Animal health depends on proper nutrition. With proper feeding, your pet is more resistant to disease and is active in its daily life. This is why many dog owners are starting to worry about what they feed their pets and choosing the right food. But there are breeders who refuse to feed their pets dry “breakfast”, choosing natural products. The recommendations below will ensure that your pet does not suffer from pain and other unpleasant symptoms.
Why dogs can't eat pork
Among novice dog breeders, the ban on feeding dogs pork remains popular.
Owners avoid including pork in the diet for the following reasons:
- Eating raw meat or offal can cause infection with diseases such as helmitosis, toxocariasis, rabies and Aujeszky's disease;
- The abundance of fatty foods in the diet increases the cholesterol level in the pet’s blood;
- Eating pork slows down and impairs the animal’s digestion;
- “Heavy” meat provokes intestinal volvulus.
However, painful symptoms are caused by an imbalance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
In fact, including fatty acids in your diet is essential for healthy coat growth, circulation and skin repair, especially during the colder months.
Pork meat should be included in your pet’s diet as one of the components, along with cereals, vegetables and dietary meats (veal, rabbit and lamb) and poultry.
In addition, the digestion of pork by the gastrointestinal tract takes up to 12 hours, therefore, in order to avoid indigestion and, as a result, intestinal volvulus, veterinarians recommend increasing the standard break between meals. You should avoid feeding pork every day and do not expose your pet to physical activity for 1.5-2 hours after eating.
Choosing a place and utensils for feeding the puppy
The choice of place and utensils plays an important role, especially in the first days of the puppy’s stay in the new home. It is important that the pet can eat food calmly, leisurely, without feeling competition.
It is almost impossible to guess what size an adult mongrel will be. Small puppies often grow into medium-sized dogs. If the weight of a 2-3 month old puppy does not exceed 4-5 kg, most likely it is a small dog and you don’t need to buy a stand for bowls.
For larger dogs, it is better to immediately purchase a stand and adjust it as they grow. For small dogs, it is better to purchase ceramic or glass bowls, as they are heavier and hardly slip.
The volume of the drinking bowl must be selected according to the size of the dog. If your pet is large, a good quality plastic bowl or small bucket will do. For medium and small dogs, choose a bowl that is convenient in size.
For the safety of your pet and your comfort, the eating area should be covered with a thick, rubberized mat. The puppy will not slip on the rubber surface, even if it spills water. In addition, the mat is easy to wash.
Can dogs have boiled pork?
Eating raw pork meat to a dog often causes infection with infectious diseases and parasites.
To ensure rapid growth and weight gain, meat producers influence the hormonal levels of pigs, which results in suppression of the animals' immune system. For this reason, pigs become carriers of helminths and some infections that can be transmitted to pets when fed raw pork.
To avoid infecting your dog when feeding pork, the meat should be thoroughly cooked.
Some viruses are also resistant to heat treatment. For example, the false rabies virus transmitted by pigs can remain viable at a temperature of 70 ° C for 15 minutes. In this regard, experienced owners recommend boiling pork meat for 40 to 60 minutes, and including it boiled in the pet’s diet.
Can pig meat cause illness?
Veterinarians explain why dogs should not eat pork due to the risk of developing dangerous illnesses. Fatty foods can cause serious illnesses that are difficult to treat in the future. Some of them are difficult to quickly diagnose, which subsequently leads to the death of the pet.
Here is a list of the main pathologies:
- Aujeszky's disease, or pseudorabies, which is caused by eating raw foods contaminated with bacteria. The disease develops rapidly and often ends in death.
- Nematodosis or toxocariasis, caused by worm larvae that have entered the quadruped. Spreading quickly, helminths multiply in all internal organs. Without timely treatment, the dog dies.
- Tapeworm attacks the central nervous system and can be fatal. The pathology is rare and therefore difficult to diagnose. However, treatment started on time gives good results.
- Trichinosis, which is caused by parasites that live in raw meat. They are able to live in the body for several years, causing harm to internal organs and destroying them. If the disease is not treated, the outcome will be disastrous.
