Can Dogs Eat Pastrami? My Dog Ate Pastrami Will He Get Sick?

So, you took a halt at the local deli and bought some delicious sliced pastrami. But what if the moment you enter your house, your dog is giving you those big adorable eyes? Do you feel guilty when your furry friend urges you to share some pastrami with him?

No human soul would refuse to devour a slice of pastrami. But should you feed it to your four-legged companion?

This article will help you understand the risks and benefits attached to your dog eating pastrami.

 

What Are The Risks Of Eating Pastrami In Dogs? Can Your Dog Eat Pastrami?

Pastrami is a highly spicy and salty smoked meat, full of preservatives, prepared from beef brisket.

By this single sentence, you might figure out how harmful pastrami is for your dog. Its consumption poses several risks to your dog, such as:

Pastrami contains more than 20 spices, including pepper, coriander, fennel seeds, pepper, and mustard seeds.

 

Moreover, pastrami has loads of salt, garlic, and onion, some of the most dangerous spices considered for dogs.

Eating pastrami can thicken your dog’s blood and, consequently blocking his blood circulation in the long run. This further leads to cardiac complications.

Consumption of salt causes weakness in your dog’s bones, given the lack of phosphorus and calcium. Moreover, as salt contains sodium, it diminishes the life of your dog’s tissues and bones.

 

This causes osteoporosis in dogs wherein there is an abnormal loss of bony tissues due to a lack of calcium absorption.

Pastrami also impairs the functioning of your dog’s kidneys as salt deposits lead to kidney stones.

Furthermore, pastrami’s consumption increases the intraocular pressure in your pooch. It hinders the outflow of intraocular fluid (collected inside the eyeball), causing glaucoma in dogs and blindness in the future.

 

Other than the risks mentioned above, the following are some of the complications noticed in dogs because of pastrami:

Excessive thirst and urination

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Diabetes

Obesity

Death in worst cases

Warning: Do not feed pastrami or any other processed meat product to your dog if he has or used to have kidney conditions.

 

What Are The Benefits Of Pastrami In Dogs?

 

While pastrami is not recommended for your dog’s regular consumption, meat has essential lean protein necessary for maintaining muscle mass.

It has several B-complex vitamins like niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and riboflavin. These are very beneficial for your dog’s coat, skin health, and digestive system.

In addition, many people feed little amounts of pastrami to their dogs. This is because pastrami comes with other animal parts like lungs and heart, considered very nutritious for dogs.

But again, those spices and peppers make pastrami extremely harmful. So, the benefits of beef in pastrami won’t be of much help for dogs.

 

What To Do If Your Dog Consumed Pastrami Accidentally?

Do not worry if your dog ate a small amount of pastrami as long as he seems to be okay. If your pooch does not show any adverse symptoms, you can safely assume that he safely digested the pastrami.

In this case, you do not have to rush to your vet.

You must be responsible enough to watch your dog closely for signs of stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased appetite, however.

If your dog gets ill after consuming pastrami, you should call your vet right away and observe his behavior.

Until the vet arrives or before going to the hospital, you must allow your dog to urinate without haste. This will help him get rid of some initial toxin buildup.

Even if your pup negatively reacts to pastrami, you do not have to panic. You can give him some Gatorade that is considered safe for dogs. It will help him flush out any harmful poison.

 

What Are The Alternatives To Pastrami For Dogs?

Instead of pastrami, you can give your dog some wedges of low-fat cheese variants such as mozzarella, cottage cheese, and soft goat cheese.

Moreover, many dog owners prefer turkey and chicken over beef and pork for feeding their dogs. This is because chicken and turkey meat have less fat content, are healthier, more nutritious, easier to digest, and free from spices.

 

FAQs

Q. How frequently can dogs eat pastrami?

Never. While meat in itself is very healthy for dogs, pastrami has loads of salt, seasonings, spices, and hot sauces. It is okay if your dog has accidentally eaten some pastrami on a single occasion.

 

Q. Can dogs eat packaged pastrami?

No. Unfortunately, you will have a hard time finding a trusted commercial brand that sells low-heat cooked pastrami. Therefore, most people end up making some pastrami at their homes which is still harmful to dogs.

 

Conclusion

Smart pet owners know that a dog’s diet should be well-balanced and without any toxic ingredients. This implies a perfect mix of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids containing fats.

Considering that, pastrami is never the best option for your cute doggo’s digestive tract like many other human foods.

And overeating pastrami can make your dog’s and, therefore, your life a sure shot road to hell! Your furry friend will eat anything but the onus of his health is upon you.

Still, if you are adamant enough to give pastrami to your pooch, then make sure it is well cooked. Do not add any spices that are considered harmful for dogs. If you do not do so, your dog is guaranteed to end up in a vet’s hospital.

Do you care to tell us the time when your dog ate pastrami for the first time in his life? Did the information mentioned in this article resolve your doubts? Feel free to share your stories, opinions, and suggestions in the comments below!