Is meat tenderizer bad for dogs or not? Here’s what you need to know about meat tenderizers for dogs. Meat tenderizer is a popular anecdote to keep dogs from eating their poop. But although this remedy is useful for a gross habit, meat tenderizer is also packed with sodium and other preservatives. But there are also some ingredients in meat tenderizers that are beneficial to dogs.
With this information in mind, is meat tenderizer bad for dogs? Meat tenderizer for dogs that eat poop is a very effective treatment. But high levels of sodium in this product can also pose problems for dogs. Ultimately, the ability of meat tenderizers to cure coprophagia and the benefits of the ingredient bromelain make meat tenderizers beneficial for dogs in moderation.
Meat tenderizer is a product that divides opinions on dog health. It helps cure a disgusting habit with some dogs but also has side effects. In this guide, we will take an in-depth look at the role of meat tenderizers in dog health. We will explore the benefits as well as the concerns.
Before you scroll down to a more in-depth answer to this guide, “Is Meat Tenderizer Bad For Dogs,” you can check out these other dog-related questions answered by our team at We Love Doodles: Is Sudocrem on Dogs Safe and Is Maltodextrin Safe For Dogs?
Does Meat Tenderizer Have Any Health Benefits for Dogs?
Coprophagia is a behavior that some animals engage in due to innate curiosity and likely nutritional deficiencies. This condition is where giving dogs meat tenderizers to make poop less appealing originated. This condition is just part of a dog’s behavior, and there is no way to determine if a dog will engage in it.
What meat tenderizers do to fix this problem is found in one of the enzymes in the substance called bromelain. This enzyme comes from a pineapple plant’s stem and helps people and dogs digest proteins more efficiently.
Since protein digests thanks to this substance, the stool becomes less appealing to dogs if a protein deficiency is to blame for the behavior. Apart from this problem, giving a dog meat tenderizer has no inherent health benefits. Let’s take a further look at the ingredients in meat tenderizers and how they affect dogs.
Meat Tenderizer Ingredients
Meat tenderizers typically come in either seasoned and flavored varieties or the preferable unseasoned type for dogs. The better with dogs and people’s foods, the blander and less-seasoned. The ingredients that make up unseasoned meat tenderizers usually include:
- Bromelain. As mentioned, this ingredient is safe for dogs and is the primary ingredient that can prevent coprophagia.
- Dextrose. Unlike the more common sucrose, dextrose is a type of simple sugar, and in small amounts, this ingredient is not toxic to dogs.
- Sodium. Even in unseasoned tenderizers, the salt content is the most problematic ingredient in meat tenderizers. The unseasoned type includes roughly 400 mg per teaspoon, far more than a dog needs in a day.
So as you can see, the sodium content is the most cause for concern in tenderizers. Dogs should only consume about 200 mg of sodium per 33 lbs of body weight. This is fine if you are willing to heavily reduce the sodium in your dog’s daily meals.
While dozing your dog with a meat tenderizer, you could feed your dog a raw diet that day to reduce sodium since one teaspoon of tenderizer would exceed their daily limit. But just how much meat tenderizer should you give your dog?
How Much Meat Tenderizer to Add to Dog Food
This product doesn’t take much to affect a dog’s poop. One teaspoon mixed into your dog’s wet food is the best method for administering a meat tenderizer. If you primarily feed your dog a wet diet, you can sprinkle the tenderizer on a ball of peanut butter to give to your dog.
There is no clear answer regarding how long you must dose your dog with a meat tenderizer to cure the problem. Due to the sodium content in this product, it is not advisable to administer it to your dog every day. Better yet, it would be most beneficial to try other methods to break your dog of this habit (more below).
Related: Why is My Dog’s Poop Grainy?
Meat Tenderizer with MSG for Dogs
A tenderizer with MSG may be best if you want to try a meat tenderizer to stop your dog’s poop-eating habit. MSG is not appealing to dogs at all, and this is likely a combination of the taste or the unappealing digestive discomfort it may cause them.
But perhaps most of all, and most dangerously, MSG can lead to seizures in some dogs. But such a small amount as a teaspoon is not likely to lead to this serious concern. The combination of the bromelain extracting all the protein from poop and the MSG is enough to make dog poop dry and virtually tasteless.
Related: How Often Do Puppies Poop?
Meat Tenderizer For Dogs That Eat Poop
Does meat tenderizer keep dogs from eating poop? This question is commonly asked both from a state of curiosity and concern. Responsible dog parents typically know that high sodium can be bad for dogs, but coprophagia is also very bad for dogs and can lead to viruses or internal worms.
It is worth looking closely at the meat tenderizer’s role in curing coprophagia dogs. Dogs engage in coprophagia for many different reasons. It could be that a dog does not perform this act solely from a nutritional deficiency alone.
Here are some of the reasons why your dog may be eating their poop:
- The taste of it. If your dog’s food is filled with excess protein, your dog may like the taste of the poop. Try lessening the amount of excess protein in your dog’s daily diet.
- Separation anxiety. Dogs with this disorder sometimes resort to defecating in the house or yard and eating it for reasons that are not well-understood. This could be because the lack of dog owners throws their bathroom routine off-balance.
- Poor diet. If your dog is not getting enough nutrients and calories in its food, it will seek to make up for it by eating its poop. Please ensure you feed a dog a well-balanced diet that meets its daily nutritional needs.
- Extreme stress. Like separation anxiety, dogs constantly under stress may resort to odd behaviors outside their normal routines. This can sometimes happen when a dog is in a kennel or separated from its normal home. This could also occur from food competition with other dogs.
- Boredom. Dogs need lots of attention and validation every day. They also need mental stimulation and exercise. If your dog lacks these needs, it may resort to abnormal behaviors and not even know the difference. Dogs are peculiar in this way and will do anything to relieve boredom.
- Lack of discipline. Dogs must be disciplined to understand their place within a social hierarchy. Corrective action such as scolding or increased training is important to prevent your dog from engaging in mischievous behavior.
No matter the reason, it is important to prevent your dog from eating feces. This can lead to severe abdominal upset, foul breath, and nearly certain infections from various worms or other internal parasites. This can also severely spoil the dynamic owners, and family members share with their dogs.
Allowing your dog to lick you if they engage in this behavior is revolting, but it could also lead to the transmission of viruses, bacteria, and parasites to you. It is worth trying if it takes something like a meat tenderizer to cure your dog of this nasty habit.
If administered correctly, the payoff is worth any minor side effects from excess salt consumption. If you do not want to give your dog meat tenderizer, you could also try feeding them pineapple daily to add bromelain to their diet. Cleaning up after and disposing of your dog’s poop immediately is the best method to reduce coprophagia.
Conclusion For “Is Meat Tenderizer Bad For Dogs”
So, does meat tenderizer keep dogs from eating poop? The answer is yes, but it will take repeated doses to ensure your dog’s poop becomes unappetizing. Meat tenderizer does not pose any severe or immediate side effects to dogs.
But excessive sodium intake could be a concern with prolonged meat tenderizer given to your dog daily. Meat tenderizer is not toxic to dogs, and this product, along with corrective behavior, can reduce coprophagia.
If you find this guide, “Is Meat Tenderizer Bad For Dogs,” helpful, you can check out these other dog questions answered by our team at We Love Doodles:
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- Why Is My Dog So Clingy?
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You can learn more about this topic by watching “Stop Your Dog From Eating Poop (Coprophagia)” down below:
