As a true carnivore, dogs love meat in all sizes, shapes, tastes, and forms. Just like bees to honey, your dog will always be attracted to meat, regardless of the fact if he should eat it or not.
For dogs, meat is natural food, after all. It’s known that dogs love to eat chicken, ham, and beef, but people often ask if their dogs can eat other forms of meat. For example, can dogs can eat lobster? or can dogs eat shrimp? or can dogs eat sea food at first place?
Long story short, all shellfish such as shrimp, clams, oysters, and lobsters are seafood, and have very good health effects for humans. However, when it comes to dogs things are a bit complicated.
Can Dogs Eat Lobster?
Long story short, yes. Cooked lobster is an excellent source of protein, essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. Each compound comes with a set of different benefits for your dog. Some of the benefits:
- Protein: with significant amount of protein your dgo will maintain healthy muscles.
- Omega-3s: daily intake of omega-3s will boost all aspects of dog’s health, reducing the risk of illness, and decreasing inflammation.
- Zinc: promotes healhty joints.
- Phosphorus: your dog needs phosphorus to maintain healthy bones as well as magnesium aids in the absorption of other vitamins and minerals.
But… Keep your dog away from lobster shells! Although lobster is safe and in general beneficial to dogs, lobster shells are one of the reasons why you shouldn’t feed your dog lobster. Shells contain a shocking hazard, can even hurt the dog’s stomach or his throat.
Should Dogs Eat Lobsters?
Although lobster is safe and in general beneficial to dogs, lobster shells are one of the reasons why you shouldn’t feed your dog lobster. Shells contain a shocking hazard, can even hurt the dog’s stomach or his throat.
In addition to lobster shells, there are many reasons why you should opt not to feed your dog lobster. The first reason is a food allergy. If you decide to feed your dog with lobster you should know for sure if your dog is allergic to such foods or not.
If your doggo is allergic to this kind of food he may get through severe allergies, just like humans can. However, if you have already shared lobster with your canine and all went fine and he showed no symptoms of any stress or belly issues, even diarrhea than he is safe to eat lobster on another occasion as well. But, is he upset his stomach, a fever, or he spends hours throwing up or demonstrated any of the non-familiar symptoms, contact your veterinarian because food allergies can kill your dog.
Good to know: Food allergy is one of the most common allergies at all.
Why Shouldn’t Dogs Eat Lobster?
Lobster comes with a set of beneficial vitamins for your doggo, which your canine can intake steamed or boiled, without the shell of course. However, there are many reasons for dogs not to eat lobster, some of which are:
1. High Value Of Sodium
Surprisingly, but almost 5% of the lobster is pure sodium. Simply said, it’s a lot, even for humans. Sodium is a mineral that plays an important role in the state of hydration of the body. It also helps support cells to breathe, and it’s essential in the transmission of nerve impulses. However, the excessive present of sodium level will lead to adverse effects like high blood pressure and loss of bone mass, otherwise known as osteoporosis.
As you may probably know, high blood pressure is an important risk for kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke.
2. Obesity
Yes, this is a real possibility. Obesity in dogs is more common nowadays, more than ever before. Luckily, this is one condition that you affect directly, by taking care of your dog’s nutrition. Feeding your dog table scraps or full meals with lobster will lead to obesity. Obesity in dogs may lead to:
- High blood pressure
- Heart attacks
- Joint complications
3. Shocking Hazards
Lobster comes with natural protection from other predators that are seen in a tough to break the shell. Its shell is hard to break, especially when it’s not cooked or when it’s raw. Even, remember – even if you do manage to break the lobster’s shell, there is still a possibility that the shell pieces may impose a shocking hazard that may lead to suffocation and even death.
4. High Cholesterol Content
Cholesterol is bad for dogs, simply said. It can lead to numerous health problems, including pancreatitis, which can lead to inflammation of the pancreas, which later on can lead to very painful condition and even death.
Pancreatitis can be caused by a couple of fatty rich meals from eating a few lobsters. Your dog can get pancreatitis in a short period because it doesn’t take a whole life diet full of fats for your canine to get pancreatitis. That being said, keep an eye on how much fat your dog takes in his food, and stay away from high-fat meals, including lobster.
