"Dogs can't eat salt, they tend to shed hair", this statement has no scientific basis

 

"If you give salt to your dog, its coat will not shine. "

"Yes, there must be no salt in the food for the dog."

I don't know when it started. The dog-raising crowd was full of such words. They attributed the dog's tears, the dry and dim coat color, and even the length of life to salt.

Is this really the case? Can dogs eat salt?

Nowadays, pet institutions and pet hospitals in various countries, so far, we don't seem to have heard of any reports of bad conditions due to excessive salt consumption. Moreover, according to experiments conducted by an organization, as long as pets are provided with sufficient clean water, pet dogs and cats can adapt to salt in a relatively large range, and there is almost no safety upper limit. Of course, you can't add a lot of salt to pet food.

What harm does eating too much salt do to dogs?

Salt is important for dogs, but we all know that we can't eat too much, even if we consume too much salt in our daily life, it will definitely affect our health. So, if a dog takes too much salt, what are the harms?

1. The lacrimal gland is too developed and stimulates the lacrimal gland

Excessive intake of salt will make the dog's lacrimal glands overdeveloped, thereby increasing the secretion of tears, leaving deep tear marks in the corner of the dog's eye sockets, not only detrimental to the dog's appearance, but in serious cases, it may It can also induce eye diseases. Therefore, when the dog has tear marks, the owner should take the dog to the pet hospital for eye cleaning and care, and adjust the daily diet to light.

2. Anorexia

Long-term consumption of food with too high salt content will make the dog "heavy taste". Over time, the dog will feel that the taste of the dog food becomes dull and tasteless, and thus choose to refuse to eat it.

3. Loss of calcium in the body

The dog's body only has sweat glands on the soles of the feet, so no matter how hot, we never see a dog sweating. So what methods do dogs use to excrete salt from the body? That's right, it's urine. When the dog consumes too much salt, the frequency of urination will increase, and calcium ions will be discharged by the way when the excess salt is discharged.

4. Kidney failure in dogs

Foods with high salt content will keep the kidneys in the "three highs" (high pressure, high perfusion and high filtration) working state for a long time, which will increase the burden on the kidneys and accelerate kidney failure. Once a dog's kidney failure appears, it cannot be reversed.

What happens if dogs don't eat salt?

We have talked a lot about the harm of excessive salt for dogs, is it okay for us not to let dogs eat salt? The answer is of course no. The chlorine and sodium elements in salt have a positive effect on the animal body, so if we don't give the dog salt, the harm is also great.

1. Dehydration and weakness

The sodium ions produced after salt melt water can regulate the water balance in body fluids. If the salt is missing, the water in the body will be lost and cannot be stored, and some trace elements in the body will be lost together, causing the dog to become dehydrated, mentally weak, Weakness to faint occurs.

2. Osteoporosis appears

Salt deficiency is one of the main causes of osteoporosis in dogs. If there is insufficient salt in the dog's blood, they will draw salt from the bones. The lack of salt in the bones will reduce the bone density and make the dog Bone pain, easy to fracture.

3. Growth slows down or even stagnates

Salt is an essential substance in the dog's body metabolism. If there is no salt intake, the dog's metabolism progress will slow down, which will affect the dog's normal growth and development and bring great benefits to the later health. Hidden dangers.

How much salt is suitable for dogs?

Indeed, salt intake should not be too high, let alone the extreme situation of not eating salt at all. So how much salt should a dog eat every day? The daily salt intake of a dog can be calculated according to its weight. If it is a 10KG dog, the daily salt intake should not be greater than 1g. Maybe you have no idea about 1g of salt. Shanggou's daily salt intake is 1/6 that of humans. We must not use our sense of taste to measure the food the dog eats. For us, food with moderate saltiness or a little light is both for dogs. too salty

Precautions:
1. Depending on the choice of dog food to add salt

If you are feeding purchased dog food, you don't need to add additional salt, because dog food contains salt, which is enough for your dog's daily salt needs to maintain normal body functions. If it is homemade dog food, you need to add appropriate salt according to the amount of food.

2. Ensure sufficient water supply every day

Whether it is to prevent dogs from excessive salt intake, water is needed to relieve them, or for dogs' normal body functions, water is essential. As the saying goes, "water is the source of life".