Cute Yorkshire terrier dog near feeding bowl indoors

Can Yorkies Eat Pork?

Offering meat to your dog is a natural course of action as dogs are carnivores and your Yorkie would be appreciated that piece of meat.
Now you might be wondering if you can feed pork meat to your Yorkie.

Yes, Yorkshire Terrier can eat cooked pork meat, but, it has to be plain and unseasoned because most spices and herbs used in seasoning pork are harmful to dogs.

Now, we have established that pork meat is safe for your Yorkie to eat, you might be wondering if pork meat is healthy meat, what spices and seasonings to avoid, whether pork rib-bones, pork chop, bacon or ham are safe for your Yorkie, amongst other things.

I have done my research and in this article, I will be providing answers to all those questions below.

Health Benefits of Pork

Pork meat is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and would be a healthy option to include in your dog’s diet.

A 100-gram piece of pork meat contains 25.7grams of protein and dry, lean pork contains a protein content that is as high as 89%, this makes pork meat a great source of dietary protein.

Pork also contains all nine essential amino acids required for the healthy growth and maintenance of your Yorkie’s muscles as well as help in tissue repairs.

Pork is rich in Vitamin B1, Vitamin B12, which is great for blood formation and brain function, Vitamin B6, which is also great in the formation of red blood cells.

In summary, pork is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It also helps in the healthy growth and the repairs of muscle tissues.

The Risk Involved

At the beginning of this article, I noted that plain, unseasoned pork should only be fed to your Yorkie as most spices and herbs used to season our pork can be harmful, and most likely fatal to your Yorkie.

Yorkshire Terrier with a bowl of pork
Yorkshire Terrier with a bowl of pork

In this section of the article, I will be going into details on the risk involved in feeding your Yorkie pork meat that has been seasoned with spices and herbs amongst other condiments.

We season our pork with spices when we cook it, spices such as salt, onion powder, nutmeg and garlic powder. It is important to understand the effect these spices would have on dogs, so I have selected a few of the most used spices.

Salt, when consumed in high quantity can lead to dehydration, diarrhoea, seizures and vomiting, as such, it should only be used in very small quantity or not at all.

Onion powder contains a dangerous toxic compound that is harmful to dogs. It damages a dog’s red blood cell, limiting its ability to carry oxygen through the body.

Garlic powder contains a toxic compound called thiosulfates. When ingested, it can result in diarrhoea and vomiting.

It is also important to note that BBQ sauce should be avoided as many sauces being sold contains high amounts of salt, garlic, onion and sugar.

It is also important to pay attention to your dog after feeding him/her pork meat for the first time, as most dogs could be allergic to it.

Overcooked pork should be avoided as they contain carcinogenic substances src.

In summary, feeding your Yorkie pork meat seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, nutmeg or bbq sauce can cause damaging effects on your dog’s health.
Some dogs can also so be allergic to some meat, so pay attention to your Yorkie after you feed him pork meat.

Can Yorkies Eat Raw Pork?

You should NEVER feed your dog undercooked or raw pork meat because they stand the risk of getting trichinosis, which is a parasitic infection that is caused by a parasite trichinella spiralis larvae found in raw pork meat.

Trichinosis most affects humans than dogs and as such the symptoms of this parasite infection might be mild, ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, pain, to stiffness and muscle inflammation.

It is important to note that dogs with weaker immune systems are more likely to exhibit some severe symptoms.

In summary, do not feed raw or undercooked pork meat to your Yorkie.

Can Yorkies Eat Pork Rib Bone?

If you are considering offering your Yorkie a piece of rib bone or any pork bone, I would advise against it.

Yorkies should NOT be fed Pork bone, as cooked or raw are brittle and can break into small splinters piece which could create a dangerous situation like damaging your dog’s oesophagus and small intestine.

In an event, your dog, unfortunately, ingests pork bone, here are somethings you can do:

  1. Keep an eye on your dog for signs of discomfort, there is a possibility that your dog could excrete the said pork bone successfully through its digestive system.
  2. In the event of a choking hazard; if your dog tries to cough up the pork bone, let it try without interruption. If choking continues, you need to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on your dog.

    You can learn how to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre by checking out an article I wrote HERE
  3. Check your dog’s stool daily for the bone fragments, after 48 hours (or however long your vet tells you) with no luck, get the dog to your vet.
  4. Vomiting, drooling, bloody stool, sluggishness and bloating are some signs that something is wrong. Call your vet immediately.

In summary, do not feed pork bone to your Yorkie, whether raw or cooked, because they are brittle, and would break into small splinters, which poses a threat to your dog wellbeing.
If unfortunately your Yorkie ingests a pork bone, monitor it and call your vet.

Can Yorkies Eat Pork Chops?

Like most meat chops, pork chops are a loin cut taken perpendicular to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, according to Wikipedia.

Best Oven Baked Pork Chop Recipe - How to Make Garlic Rosemary ...

Since pork chop is technically still pork meat, Yorkies can eat cooked pork chops, as long as it is plain and unseasoned.

It is important to buy freshly cut or unpreserved pork chops, as most pork chops are marinated to add flavours. This marination could be done in chilli or BBQ sauce. These sauces could contain salt, onion or garlic which are harmful to dogs.

Can Yorkies Eat Pork Sausage, Ham and Bacon?

Pork sausage, bacon and ham are examples of preserved pork that have been processed.

The simple answer to the question is, No, do not feed Pork Sausage, Ham or Bacon to your Yorkie. This is because they all are processed and mostly preserved with high amounts of salt, salt which is dangerous to dogs if consumed in large quantities.

The World Health Organization, in 2015, also found that processed meats such as bacon and pork sausage were known carcinogens linked to cancer. This poses a serious risk to your dog.

Bacon can result in pancreatitis when consumed in large quantities due to its high fatty and high salt content. Pancreatitis can be fatal to your Yorkie and should not be taken lightly.

Ham contains a dangerously high amount of salt, which could lead in your Yorkie getting really thirsty, making it drink a lot of water, resulting in bloat.
Bloat is a dangerous condition that happens when your dog fills its stomach up with gas, food, or fluid, making it expand. Then pressure is put on other organs, which can potentially be life threatening

In summary, do not feed your Yorkie pork sausage, ham or bacon, they are all processed pork meat, mostly processed with high amounts of salt that are fatal to dogs.