Dear Dr. John,
Our dog seems to have a gut that can tolerate anything. He gets into things that he shouldn’t and consumes them, occasionally gets a little vomiting and diarrhea but it always resolves, and we never need to have him seen for an upset stomach. Is this unusual? Recently, he got into some of our leftovers and there was pork in it. It caused no problems. As I think about it, I never see pork in dog food but rather almost every other kind of meat such as beef, chicken, lamb, and even special diets with items such as duck or venison. Is there a reason for this and if so, why? Would it be problematic to give a dog pork once in a while? B.G.
Dear B.G.,
It is not unusual for some dogs to have stronger digestive tolerance than others and it seems clear that your dog does. Pork is not usually found in many dog foods since so much of a pig is utilized for human consumption and there are some risks such as higher fat content depending on the cuts of meat used which in turn can cause issues such as pancreatitis.
However, some dog foods can and do contain some pork products. Processed pork often has lots of seasoning and spices in it which can also cause problems, but dogs can eat a small amount of cooked pork if it is trimmed of any fat, not seasoned at all, and fully cooked.
If you do want to feed your dog pork, like all else, start with a small amount to see if it is tolerated and even then, do everything in moderation, again making sure it is lean, trimmed of fat and has no spices on it.
The meats used in dog foods have been tested for safety and nutritional value for years and the special novel protein diets with certain meats are reserved for dogs with specific issues such as allergies and gastrointestinal sensitivity. Remember that there are stray dogs that eat anything they find, including garbage, and they seem to get by. However, I would always suggest that you feed your dog a balanced and nutritional brand of dog food in consultation with your veterinarian.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
