Dogs can eat anything, but that doesn’t mean that anything should be served to them.
Dog food is specially designed to meet their nutritional needs.
If you check pet food labels you will discover that every brand comes with different ingredients in higher or lower percent but one is for sure – there will always be protein and some fruit or vegetable included, without salt, xylitol, onion, or another food ingredient that could seriously harm your dog’s health.
To keep your dog not only strong and healthy but also happy you need to learn as much as possible about dog nutrition.
Knowing how to read pet food labels can help you tremendously to master dog nutrition and choose the best food for your Fido.
Another thing that can help you tremendously to know what is healthy for your dog and what should be out of reach is knowing which human foods are safe and which are a big no-no.
It’s common for people to share their food with their pets. Some do it knowing what is safe, while others just cannot resist those puppy eyes and will give Fido a bite of anything.
This is ‘a make or break it moment’ because a simple bite can lead to massive health issues.
For example, if your dog eats a large amount of onion it’s a life-threatening situation that in some cases may lead to a deadly outcome.
On the other hand, if your dog eats a small piece of cucumber, he will be just safe, because cucumber can be a delicious summer treat.
What about pastrami? Can this popular human food be beneficial for your dog? Or it may cause severe health issues? Read below and discover.
Can Dogs Eat Pastrami
No, dogs should not eat pastrami. Pastrami is packed with certain ingredients that humans can tolerate in small amounts.
Those same ingredients are more than toxic to dogs.
Pastrami is packed with sodium, spices like garlic, and a lot of fat – ingredients that are all in all a big-no when it comes to dog consumption.
Important: As a general rule, avoid feeding your dog human foods that are packed with salt, saltwater, species, and preservatives.
What Happens If A Dog Eats Pastrami?
Something that people love about pastrami is its salty taste. As such, the pastrami is high in salt, and consumption of this food can create many health issues in dogs.
Some of the issues that dogs may experience include kidney stones, osteoporosis, dehydration, and more.
Now, you may ask but paprika isn’t a life-threatening ingredient… So, why a dog shouldn’t eat it?
Although paprika isn’t toxic to dogs in small amounts, it can lead to enormous stomach upset.
Diarrhea in dogs is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly as it may lead to other stronger disturbances.
As you may know already stomach disturbances in dogs may lead to:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
All in all, if your dog eats just a really small piece of pastrami he should be fine.
You may notice him drinking more water than usual, but none of the above-listed symptoms shouldn’t display. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t monitor your dog closely just in case.
On the other hand, if your dog grabs a huge amount of pastrami from the table or your hand, you should immediately contact your veterinarian.
All in all, when it comes to dogs and human foods size and the breed of your dog are what counts.
Smaller dogs will always have a stronger reaction to harmful foods opposite, unlike larger dogs.
No matter if your pooch is smaller in size or a large size dog, you should monitor him closely.
Keep an eye on your dog and pay extra attention to signs of poisoning such as diarrhea and vomiting.
All in all, avoid feeding your dog pastrami and focus on serving your Fido dog treats.
If your dog still grabs pastrami, serve him freshwater, contact your veterinarian and monitor your dog closely.
How To Avoid Accidental Consumption Of Pastrami
Experienced dog owners know that no matter how great a dog owner one can be, dogs can still get into trouble easily. It only takes a matter of seconds for dogs to become mischievous.
Stealing food from the table is something that any dog can do easily, especially if you have a large size dog.
Imagine a large size dog, such as Great Dane… This dog can grab anything from the kitchen table in one second.
If you have a large size dog, or a really tall dog, or a dog who can grab anything from the table, you should avoid leaving any food around.
No sandwich with pastrami should ever be left unattended when your dog is around. Always make sure that you store food in a safe place.
A safe place means that your dog cannot reach food easily. Also, do not leave garbage cans, both inside your home and outside, open.
Dogs are often attracted to garbage cans because they feel different smells coming from the inside.
This is why they like to stick to the garbage cans when outside. Now, let’s learn more about pastrami.
What Is Pastrami?
Simply said, the pastrami is beef. This beef is died, brined, steamed, and smoked over wood.
The brining process is what makes this item so delicious to people, while all that sodium created during this phase is harmful to dogs.
Once the brining process is completed, species enter the stage. Spices get rubbed on the meat, including garlic, paprika, and onion powder.
Some of the spices that pastrami might contain include:
- Coriander
- Black pepper
- Mustard seed
- Allspice
- Cloves
As mentioned earlier, paprika may not be so harmful to dogs opposite to onion and garlic, but it still should be avoided.
Now that we know what pastrami is, can your dog still enjoy it?
Can Dogs Have A Little Pastrami?
No, no matter how adorable those puppy eyes staring at you might be, you should still avoid giving pastrami to your dog.
Pastrami is meat that you want to be careful with when it comes to sharing with your dog.
Again: pastrami is packed with sodium, seasoning, and fat content which makes it a big no-no when it comes to your dog’s diet.
Why Is Pastrami Bad For Dogs?
The main reason why pastrami is so inadequate for dogs is that it comes with many ingredients that are harmful to dogs.
For example, garlic can seriously damage the blood cells in a dog’s blood. As result, damaged red blood cells may lead to anemia.
