the appearance of any unwanted effect on your pet's he alth.
