Can dogs safely eat hot dogs, and what are the potential health risks?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The occasional small piece of turkey deli meat as a treat is unlikely to do any harm. But I would still monitor for any signs of GI upset (like vomiting or diarrhea) and stop giving the turkey if any GI signs occur. I would also suggest only giving small amounts of the deli meat especially if your dog is a smaller dog. Giving too much could end up causing diarrhea, vomiting or in severe cases, pancreatitis.

Ideally, a high-quality commercially-prepared diet should make up 90% of a dog’s diet, with nutritious treats making up no more than that last 10%. Commercially-prepared foods are formulated to provide proper balances of vitamins and minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances can lead to a host of health conditions. There are some dogs or pet parents who prefer home cooked diets over the commercially available options. In these cases, the recipe for the home cooked food must be carefully balanced to account for any lacking nutrients, and are best formulated by specialists in veterinary nutrition. Examples of such recipes can be found at www.balanceit.com. However, occasional treats of people foods, such as boiled white meat chicken, cooked sweet potatoes, turkey, green beans, or carrots are perfectly fine!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Potatoes are safe for dogs to eat, as long as they are cooked and given in small pieces so that dogs do not choke on them. Potatoes are high in carbs, but provide vitamins including vitamins A and C, as well as iron. Pieces of cooked potato can be given as a small snack, but should not constitute a large portion of your pet's diet. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While a very small limited amount of salt/spice free beef jerky is okay as a treat once in a while, feeding more frequently may cause an upset stomach and also may be too many calories and fat. There are a lot healthier treat alternatives out there such as a small amount of green beans, carrots, or even blueberries and apples are tasty treats without all the fat and extra calories. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Dog cannot eat sweeties for the most part because these tend to be too rich. Also, some of these sweets are made with a sugar substitute called xylitol which is highly toxic to dogs. Good luck and have a great day!

There is little to worry about with him eating a whole hot dog. The most that could happen is he ends-up with an upset stomach and has a temporary bout of vomiting and/or diarrhea. If that does happen, then it's best to feed him a bland diet for a couple of days until things get back to normal. I hope that helps and all is well with Murphy.

Thank you for using PetCoach. Treats should make up no more than 10% of a dog's diet. Think of it this way - treats are like cookies - they taste good and may have some nutritional value, but overall are empty calories. Dog treats are similar. You can use smaller treats, or training treats to be able to give her a treat more frequently, but no more than 10% (or less) of her diet needs to be treats. This article has some more info https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/how-many-treats-you-can-give-your-dog-during-training