The potted meat that we find today is canned to increase its shelf life. It is a good option for those who are fine with different animal parts used.
It is also an ideal choice for those who want an urgent supply of meat for their pets while they are travelling or camping.
Can dogs eat potted meat?
If you do not have access to fresh meat, your dog can eat potted meat but it should not be fed daily, in large quantities. Potted meat is not a natural food source for dogs, instead, they should eat fresh meat and nutritious food specially made for dogs.
Potted meat contains high amounts of salt, preservatives, fats and little spices. All these ingredients make it unhealthy for your dogs.
What is Potted Meat?
Potted meat is nothing but preserved meat in a can. Some people call it canned meatballs. Many people make their own potted meat by cooking and mixing meat like beef or chicken with jelly to make it more flavourful.
As the name states, potted meat is available in jars and cans. It is cooked meat that is preserved in sealed jars or cans. It is easily accessible food, all you need to do is open the an and serve.
The main ingredients of the potted meat are mechanically separated beef tripe, chicken and salt. Most potted meats even have traces of spices and seasonings which are unhealthy for your dog.
Mechanically separated chicken is a meat product. The chicken carcasses and bones that are left from normal processing go through a filter under high pressure to remove every bit of meat. This process makes the final product paste-like.
What are Leading Brands of Potted Meat?
Potted meat is one of the cheap canned food available in the market. The most popular brands of potted meat are Libby and Armour. At the Dollar Tree store, potted meat has its own shelf and products of different brands are sold side by side.
Nutritional Value of Potted Meat
Meat is rich in protein and it delivers around 28 grams of protein per 100 grams. The same serving size contains approximately 700 calories, fats, saturated fats and sodium that exceed the daily nutritional intake.
Dog food Vs Potted meat, which is better for dogs?
It depends on multiple factors like the body’s breed, age, weight and health. When you consider the nutritional value, you will notice that potted meat has more nutrition when compared to other types of dog food available over the counter in the market.
Since potted meat contains high amounts of protein, it is considered good for your dogs. When the dog’s diet contains more protein, it can function better and there are fewer risks of diseases like cancer or diabetes.
Instead of other commercial dog foods, you can give potted meat to your dog in limited quantities.
Usually, the potted meat found in the market is processed. It undergoes two processes – smoking and canning. Smoking the meat infuses chemicals in them that may lead to runny nose and may also affect other parts of the dog’s body.
Canning is cooking the food at very high temperature that destroys nutritions in them, leaving behind only calories.
The best option is to choose raw, fresh and unprocessed potted meat that contains more nutrition.
Things to consider while feeding potted meat to dogs
Canned food can stay edible for a long time. If the canned food is not opened before the expiry date, it can lead to build up of harmful substances. Make sure to check the expiry date and meat before feeding it to your dog.
Potted meat can also be preserved through dehydration. This process dries all the content until it is fit for consumption. This is pretty convenient as you do not need to cook the meat before feeding it to your dog.
Potted meat is nutritious and protein-rich. It is also convenient, you just need to open the can and serve it to your furry friend.
There are a few instances where eating canned or potted meat isn’t ideal for the dog.
For example, if you dog has kidney problem and is on a specific diet, then it is wise not to serve preserved meat as it contains high levels of sodium.
A few dogs even have food intolerances or allergies to ingredients in potted meat like chicken, beef, etc. Make sure you check with the vet before giving your pooch potted meat.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you cannot feed fresh meat to your dog for any reason, only then you can serve them potted meat. It is always good to feed them freshly cooked or raw meat than canned one.