All of these ailments develop due to the consumption of contaminated food that has not been cooked. Therefore, the presence of raw kibble in the diet can be dangerous for your four-legged friend.
How to include pork heart in a dog's diet
Heart is included in dog food as a source of protein. Contrary to popular belief, pork heart, like chicken and beef, does not contain fat, as it consists entirely of muscle tissue.
Heart tissue is a rich source of minerals (potassium, magnesium) and iron necessary for healthy muscles and bones. Pork heart is easier to digest compared to beef heart and is considered more dietary. In addition, pork by-products are widely available and cheaper.
The main danger for dogs when consuming pork heart is helminths. Thorough heat treatment will help avoid infection.
When used correctly, pig heart muscle can become a complete source of animal protein and support the harmonious development of the pet during periods of intense training.
Is it possible to give a dog pork skin?
The fattest part of the carcass is the subcutaneous area. The layer of fat in the pork skin area provides thermoregulation. Fearing the development of obesity in pets, dog breeders avoid feeding their pets skin.
Pork skin
At the same time, in the natural environment, the closest relatives of domestic dogs - wolves and wild dogs - eat all parts of the carcass, including the skin. The skin is useful for maintaining healthy joints and skin of your pet. Regular consumption of pork skin as a supplement to the basic diet will help avoid the development of chondrosis and osteoporosis.
A frozen roll made from pork skin, offal and poultry would be an excellent treat for your pet.
It is possible to purchase pork skin at a low price at meat markets, but you should carefully choose the seller and first make sure that you have the necessary sanitary permits.
Can dogs have lard?
Pork lard is a source of triglycerides and vitamins, but is poorly absorbed by the dog’s body. Undigested product accumulates in the liver cells and leads to pet obesity. In this case, the process of deposition occurs initially on the internal organs of the animal and then affects the constitution of the dog.
In addition to damaging the liver of pets, feeding lard can cause problems with the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Despite the fact that the animal needs fats for hair growth, feeding lard to a domestic predator is highly not recommended. It is preferable to include meat with a fat content of up to 40% in the diet.
Genetic characteristics of the health of mongrels
Every potential owner who decides to get a mongrel dog agrees to a kind of “lottery”. The main advantage is the genetic characteristics of the health of mongrels, but this does not mean that outbred dogs do not get sick or can get by with poor quality nutrition. Potentially, mongrel dogs are healthier, smarter and more comfortable because they instinctively adapt to their owner's needs.
The diet for a dog should be compiled as individually as possible, since outbred dogs can inherit the not very “successful” genes of some ancestors.
The statements below are myths and are spread by illiterate people:
- Mongrels are omnivores - no, for a mongrel dog you need to select the appropriate diet.
- Mutts can be fed table scraps - absolutely not, since the dog's genetic inclinations are unknown.
- Mutts do not need to be bathed - they do, but not often. They also need to be combed, and wire-haired dogs need to be trimmed.
- Mutts have strong immunity and do not need to be vaccinated - the immunity of mongrel dogs is indeed stronger than that of mongrel dogs, but it is not a competitor to deadly viruses.
- Worms and fleas in a mongrel can be treated with folk remedies - it is possible, but is it necessary? Folk remedies can be toxic not only to parasites, but also to the pet. Questionable savings can lead to tragic losses.
Statistics reveal a number of facts about the health of mongrel dogs:
- Short-haired mongrels are more likely to suffer from plant protein allergies.
- Long-haired dogs are prone to skin problems.
- Mutts age later, but develop earlier.
- In old age, mongrel dogs are less likely to have dental problems.
- At the age of 3 years and older, mongrel dogs are prone to gaining excess weight.
When preparing a diet for a mongrel dog, you need to take into account its past. It is important not only to choose a high-quality diet, but also to correctly calculate the daily food intake. Practice shows that dogs that were once hungry are prone to overeating, even when they are pets and not deprived of anything.
Can dogs eat pork lung?
