Can Dogs Eat Ham? Glaze, Deli Slices, Bones and How Much

People ask us can dogs eat ham every November, and our answer is to keep it on your plate. One tiny plain piece is not a disaster. It is just not a treat we would reach for, because a holiday ham is salted, sweetened and usually has a bone in it.

The American Kennel Club keeps an avoid list in its Thanksgiving guide, and part of it reads: "garlic; ham; yeast dough". Ham is on it by name.

What is actually in a holiday ham

Most hams are pork that has been cured, which means soaked or injected with salt before it is ever cooked. Then comes the glaze. Brown sugar, honey, pineapple, mustard and a ring of whole cloves are the usual ones, and the glaze bakes onto the outside until it is sticky. Under it sits a band of fat, and sometimes a rind.

Each of those is a reason to leave it alone. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control page on people foods puts the salt part plainly: "Excessive salt intake can produce increased thirst and urination". A slice of ham is a lot of salt for a body that weighs forty pounds, and a lot more for one that weighs ten.

The bone is the bigger problem

If there is one part of the ham to keep away from the dog, it is the bone. It sits on the counter after dinner, it smells like the whole meal, and somebody always says the dog should have it. Resist that. The American Kennel Club's page on bones writes: "Cooked bones splinter into shards. So if your dog eats one, they might choke on the tiny pieces". It adds: "These pieces can cause serious damage to the dog's mouth, throat, or intestines".

Wrap the bone in a bag and put it in a trash can with a lid, or take the bag out to the curb that night. Dogs find bones in open kitchen trash faster than people expect.

Deli ham, ham steak and ham sandwiches

Sliced deli ham has no bone and no glaze, so it looks like the easy case. It is still cured, which means it is salty, and a sandwich adds bread, mustard, mayonnaise and sometimes onion. A steak from the grocery store is the same pork with the same salt, just thicker. None of these is a plain food, so the same answer holds: keep it on your plate.

If a piece goes down anyway

It happens at every holiday table. A single small piece of plain ham, trimmed of fat, is not a reason to panic. Pick the leanest scrap you can find with no glaze, no rind and no bone, and keep it small.

• Small dogs under 20 pounds: a piece about the size of a pea.
• Medium dogs, 20 to 50 pounds: a piece the size of a thumbnail.
• Large dogs over 50 pounds: a piece about the size of a thumb tip.

That is a one-time amount, not a habit. Offer it by hand, watch what the dog does with it, and do not repeat it the next day. If your dog is on a special diet, or this is a new food for them, ask your veterinarian before you share any table food at all.

What to hand the dog while everyone eats

The thing that keeps a dog from staring at the ham is having something of their own. We make Freeze-Dried Beef Heart Dog Treats, and the only ingredient is beef heart. We freeze-dry it in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and it comes in 1.5, 3 and 6 ounce bags.

The pieces are medium sized, firm, and they snap into small bits you can hand out one at a time. They are milder than liver. On our own scorecard heart gets 5 of 5 for training value. The label says to feed it as a treat or meal topper, and not as a complete diet. We list it for dogs of all sizes, adult and puppy. The rest of the holiday lineup is in our Thanksgiving dog treats collection.

Keeping leftover ham out of reach

Put the leftover ham in a covered container in the refrigerator as soon as the plates are cleared. A ham on a counter is easy to reach for a dog that can stand on its back legs. Keep the bone wrapped up with the trash, and tell guests not to slip anything under the table. Freeze-dried treats are simpler: reseal the bag after opening and store it cool and dry.

Ham questions

Can dogs eat ham bones?

We say no. A cooked bone can splinter, and the leftover ham bone is the one most likely to be offered. Wrap it up and keep it out of the dog's reach.

What about honey baked or glazed ham?

Skip it. The glaze is sugar, usually with mustard and cloves, and it sits right on top of the salty meat. If you want to give a piece, cut well away from the glazed edge.

Is deli ham okay for a dog?

One small plain piece is not a disaster, but we would not make it a habit. Deli ham is cured and salty, and the slices that come with garlic or spice on them are a different thing entirely.

How much ham can a dog have?

One tiny piece, once, with fat and rind trimmed off. A pea for a small dog, a thumbnail for a medium one, a thumb tip for a large one. It is not a food to build into the week.

Can puppies have ham?

We would hand a puppy something made for puppies instead. Our beef heart is listed for adult dogs and puppies, in pieces you can break as small as you like.

What if my dog stole ham off the table?

One slice of plain ham is a small event. The bone, the string or netting from a spiral ham, and a large amount of fat are the parts to take seriously, so check what else came off the plate along with it.