Can Dogs Eat Bacon?

Dogs of course love meat and it is oaky to give them meat as long as it is prepared plain without all the additions and spices that people use when they cook for themselves.  For example, I buy grass-fed ground sirloin and make hamburgers for my dogs – with nothing added.

Since dogs naturally love any kind of meat, they would love to have some bacon too.  But, can dogs eat bacon?

Can Dogs Eat Bacon?

So what about plain bacon cooked in the oven or in the pan on the stove top?  Can dogs eat bacon?  Yes or No?

First of all, when you start cooking bacon, it fills up the house with this incredible delicious smell that can literally make your mouth water.  I am sure you have seen the effect this has on your dogs.  They start pacing and begging.  Yes, Yes, Yes, give me some bacon, Please!!  This is what they are trying to tell you.

One thing Purina got right many years ago is that “Meaty bacon brings out uncontainable excitement in dogs!”  Unfortunately, their Beggin’ Strips didn’t have much in common with with bacon at all back then, and they still don’t in this day.  Purina even admitted it back in the 90’s, remember?  Dogs don’t know it’s not bacon! You may get a kick out of watching this 1994 Original Beggin’ Strips Commercial.

Back to the real bacon now and the question can dogs eat bacon.  Yes, it is real meat, but it is a processed meat that is an incredibly rich and fatty food with high salt content.  Sorry guys, the answer is “No”, you can’t have bacon.

Health Risks Associated With Feeding Bacon To Dogs

The Fat

Eating a large amount of bacon can even cause pancreatitis.  The pancreas makes digestive enzymes to help digest food.  Pancreatitis occurs when the enzymes damage the pancreas, which causes inflammation.  Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic, and either form is serious and can lead to complications.

Most likely, you wouldn’t be feeding your dogs large amounts of bacon, but even a small amount is often too much for a dog’s stomach to handle.  You may also be feeding your dogs some other fatty treats, perhaps unknowingly, and altogether it could be asking for trouble.

The Salt

The high salt content alone in bacon can cause stomach upset in dogs, diarrhea, vomiting, and seizures in some cases.  In extreme cases, dogs can get dehydrated and start drinking too much water, which can lead to bloat, another serious condition.

Bloat occurs when a dog’s stomach fills up with food, fluid, or gas, and makes it expand.  This can cause pressure to be out on other organs, which potentially can be life threatening.

Opting For Healthier Choices

While some veterinarians say dogs should only be fed a reasonable serving size of bacon, and only on occasion, I personally feel that dogs should not be fed bacon at all.

This is for the simple reason that we should strive to feed our dogs healthier instead of feeding them processed foods that can damage their health.

You know how dogs are… Once you feed them something they really like, they will remember, and they will beg for it every time they know that food is around.  So let’s not even allow them to get addicted to something that’s not good for them.

I have had my dogs addicted to chicken since they were puppies.  Chicken is a quality protein and a much leaner choice.  They eat chicken raw, cooked, freeze dried… no matter how you serve it to them, they love their chicken!

Every day my dogs say:  Yes, Yes, Yes, give me some chicken, Please!!  Sometimes when they don’t listen and don’t want to come back in the house after taking them out, I say let’s go get some chicken, and they are on my heels!

I remember when my two Dachshunds were young, and my boy would disappear in the palmettos – we live on acreage.  That one particular time, I was stepping through the rough vegetation on the properly in the heat of the Florida summer, and I could not find him, and he would not answer my calls.

I was freaking out and didn’t know how to find him, when I had the idea to yell “Chicken, Chicken, Chicken!”.  A minute later my boy appeared out of the palmetto bushes!  All I am saying is when it comes to can dogs eat bacon, don’t do it, but get your dogs addicted to something healthy.