Should salt be an essential part of a dog’s diet ?
Salt or sodium chloride is one of several minerals which constitute only a very small fraction of a dog’s body weight. Collectively, all minerals make up less than 0.7 per cent of the body. Thus the requirement of sodium is very little and can be obtained from the diet, especially in several vegetables. Any indiscriminate supplement is likely to be more harmful than beneficial. There is practically no loss of water along with this mineral through the skin, as perspiration is minimal in dogs, even in the hot summer months. Hence any excessive intake can cause skin problems, thirst, constipation and some other complications. Chronic intake of salt may include hypertension, resulting in heart and renal diseases. Hence it is desirable to avoid supplementation of salt in the food. Even if the body needs sodium, it does not need sodium chloride with such an alarming ratio of sodium.