Yes, you read well. Turkey bacon. Surely if there is bacon in its name, it can only taste good!!
Weirdly, it is quite a new product as it was created in 1986 as part of a product development project. Turkey bacon has also been adopted by people with religious dietary restriction to enjoy the odd bacon slice too.
Turkey bacon is even often praised as a healthier alternative to traditional pork bacon.
But, what about dogs? is it safe for dogs to eat turkey bacon? Is it better for them to eat it raw or cooked? Will turkey bacon hurt dogs?
If you haven’t read our post on our home page where we explain what we mean by eat in can dogs eat? we recommend you check it out.
If you don’t want to read the techy stuff, go straight to our conclusion
FAQ
What is turkey bacon?
Turkey bacon is a meat prepared from chopped, formed, cured, and smoked turkey to be similar to the pork bacon you’re used to eating. The difference is that it primarily comes from turkey, although sometimes pork is added in as an ingredient.
Depending on the manufacturer, turkey bacon can also be made with dark turkey meat, skin, seasonings, and pressing the mixture into strips. To mimic traditional bacon pieces, some manufacturers use stripes of both light and dark meat.
What kind of vitamins and nutrients do dogs need?
A dog’s nutritional needs are different than ours, obviously. However, like us, the right amount and combination of vitamins and nutrients are essential to ensure that dogs are healthy.
Vitamins are organic substances that the body needs to grow naturally. Typically, they are required in dog food in minimal amounts, and vitamin deficiencies can cause many health problems.
The most important vitamins that the dog’s body needs are:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B family
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Choline
Whereas for nutrients, they need:
- Calcium and phosphorus
- Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Zing
- Copper
- Selenium
For more details information on each of those vitamins’ benefit to your dog read this great article by the national academy of science engineering medicine
Nutritional benefit of turkey bacon to a dog’s diet?
We think, it won’t surprise you to hear that turkey bacon isn’t full of goodies for dogs. The table below list all the nutrients contained in 16g of turkey bacon. (roughly 2 slices)
Being made from animal, turkey bacon is a relatively good sources of B vitamins and minerals like zinc, selenium and phosphorus. However, since bacon is usually eaten in small serving sizes, none of the vitamins and minerals found in two slices of turkey bacon exceed 10% of the daily value (DV).
The major issue with those figures is the sodium value. Turkey bacon is loaded with salt. 2 slices, raw, have nearly half a gram of salt, which is far too much. The website for veterinary profession, in 2010, published a document indicating dogs only need 0.2g of salt for 1000kcalories.
You don’t need to do the maths, feeding 1 raw slide of turkey bacon to your dog is already substantially more than what he needs.
Sadly, the bad news don’t stop here. It is loaded with fat too, with a large portion of fat that can’t be digested.
Overall, there is no real nutritional benefit for dogs to eat turkey bacon, in fact it is rather dangerous.
What is the appeal of turkey bacon?
Obviously, the term turkey speaks to most dog owners. We all know that turkey is quite a healthy meat. The obvious assumption would be to feed our dog raw turkey bacon, that way there won’t be the risk of cooked fat.
Raw turkey bacon might have more fat than cooked bacon, making it less healthy. Raw turkey bacon can also be harmful to your dog’s health, such as salmonella.
If you wanted to feed your dog raw meat, either to slowly change his diet, or introduce back raw food, we recommend you try out this program.
Turkey bacon is processed meat
The reason turkey bacon has health risks is that it is considered an ultra-processed food due to the way it is packaged and preserved. This, coupled with the fact that it is deceivingly unhealthy, makes it dangerous for anyone’s health because it lends to overindulgence.
Many studies have found that regularly eating processed meats may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
If you need more proof that you should never feed turkey bacon to your dog, the World Health Organization, published a report on 26 October 2015 . This what they said about processed meat:
Can dogs eat turkey bacon?
No! dogs can’t eat turkey bacon, raw or, even worse, cooked. Turkey bacon is too high in sodium and fat to be considered a healthy option for your dog’s daily diet.
You should not give your dog turkey bacon if they are a regular eater. This could lead to health issues that can negatively impact their quality of life. Too much fat, whether it’s regular turkey bacon treats or any other food, can lead to issues like pancreatitis.
Overeating turkey bacon can cause obesity, along with other health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Many turkey bacon products contain chemical preservatives, including nitrates and nitrites.
While naturally occurring nitrates — such as those found in fruits and vegetables (spinach, lettuce..etc..) — are good for your health, artificial nitrates and nitrites are not and have been linked to an increased risk of stomach problem, possibly cancer.
However, there might be a little window of opportunity..
Although turkey bacon is saltier and more fat-laden than regular bacon and there is no nutritional difference, you could give your dog a few bites occasionally.
Even better, blend vegetables together with some dog food, water, add some crumbled turkey bacon to make a relatively decent occasional treat for your dog.
You can give your dog turkey bacon from time to time. When giving your dog turkey bacon or any other unhealthy treat, refrain from more than once per week, or at absolute best make sure you are following this 10% rule.
Healthy alternative to turkey bacon
If you want both you and your dog to enjoy more bacon, more frequently, you have to seek out modern bacons.
Here are some tips to eat bacon in healthier ways if you can’t resist it.
- Choose nitrate-free turkey bacon. If you don’t want meat-based bacon, it is worth looking for brands that do not contain added nitrates such as Applegate farms uncured turkey bacon. It is also slightly leaner and contains more protein than regular bacon.
- Plant-based bacon is a better choice. Plant-based bacon is a better option than processed meats. Plant-based bacon contains almost 12% of your daily sodium value, so limit how many you eat.
For a healthy and happy dog make sure you feed him with the right products designed for his breed, age group and general activity.
Ultimately, your dog health and well-being is very important and rushing him to the vet could not only be heart breaking but also extremely expensive. If you do not have an insurance for your dog, maybe it is worth considering it.
FAQ
1 – can dogs eat turkey bacon? No, dogs shouldn’t eat turkey bacon. Turkey bacon is a highly processed food, full of sugar, salt, fat and other additives. Turkey bacon adds nothing a to healthy dog’s diet. (either puppy or old ones)
2 – can dogs have turkey bacon? No, dogs can’t have turkey bacon. Turkey bacon is a highly processed food, full of sugar, salt, fat and other additives. Turkey bacon adds nothing a to healthy dog’s diet. (either puppy or old ones)
3 – is turkey bacon good for dogs? No, turkey bacon is bad for dogs. Dogs shouldn’t eat turkey bacon. Turkey bacon is a highly processed food, full of sugar, salt, fat and other additives. Turkey bacon adds nothing a to healthy dog’s diet. (either puppy or old ones)
4 – is turkey bacon bad for dogs? Yes, turkey bacon is bad for dogs. Dogs shouldn’t eat turkey bacon. Turkey bacon is a highly processed food, full of sugar, salt, fat and other additives. Turkey bacon adds nothing a to healthy dog’s diet. (either puppy or old ones)
5 – is Turkey Bacon Better Than Pork Bacon for Dogs? Bacon of any kind is high in salt, fat, and sodium. This can lead to pancreatitis in dogs and dehydration in them. Even though pork bacon contains more salt and fat than turkey bacon, it is not a good choice for dogs. (either puppy or old ones)
