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Can Dogs Eat Pepperoni?

The origin of dogs belongs to the distant past. Their ancestors were wolf-like animals, domesticated a long time ago. Since then, dogs have remained by our side and stayed our loyal companions.

Nowadays, they are the most common pets in the world. Dogs are known to be faithful to their owners in a way no other pet could be. There are numerous stories and accounts on dogs’ heroic deeds and their role in human history. Those amazing animals make us feel safe, joyful and calm.

Recent researches showed dogs can be very beneficial to both human’s mental and physical health. They can reduce stress, calm us down and cheer us up. Time spent with dogs is certainly way better used than time spent on television or computer. In addition, dogs are often used as a support for handicapped people. They make us good company and protect us, as well.

Dogs are demanding as pets. You need to make sure you are able to provide it all the necessary conditions, in order to have a healthy and satisfied pet. You should dedicate it your time, love and patience. A dog must never be neglected and abandoned. Spend as much time as you can with your new four-legged friend and take it for a walk at least two times a day. It needs to be active, regularly groomed and taken to veterinary office.

Proper nutrition for a healthy dog

Nutrition is one of the most important things on the list. Your pet is not suited to eat everything, even when your dogs appear to enjoy beets, and you should make it well balanced nutrition plan. It should contain good proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. There is a great deal of dog food products you can find in pet shops. Those products are formulated to meet specific nutritional needs of any dog. The choice depends on your dog’s breed, size, gender, age, health condition and so on.

If you decide to prepare meals for your dog on your own or to mix homemade and purchased food, always choose only high quality products. All food should be well prepared and free of additives and such. So, never serve raw meat, for example. Fruit and vegetable should be rinsed thoroughly and pitted.

Don’t share your pepperoni!

Dogs are originally carnivores, so meat should be their natural food. However, meat products like sausages and such are not the same as cooked plain meat bites. Pepperoni is a processed type of meat, which means it contains a lot of additional ingredients, in order to last long.

Pepperoni is tasteful and it may seem a good snack for your dog. Many owners make mistake placing pepperoni amongst other meat food and giving it to their pets too frequently. They think it’s not harmful because its main ingredient is meat.  Well, they are wrong.

Pepperoni is too spicy for dogs. It contains various different spices, such as paprika, garlic, pepper, mustard and so on. It is also quite high in salt and fat. It is not a disaster if you treat your dog with a slice of pepperoni or similar product once in a while, but it won’t do it any good either. Pepperoni can also be found on pizza and we already discussed why pizza isn’t good for dogs. Pepperoni is humans’ food, so it’s not made for dogs. Pepperoni is very greasy, which can make serious damage to your dog’s body, especially if you have a puppy or some smaller breed of dog. They can get pancreatitis and get really sick. The best advice is to completely avoid it.

There are far better treats then pepperoni. There is no actual reason why should you give it to your dog. Unfortunately, lots of owners are not well informed on their pets’ actual needs and they just fall for their charms and puppy face. Human food is just not designed for dogs. They don’t need spices, salt, sugar and other.

On the contrary, it will do them harm, if taken in larger amounts. So, even if you still want to give your dog some pepperoni, don’t make it a habit! It can be fine for a large, strong dog, but only as an extremely occasional treat. The best advice is to be selfish and not to share your pepperoni with your pet!