What Happens If My Dog Eats The Lobster’s Shell?
Dogs are curious and they love to eat. So, they will try to eat even something that you want to keep them away from. So, what to do if your dog raids the garbage and eats the lobster’s shell?
Well, there are a few major concerns here. First of all, your dog’s teeth are strong enough to break the shell. Secondly, there is a real possibility that your dog might choke with it.
Sharp edges could cause internal damage to the esophagus and digestive system. Also, pieces can cause a blockage in the GI system, which could lead to serious issues. Just like humans, dogs will react differently to different situations, and the same goes for eating lobsters. That being said, some dogs may vomit after eating lobster shells or may even feel lethargic. If this happens, veterinarians recommend withholding food for 12 hours and feeding a diet of plain, cooked chicken mixed with rice, or even feeding a diet of boneless.
But, if the vomiting continues, make sure that you visit a veterinarian as soon as possible. On the other hand, some dogs can eat lobster shells without issue, but that doesn’t mean that’s recommended to give them to your dog. Larger dog breeds, usually tend to break shells better and safer than smaller dogs.
What About Allergies?
Humans tend to be allergic to seafood and lobsters even, but what about dogs? Most veterinarians will tell you that lobster allergies are not common in dogs, but that’s only because it’s not custom to feed the dog with lobster. Therefore, until the dog eats lobster, no one can tell for sure if a dog is allergic to lobster until he eats some.
Many people prefer not to share their lobster with their furry friend for one main reason – lobster is expensive, and for most people, it’s considered to be a luxury food. However, if you do decide to share this luxury food with your dog, be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- Hair loss
- Hives
- Itchy skin
- Skin infection
- Ear infection
- Obsessive chewing or licking of the feet
- Runny eyes
- Runny nose
The majority of dog allergies are related to food allergies. Just like humans, dogs can suffer food intolerance. Food intolerance can lead to several difficult problems that may include serious gas in dogs, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues. The most common food allergies in dogs are:
Best Ways To Serve Lobster To Your Dog
If you are generous enough to share lobster with your canine, you should know how to prepare in a way that he will enjoy the most. You can serve lobster to your dog:
- As a snack or a treat
- Mixed in with their canned or dry food
Most veterinarians recommend that you cook any kind of seafood before you feed it to your dog. Why? This is a great way to prevent any bacteria or parasite found in raw food comes to your pet.
Also, if you love a spicy bite here and there that’s great for you. However, dogs prefer their food plain and without hard spices, so don’t use any spices while preparing food for your dog. The best way to serve your dog food is to boil it or steam it in plain water until it’s cooked properly.
Don’t forget to start small, especially if you are just intruding lobster to your dog. This will help you identify any allergies your dog may have. If you notice any kind of allergic reaction, contact your veterinarian. If it turns out that your dog loves seafood, still keep it in moderation.
After all, seafood contains a significant quantity of mercury, which can be harmful to a dog in large quantities. Last, but not least, always remove all the bones in the seafood and after that, you can serve it to your dog. This is also a great way to avoid potential choking or even obstruction in the dog’s digestive system.
Other Seafood that Your Dog Can Eat
The seafood itself is a good source of nutrition and also possesses a high level of fish oil which is good for the brain, heart, and circulatory system. Fish oil is also safe for dogs. If you incorporate fish oil into the dog’s nutrition you will see improvement in the dog’s comfort and mobility.
In general, dogs don’t need the addition of seafood into their diet, so if you want to include seafood in dog’s diet but to avoid lobster, there are other seafood that you can treat your dog including:
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Tuna
- Crab
- Clams
Make sure that you serve seafood always in moderation and start with small pieces in case your dog has an allergy and he reacts.
Can Dogs Eat Lobster – The Takeaway
Treating your dog with something special to bite here and there is fine, as long as its completely safe for your canine. Dogs will appreciate these occasional treats. There might be a lot more practical and nutritional dog treats out there, but lobster is a fine choice for a quick snack.
Make sure that you start with small pieces when you are introducing lobster to your dog, monitor his reaction to any allergy appearance and always serve it well cooked.
