Soy sauce is one of the main ingredients in plenty of Asian cuisines. Some of the delicious Chinese takeout dishes have soy sauce in them. When you share some with your pooch, it makes you wonder, can dogs eat soy sauce?
The short answer is no. There is no safe way for dogs to consume soy sauce. Now we know how much you wish to share some of the stir-fried noodles from your Chinese takeout with your beloved pooch. But it can be potentially harmful to your lovely canine companion.
Since you are here, we will discuss why that is the case.
Why is Soy Sauce Harmful to Dogs?
The main reason soy sauce is bad for dogs is its high salt content. While some salt in your pup’s diet is necessary, too much can lead to salt poisoning and other health issues. Salt poisoning must never be taken lightly.
Moreover, soy sauce can be harmful because it may contain spices, onions, or garlic. These ingredients are known to be toxic to dogs in large amounts. These can lead to abdominal pain, excessive drooling, weakness, and diarrhea in dogs.
If your pooch has kidney stones or is prone to kidney-related issues, you should avoid feeding soy sauce at all costs.
How is Soy Sauce Toxic For Dogs?
As mentioned above, soy sauce contains potentially hazardous ingredients for dogs. Only a tiny sip might not be fatal, but any more than that might even be life-threatening. Here’s why:
1. Salt poisoning
When pups consume too much salt, they usually drink water to counter the effects. This ensures that there is less damage to any of their bodily functions.
But, if there is no water available, or if your pup ingests a high amount of salt in a short time, the cells in the body will start to release water to even out the salt levels in the blood. This destroys brain cells due to the lack of water, creating symptoms like dizziness, headache, and seizures (article).
Other symptoms may include excessive drooling, increased thirst, frequent urination, muscle spasms, etc.
2. Kidney damage
The dehydration caused by excess salt can also lead to kidney damage. Remember that the time symptoms significantly progress, kidney damage is noticed. It is irreversible and can be potentially fatal.
3. Allergic reactions
Some dogs can also be allergic to some of the ingredients in soy sauce. While soy sauce does not contain many common allergens, such as grain, allergic reactions can vary for each fur baby.
Symptoms of allergic reactions may include itchy skin, hives, swelling face, diarrhea, blue gums, tongue, etc.
Are Other Sauces Safe for Dogs?
Most sauces likely contain elements that are harmful for your dog to consume. If not salt or sugar, then spices or poisonous veggies.
Doggies do not need that flavored biscuit in their diet. If you still wish to add sauce-like ingredients to your pup’s diet, you can puree some veggies and add them to your dog’s well-balanced meals.
What to Do if Your Dog Has Consumed Soy Sauce?
If you find out that your dog got into soy sauce, watch for severe symptoms. If they show any symptoms, take them to the veterinarian immediately. Look for signs such as extreme lethargy, seizures, convulsions, muscle spasms, respiratory issues, lack of coordination, etc.
If you notice they are very thirsty and urinating, that is great for them! Drinking a lot of water and urinating it out will help to flush out all the excess salt from their body.
If you think they only ate a small amount of soy sauce by accident (like the amount sprinkled on some rice), give them lots of water and let them pee it out. Then, watch for more severe symptoms, just in case.
Final Thoughts
Soy sauce or your favorite noodles from your favorite Asian store is NOT okay for your pupper. Your pup does not have the same kind of digestive system as you. They can get severely ill if you do not exercise caution when you feed them human foods.
Before introducing new food to your pup, we advise you to consult your veterinarian early. Ask them about your dog’s allergies and inform them about what you wish to feed them. If anything goes wrong, they can assist you in handling the situation at home by yourself. Seek medical help immediately if you notice anomalies, even after taking protective measures.
Remember, as a responsible pet paw-rent. You are the one who controls what your dog eats. Their health can be badly affected if they take any irrational steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soy in general, is safe for dogs to consume in small amounts and in moderation. However, too much soy in your dog’s diet may lower their thyroid function and could lead to hypothyroidism in dogs.
Hyperthyroidism is a very serious but relatively rare condition in dogs, typically resulting from thyroid carcinoma (an aggressive and fast-growing thyroid cancer) (article).
Can dogs eat fried rice with soy sauce?
Soy sauce itself is poisonous to dogs. But on top of that, fried rice is full of ingredients that can be hazardous to your dog. These ingredients include garlic, onions, fats such as butter and oils, and several spices. Even a small amount of it can be harmful to them.
