Can Dogs Have Soy Sauce

Whether it is about making French fries, pasta, noodles, etc, we can’t forget soy sauce. Thanks to its luscious taste, it enhances foods’ taste too. We do want our dogs to enjoy this taste in their meals too. But can dogs have soy sauce?

Unfortunately, soy sauce doesn’t fall into the list of food items that dogs can have. Vets restrict mammals from taking additional sodium. Offering them soy sauce will only increase their sodium intake. This can result in salt poisoning, kidney issues, dehydration, a spike in blood pressure levels, etc.

There are more risks that this condiment can pose to dogs’ health. Stay tuned to know about them.

Can Dogs Have Soy Sauce?

Dogs shouldn’t consume soy sauce as it is high in sodium. Besides, it has a mixture of lots of ingredients that dogs should avoid.

Eating soy sauce can lead to a rise in blood pressure, restlessness, dehydration, kidney issues, and many more. The severity of reactions will depend on the amount of consumption.

If your dog eats a small portion of the soy sauce, offering him water instantly may solve the problem. But if he eats it in high portions, he needs urgent treatment.

What Are The Risks Of Having Soy Sauce For Dogs?

Why do we use soy sauce in our dishes? To make them flavourful, right? How does it make dishes flavourful? Of course because of the ingredients used in the soy sauce. Unfortunately, those ingredients are not safe for dogs.

Soy sauce has high amounts of sodium. If your dog takes it in high quantities, he can go through salt poisoning. Its symptoms can be vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, dehydration, restlessness, high blood pressure, neurological imbalance, etc. However, taking a moderate amount of soy sauce can increase blood pressure and result in dehydration for dogs.

As said earlier, the high sodium content in soy sauce can increase blood pressure, really resulting in dehydration. This dehydration can lead to kidney damage in dogs. In such cases, they will suffer a change in urination, lack of appetite, vomiting, lethargy, etc.

Another risk associated with soy sauce is the allergic reaction. This can be specific as some dogs are allergic to soy, but not all dogs. The symptoms can be itching, rashes, and distress in the gut. These symptoms can get worse if you don’t treat him. These will result in anaphylaxis. However, the symptoms of anaphylaxis are hives, blue gums, drooling, inflammation in the snout, mouth, etc.

Note: You may risk your dog’s life if you don’t treat him after seeing the symptoms of salt poisoning, kidney damage, and anaphylaxis shock.

What Should You Do When Your Dog Eats Soy Sauce?

Your dog will surely show symptoms after having soy sauce within 24 hours. If you see him throwing up, offer him some water to calm down. If he doesn’t throw up, he may show restlessness and changes in behaviour. These can be because of high blood pressure. In that case, also, you must offer him water first.

Keep monitoring his symptoms for about 15 to 30 minutes. If you see his condition is getting worse, inform his vet. Don’t forget to mention to him the amount of soy sauce that your dog has ingested.

Then he may suggest some medications if the quantity is moderate. If the quantity is high, he may suggest you do some tests on your dog to check for kidney damage and salt poisoning. Based on that, the vet will offer treatment to your paw friend. Meanwhile, you must make sure your dog doesn’t have any access to any food that contains sodium.

How Much Soy Sauce Is Bad For Dogs?

Perhaps one small lick of soy sauce won’t pose any health threat to a dog. However, there is a calculation to define the risk. For instance, an Australian Shepherd eats one teaspoon of soy sauce and a Pug eats one teaspoon of soy sauce. The Australian Shepherd may stay calm the full day, while the Pug will show reactions after a certain time.

Why is it biased?

Well, the Australian Shepherd is a large breed with a body. And large bodies have more ability to digest foods. Pugs are small breeds with small bodies. So they can digest less food.

Now the query is, how much soy sauce can bring their reactions out?

A small dog should not take more than 1g of salt in a day. This sodium content is already present in their dog food. Meanwhile, one teaspoon of soup sauce has 200 mg of sodium. It means you will add 200 mg of sodium more on your dog’s diet by offering him one teaspoon of the sauce. However, ¼ teaspoon of soy sauce can be fine for him, but that would be risky too.

Medium dogs can consume 1300 mg of sodium in a day. Offering him one teaspoon of soy sauce can be too much for him. Because he is already having the required amount of sodium in his diet. However, ½ teaspoon of soy sauce may not give him any adverse symptoms.

Large breeds have more ability to take sodium content. So they can have one teaspoon of soy sauce easily. If the quantity is more than that, they can’t escape the side effects.

Can Dogs Have Soy Sauce Sometimes?

We can’t say that you can opt for another sauce instead of soy sauce for your dog. Technically almost all types of sauce have salt, spices, onion, garlic, sweaters, etc. So it’s better to keep your dog away from soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, or any sauce. Instead, you can use puree form. For example, you can make tomato puree and offer it to your dog as tomato or soy sauce. Again, you can make pumpkin puree and fool your dog saying it’s a delicious type of sauce.

In short, the alternatives of soy sauce will be the puree form of veggies and fruits. Besides, they should not have any ingredients but should be only plain.

Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have Soy Sauce?

What is soy sauce?

Soy sauce, also known as soya sauce, is a condiment. It comes from soybeans after fermenting them. It mainly includes soaking, cooking, brewing, and pasteurising the soybeans with additional ingredients.

Is soy safe for dogs?

The majority of dogs can have soy. But they shouldn’t be allergic to it and must have their vets’ guidance. Besides, soy-based products can be safe for them in small amounts.

Should all pets avoid soy sauce?

Almost all pets should have less sodium content. Meanwhile, soy sauce is high in sodium, so they must avoid it.

Can soy sauce kill dogs?

Fewer amounts of soy sauce may not be risky for dogs, especially the large breeds. But if your dog eats it in moderation or high amounts, and you don’t give him treatment, he can die. The reason can be excessive salt poisoning or kidney damage.

Final Thoughts

The majority of foods’ jobs are to enhance taste, which falls into the category of unsafe foods for dogs. The job of soy sauce is also the same, i.e. enhancing the flavour. That’s why we may think, Can dogs have soy sauce? The answer is always no. Soy sauce is high in sodium and dogs should have minimal sodium in their diet.

Always keep this compliment away from your dog’s reach. If your dog ever begs for a lick from the soy sauce, you can offer him an alternative. Such as tomato puree, pumpkin puree, carrot puree, etc.

Anyway, if your dog ever licks this sauce discreetly, you must offer him water instantly. Because the sodium will dehydrate him first and then develop severe symptoms.