Can Pom Eat Pork
Can a Pomeranian Eat Pork?
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Pomeranian Information
- Feeding
- Can a Pomeranian Puppy or Dog Safely Eat Pork?
We know that the vast majority of our readers put a lot of thought into what they feed their Pomeranians. After all, the saying of 'you are what you eat' applies to puppies and dogs as well as humans. The foods that Poms eat - for both main meals and for snacks - will directly affect their overall health and longevity.
Many of you are home cooking for your Pom and that is great! For others, you have carefully chosen a high quality, healthy manufactured food and that is applauded as well. (Note: if you are feeling unsure about what you are feeding your Pom as a main meal, you may want to look to our What to Feed a Pomeranian section.)
Most of automatically know that chicken is a great meat to feed a dog and particularly for the Pomeranian, it is easy to digest. Very few Pomeranians are allergic to it, and for this reason it is one of the foods that is fed to Poms with upset stomachs and also in basic, plain meals to identify an allergen or food intolerance.
Most owners also know about the benefits of feeding fish to their Poms since it is very healthy can contains those oh-so important Omega fats. With high quality commercial food, chicken and fish will be some of the main ingredients. But… when reading about dog food ingredients or researching healthy vs non-healthy foods, pork Is not mentioned too often. 'Why is that?' we wonder.
Lately, we have been gathering questions sent in by our Members (become a free Member here, if you are not already one!) and have decided to write about the top 8 foods that owners wonder about. And pork is one of them. Many owners ask, "Can a Pomeranian eat pork?", so we know that owners are curious.
For this reason, this section will answer the questions you may have about pork as a potential food for the Pomeranians. Links to questions about other foods can be found at the bottom of this page. Pork, as you know, comes from pig meat and the pig is one of the oldest types of livestock; as it was domesticated as far back as 5000 BC.
Surprisingly, pork is one of the top meats eaten worldwide, accounting for almost 40 percent of meat production. Pork is considered to be white meat (along with fish and chicken) as opposed to beef and the less popular buffalo (bison) that is labeled red meat. For this reason alone, one may think that pork classifies as being healthy.
We're going to do a quick comparison of chicken VS pork in regard to nutrients so that you can get a better understanding of its nutritional benefits for dogs. Since there are all sorts of pork cuts (lion, chops, ham slices, ground pork), we'll look at tenderloin which is much leaner than other types of cuts and we'll compare that to chicken breast.
- Calories (in 100 grams of meat) - These come close. Chicken is 172, pork is 198.
- Sodium - Pork wins out here, 50 mg versus 60 mg
- Protein - This is very close - Pork has 20 compared to chicken's 21 grams.
- Fat - This is where we see the big difference, even in the leaner tenderloin that owners may feed to their dogs - Chicken has 9 grams VS 13 in the pork.
- Both have no sugar, fiber or carbs.
- Both have moderate to small amounts of magnesium, iron, calcium. There are trace amounts of Vitamins A and C.
Now that we know more about the pork that we eat, can a Pomeranian eat pork?
To summarize what we've read above, both chicken and pork are healthy meats, packed with protein and close in calories.
The main difference to consider in regard to a Pomeranian eating pork would be fat content.
We must remember that our dogs are not like those of us who are counting calories, trying to 'eat clean' or moderately to severely limit our fats. Even people who are working hard at eating healthy are urged by dietitians and doctors to consume a good amount of healthy fats.
Canines absolutely need fat in their diet. Humans can develop clogged arteries and heart attacks from eating too much saturated fat, studies tell us that dogs do not.
It is the most concentrated source of energy for them. It works to maintain cell integrity and metabolic regulation. Pomeranians (and all dogs) should have meals that are a blend of protein, fats, fiber, and carbohydrates. Very active dogs will require more fat than sedentary dogs (including older, senior Poms).
With this said, Poms can absolutely eat pork. But, as with all foods, there are some things to consider.
1-
Pork should not be fed every day, for every meal. Canines need variety.. and if an owner were to pick just 1 meat and not offer any other, chicken would be the best bet. With pork, over the long term it would be too difficult to balance things out in regard to vegetables, fruits and grains.
With this being said, if you are home cooking, feel free to offer 1 or 2 pork based meals per week. If you are offering manufactured food, feel free to mix some pork into the kibble or offer some pork on occasion when you happen to be serving it at home.
2-
If you have cook pork for your family and decide to offer some to your Pom, do be aware of spices and particularly of sauces that you may have applied to the meat. Many sauces contain onion and as you know, that is very toxic to dogs - and for the small toy breed Pomeranian, even a small amount can be dangerous.
Therefore, if the spices or toppings of your meal are questionable, set aside from plain, cooked pork that you can give to your Pom.
3-
When talking about pork, many people think of loin cuts, however some owners wonder if Pomeranians can eat bacon, which of course comes from pig meat. We have found that bacon, when given in small amounts is fantastic in regard to rewarding good behavior and for command training. Just the aroma alone is motivating for a Pom!
One slice of pre-cooked bacon, microwaved for 5 seconds (or until crisp) and then crumbled into tiny pieces can be enough to reward 5-6 times. This only contains 23 calories, 2 grams of fat and 63 grams of sodium.
Points to Remember
Whether you feed your dog commercial food or you make your Pom home cooked meals, NEVER give your Pomeranian food from your own supper plate. If you do this, you will be setting up the foundation for begging behavior. Once begging behavior is in place, it can be a LOT of hard work to reverse it!
To ensure that you have a well behaved Pomeranian, remember that one of the rules to keep in place, is that your Pom should sit on command before any snack
or meal is given. Not only does this keep begging behavior at bay, it also reinforces the 'Alpha/Beta' dynamic and reminds your Pomeranian that while you love him/her more than anything, you are the leader who deserves respect and that your Pom is expected to listen to commands.
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