Samoyed Dog (Detailed Introduction)

　　Excessive salt can cause skin problems in dogs and has a great impact on their coat. After becoming accustomed to food with too much salt, dogs will lose interest in foods with milder flavors, and prolonged consumption of such foods can even cause hair loss in dogs. However, we cannot completely remove salt intake from dogs as an appropriate amount of salt also has certain benefits for them.

　　1. Salt Is Very Important

　　First of all, providing dogs with a certain amount of salt is necessary. Sodium ions in salt are an indispensable element for life. More than 90% of sodium ions in animals exist in extracellular fluid, where they are the main component in maintaining the osmotic pressure of this fluid. If the sodium ion concentration is insufficient, intracellular fluid will leak out, causing the cells to shrivel. If sodium ions are not replenished in time, the cells will "die of thirst" and dryness. Of course, sodium ion concentration cannot be too high either. If the level rises within a certain range, the body will produce thirst and intake a large amount of water to dilute the sodium ions, then expel the excess sodium through urination. If the excess sodium ions are not expelled in time, salt poisoning will occur. So what if a dog eats too much salt? Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Dogs have very strong kidney functions, as long as they don’t sneakily eat pickled foods. If you find your dog has eaten a large amount of cured meat, provide plenty of fresh water but control it so they don’t drink too much at once, then generally there will be no problem.

　　Conversely, if there is a salt deficiency, dogs may become easily fatigued and prone to growth stagnation, dry skin, and hair loss. Therefore, not only excessive salt intake causes hair loss, but too little salt can also cause hair loss problems.

　2. Is It Necessary to Add Extra Salt to Dogs

　　Dogs need salt, but there is no need to deliberately add extra salt for them. Generally, most dog foods already contain the salt dogs require. However, many low-quality dog foods add large amounts of salt to enhance palatability, which causes many dogs to lose interest in other dog foods. Therefore, choosing the right dog food is quite important.

　3. How Much Salt Do Dogs Need

　　According to research, the physiological role of salt is to stimulate saliva secretion, promote digestive enzyme functions, improve food flavor, and enhance appetite. However, the main reason for giving dogs salt is not just to increase their appetite, but because salt is an essential nutrient for dogs!

　　Salt contains small amounts of magnesium and calcium, all indispensable substances for dogs’ survival. Besides considering its nutritional value, salt is added to dog food to improve flavor. There was a past misconception among pet owners that dogs should not eat salt. However, moderate salt intake is also healthy, so dog owners need to completely correct this misconception.

　　The specific proportion is approximately 0.4~0.7 milligrams of salt per kilogram of dog body weight daily. If you feed your dog with commercial dog food, there is no need to add extra salt, as manufacturers have already added an appropriate amount of salt.

　　Therefore, for dogs, neither too much salt nor too little salt is reasonable. Appropriately managing salt intake is more suitable. It is best to avoid dog foods with excessively high salt content, as long-term consumption can seriously harm the dog's body.