As mentioned earlier, salt can lead to kidney stones, dehydration, osteoporosis, and more.
Since pastrami is packed with fat, dog owners should know that food packed with a high-fat percentage may lead to pancreatitis in dogs and other medical problems.
For these reasons, you should avoid feeding pastrami to your dog no matter how small portions might be.
Signs Your Dog May Be Poisoned
If your dog eats pastrami, you should monitor him closely. Since some foods like pastrami can be highly toxic to dogs, it’s important to know signs that your dog may be poisoned.
Some of these symptoms may include:
- Excessive thirst
- Excessive drooling
- Frequent urination
- General weakness
- Lethargy
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Epileptic seizures
Even if your dog doesn’t display any of the listed symptoms, you should still contact your veterinarian.
If your dog immediately shows any of the listed symptoms make sure that you let your vet that you are on your way to the vet’s office.
In most cases, the vet will give your dog a physical exam. After that, it’s expected to include blood tests and other lab work.
You can expect an X-ray of your dog’s stomach and intestines. How about the treatment? The treatment will always depend on what your vet finds during the exam and from your dog’s lab work.
Can Dogs Eat Packaged Pastrami?
No, dogs should not be served packaged pastrami. All in all, packaged meats are dangerous to dogs.
Packaged pastrami is probably stronger in preservatives in salt, compared to pastrami found at the deli, making it more dangerous to your Fido.
Can Dogs Eat Turkey Pastrami?
Another no here, because turkey pastrami should be off-limits to dogs, as well.
Just like beef pastrami, turkey pastrami is packed with salt and spices making it dangerous to your dog.
Compared to beef pastrami, turkey pastrami is lower in fat, but that doesn’t make it less loaded with sodium and preservatives.
All in all, both beef and turkey pastrami is made through the same brining and curing process.
Can Dogs Have Pastrami Meat Occasionally?
Since you shouldn’t let your dog even accidentally eat pastrami, you shouldn’t make pastrami an occasional thing.
Pastrami is not the food that you want to give to your dog as an occasional treat.
If you want to enrich a dog’s diet a bit make sure that you serve him human foods that is beneficial to his overall health. This means that you should serve him occasional foods such as apples, cucumber, and cabbage.
Learn which human foods are bad for dogs and how you can make safe dog treats that can keep dog’s food interesting and preparation fast and fun.
Do Dogs Like Pastrami Meat?
Dogs will probably like the pastrami taste, but that doesn’t mean that they should try it. This is meat that you should really be careful with.
Dogs are not capable of digesting garlic or salt as humans do, and all of the ingredients found in pastrami make it toxic for them.
Since pastrami is high in fat percent, you should do your best to serve your dog food that will keep his weight optimal.
Fat in any food can lead to weight gain in dogs and obesity.
Obesity in dogs is on the rise, and it’s up to dog owners to do their best to provide the right nutrition and regular exercise for their dogs.
Just like in humans, obesity in dogs can lead to many health issues, including heart diseases. This is why keeping a dog’s weight in balance and his joints strong is so important.
The best way to know if your dog is obese or has any health issues is to provide regular veterinarian check-ups.
Prevention is the key when it comes to having a healthy, strong, and happy dog.
Pastrami Alternatives To Dogs
When it comes to dog nutrition, smart choices are everything.
To avoid toxic pastrami, but still provide something new, think about pastrami alternatives. This means that you should serve your dog high-quality treats, or safe human foods, such as cheese variants.
Dogs are huge cheese lovers, and in general, cheese is safe for them when given in really small amounts.
If you want to serve your Fido meat, go for salt-free turkey or chicken.
Avoid beef and pork, because this meat is packed with high-fat content and as such is more difficult to digest.
Can Dogs Be Allergic To Pastrami?
In general, no. Pastrami shouldn’t trigger any allergy in dogs.
Dogs lack the enzymes that are needed to break down animal proteins such as pastrami.
This means that dogs cannot digest this meat in the gastrointestinal tract. This is why of many reasons why turkey and chicken are popular choices for dog food.
Both turkey and chicken are simpler to digest and contain less fat than other meats do.
Can Dogs Eat Home Made Pastrami?
If you insist to serve pastrami to your dog, you can think about serving homemade pastrami.
When it comes to homemade pastrami, it’s okay to sever it to your dog as long as it’s salt and ingredient free. The only way to serve homemade pastrami to your dog is to be cooked.
Meat should always be well-cooked before you serve it to your dog because undercooked meat can lead to many issues.
Also, if you are thinking about a raw dog food talk with your veterinarian to learn about the pros and cons of serving your dog raw food.
Make sure that you check this with your veterinarian, and double-check every recipe that you might find online.
Whenever you are in any doubt about your dog’s diet, make sure that you talk with your veterinarian about it.
The Bottom Line
We have listed many reasons why feeding pastrami to your dog is a bad idea.
When it comes to responsible dog ownership, you should understand that nutrition plays a big role.
Nutrition is what keeps your dog healthy and strong. Before you decide to serve your dog any new food item, make sure that you double-check if your dog can really benefit from it.
If a certain food can cause any disturbance in your dog, do not serve it to your dog.
