Salt doesn't seem like something your dog craves, but it's in a lot more dog foods and treats than you might imagine. Just like humans, dogs can start to crave salt in their food and if you decide to switch to a healthier option, they may be hesitant at first.
Can dogs crave salt?
And although dogs don't crave salty snacks - probably because they get enough salt from the meat they eat - we do know that, like us, dogs crave sweet foods! Bottom line: Some dogs love all kinds of foods while other dogs are finicky eaters.
Do dogs enjoy salt?
Compared to people, dogs can't taste salt very well. That's because they evolved to eat meat, and meat naturally contains enough salt to satisfy their body's need for it without them having to seek it out. But they can still taste, and appreciate, salt.
Why do dogs like salt so much?
Dogs need salt for their cells to function and a healthy amount of it is between 0.25g – 1.5g per 100g of food. At these levels, salt isn't bad for dogs and helps maintain cellular functions like fluid balance, acid-base balance and nerve signal transmission.
Do dogs require salt in their diet?
Indeed, salt is a necessary part of the canine diet, with the minimum daily requirement to avoid disease of 5 mg per kg of dog weight (2). Commercial dog foods generally contain similar levels of salt as that found in the prey animals eaten by wild dogs (2).
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