Toxic to dogs · Foods

Is Salt toxic to dogs?

Extreme severity

Salt isn't a classic poison, but it is a real health concern for dogs and can make them ill. It's best kept out of their diet.

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Is salt toxic to dogs and cats?

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What to do right now

  1. Call your vet or an animal poison line now, even if your dog seems fine. In the US: Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 or ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435.
  2. Never use salt or salt water to make your dog vomit: that alone can cause salt poisoning. Don't make your dog vomit at home unless a vet tells you to.
  3. Make sure your dog can reach fresh drinking water, and offer it in small amounts at a time.
  4. Note what your dog ate (play dough, an ornament, rock salt or ice melt, a salty snack), roughly how much is missing and when. Keep the recipe or the package: the vet needs to know the ingredients.
  5. If your dog walked through or rolled in ice melt, bathe it and watch its skin for irritation.

Go to an emergency vet if

  • Your dog trembles, has a seizure, walks as if drunk, seems confused, collapses or is hard to wake.
  • Your dog ate a salt dough ornament or homemade play dough. These have caused deaths, so don't wait for signs.
  • Someone gave your dog salt or salt water to make it vomit.
  • Your dog vomits, has diarrhea or seems very thirsty after eating salt, and you can't reach your vet or a poison line. Go to the nearest emergency clinic.

Symptoms to watch for

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Decreased appetite
  • Lethargy
  • Incoordination
  • Excessive thirst
  • Excessive urination
  • Tremors
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Death

How much is dangerous

Signs can appear after a dog eats 2 to 3 g of salt per kilogram of body weight, and about 4 g/kg can be lethal, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. The ASPCA also gives 4 g/kg as a dose that can kill a dog. Poisoning is more likely when a dog has little fresh water to drink, and dogs with diabetes or other hormone problems may be at higher risk. Homemade play dough and salt dough contain a large amount of salt, so your vet works out the risk from what your dog ate, roughly how much, and its weight.

When signs appear

Too much salt raises the level of sodium in the blood (hypernatremia), and water moves out of brain cells. Most signs come from this effect on the brain. Vomiting starts within several hours after a dog eats too much salt, and signs can then progress to weakness, diarrhea, muscle tremors and seizures. Don't wait for signs before you call your vet.

Why it's dangerous

Ingestion of excessive salt leads to hypernatremia, causing fluid shifts that result in gastrointestinal distress and severe neurological dysfunction.

Toxic compound: Sodium

How vets treat it

There is no specific treatment for salt poisoning. If your dog ate the salt recently and has no signs yet, the vet may make it vomit with a medicine, then let it drink water and watch it closely for several hours. Once the sodium level is high, treatment is a drip (IV fluids) with electrolytes, and your dog may need to stay in hospital while the vet checks its blood sodium regularly. The vet brings the sodium down slowly, over 2 to 3 days: a fast drop pulls water into the brain and can make it swell. Your dog may also get medicines to control seizures, a diuretic such as furosemide, and medicines for brain swelling if needed.

Outlook

The outlook depends on your dog's health, how high its blood sodium is and how long ago it ate the salt. The sooner your dog is treated, the better its chances of recovery. Recovery can take a while, because the sodium has to come down slowly, and your dog may need to stay in hospital. Severe cases can be fatal, and salt dough ornaments have killed pets.

Where pets are exposed

  • Homemade play dough and salt dough, including salt dough ornaments made for the holidays. They contain a large amount of salt, and eating the ornaments has killed pets.
  • Rock salt and ice melts (de-icers), whether spread on paths and roads, spilled or stored where pets can reach them. Pets also swallow them by eating snow treated with de-icer.
  • Seawater. Dogs have developed high blood sodium after swimming or playing in the sea with no fresh water to drink.
  • Table salt and sea salt from the kitchen.
  • Salt or salt water given to make a pet vomit. Salt is no longer recommended for this, and it can cause salt poisoning.
  • Paintballs, and enemas that contain sodium phosphate.

Prevention

  • Keep homemade play dough and salt dough out of pets' reach, and hang salt dough ornaments where pets can't get them.
  • Never use salt or salt water to make a pet vomit. If you think your pet needs to vomit, call your vet.
  • Store rock salt and ice melt in closed containers out of reach, and clean up spills.
  • At the beach, bring fresh water for your dog and keep it from drinking seawater.
  • Make sure your pet always has fresh water to drink.

Good to know

Common sources include homemade play dough, rock salt, paintballs, and enema solutions. Salt is no longer recommended as an emetic.

Common questions

Is salt dough toxic to dogs?

Yes. Salt dough and homemade play dough contain a large amount of salt, and eating salt dough ornaments has caused severe salt poisoning and deaths in pets. Call your vet or a pet poison line right away, even if your dog seems fine.

Can I use salt to make my dog throw up?

No. Never use salt or salt water to make a dog or cat vomit. Pet Poison Helpline warns that it carries a high risk of causing salt poisoning, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says salt is no longer recommended for this. Call your vet or a pet poison line instead, and only make your pet vomit if a vet tells you to.

How much salt is toxic to a dog?

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, signs can appear after 2 to 3 g of salt per kilogram of body weight, and about 4 g/kg can be lethal. The ASPCA also gives 4 g/kg as a dose that can kill a dog. Dogs with little fresh water are at higher risk, and so may pets with diabetes or other hormone problems. None of the sources we checked gives a figure for cats. Call your vet with your pet's weight and what it ate.

Is rock salt or ice melt dangerous for dogs and cats?

Yes, especially in large amounts. Rock salt and many ice melts contain sodium chloride, and pets can swallow it by eating treated snow or getting into a bag. During one snowy winter, a London animal hospital admitted several cats with signs of salt poisoning, possibly from salt on icy roads. If your pet eats ice melt, call your vet or a pet poison line and keep the package, and if it walked through the product, bathe it.

Can my dog get salt poisoning from drinking seawater?

Yes. Dogs have developed high blood sodium after swimming or playing in the sea with no fresh water to drink. Bring fresh water to the beach, and call your vet or a pet poison line if your dog drank a lot of seawater, or vomits, has diarrhea or seems wobbly afterwards.

Sources

This page is informational and is not veterinary advice. If your pet has been exposed to something risky, contact your vet or an animal poison control line right away.

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