Pig lungs are given to dogs as a treat. The lungs are composed primarily of connective tissue and are not digested by the canine digestive system. Due to the structural features of the lung tissue, this type of by-product does not benefit the animal’s body; moreover, due to its low digestibility, the lungs often cause vomiting.
Due to difficulties in digestion, pig lungs are given to pets in limited quantities and only in combination with other protein-rich offal or with poultry or beef.
It is recommended to prepare a meat mix from boiled lungs, liver and heart and mix them with porridge for complete nutrition for the dog. Kidneys should not be added to a meat mix with lungs.
Also, you should not feed your pet this offal raw. Pig lungs are elastic, and if eaten whole the animal may choke. The lungs are given to the pet boiled or dried.
The by-product contains a wide range of useful substances to strengthen the animal's respiratory system, including:
- trace elements (sodium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, iodine);
- vitamins (C, A and group B).
However, lung feeding should be done with caution and prior veterinary consultation for dogs susceptible to allergic reactions.
Is it possible to give a dog pork kidneys?
Kidneys are rightfully considered the most dietary treat for dogs, as they are digested better than other by-products and the fat content in kidney tissue is less than 3%. In addition, they contain a full range of essential minerals and trace elements, and are also rich in selenium and vitamins A, D and group B. The delicacy improves the process of hematopoiesis and saturates the animal’s body with amino acids.
Pig kidneys for dogs
It is noteworthy that among all types of this by-product, pork kidneys are the most useful, since they are easier to digest than beef kidneys, and are more saturated with nutrients compared to lamb and poultry kidneys.
Pork kidneys have a sharp, specific smell; for this reason, they are rarely used in cooking. When feeding dogs, the intense aroma attracts the pet and increases appetite.
The offal is given frozen, since the organ consists of 80% water - during heat treatment, the kidneys lose most of their volume and are more difficult to digest.
How to feed your dog pork
To avoid health problems for your dog and diversify his diet, you should follow a number of rules:
- Unlike other types of meat, it is not recommended to serve pork raw, only boiled for at least 45 minutes;
- Pork meat even in its raw form is considered heavy food for an animal, especially after heat treatment, during which the digestibility of the product is reduced by 40%, so it is not advisable to feed your pet pork every day;
- for feeding a dog, it is preferable to choose less fatty meat, with layers of connective tissue, as this will have a beneficial effect on intestinal function;
- to maintain the balance of BJU in the dog’s diet, pork and its by-products should be mixed with boiled vegetables, cereals, other dietary meat or dry food;
- meat should be purchased only from reliable retail chains or from a certified manufacturer to avoid transmitting diseases to your pet through food;
- It is advisable to introduce pork into a dog’s diet in the autumn-winter period, and immediately after feeding, give the dog a quiet rest and avoid physical activity for 2 hours; however, in order to avoid the development of obesity, we do not recommend completely eliminating exercise.
Is heat treatment the solution?
Recently, there has been a tendency to reconsider the categorically negative attitude towards the question of whether it is possible to feed a dog pork. The value of the product is obvious, so the owner must decide for himself whether to include it in the four-legged menu. Heat treatment helps prevent parasite infestation.
Is it possible to give raw pork to dogs?
Heat-treated raw materials are not a safe product on a dog’s menu. Food will be poorly digested and become a source of dangerous bacteria and infections. In addition, from raw food you can become infected with worms that affect the internal organs of your pet. It is difficult for non-specialists to identify such an infection without additional tests, so feeding raw food can be dangerous to the health and life of your four-legged friend.
Is it possible to give dogs boiled pork?
This feeding option is considered by veterinarians to be the only acceptable one. The lean pieces are boiled, and if there are parts that are too fatty, the fat is cut off. In this case, food will not overload the liver and clog blood vessels with cholesterol. Food will be digested better if it is cut into small pieces. It is recommended to choose raw materials from piglets for nutrition.
It is recommended to give boiled pork no more than twice a week and only if the animal does not suffer from chronic obesity or has no problems with the cardiovascular system, liver, or kidneys.
An alternative is to scald finely chopped pieces of meat with boiling water before eating. This method is suitable if the owner has little time to cook.
