# Sea salt



## JackieM1982 (Jul 21, 2005)

*Sea salt*

Anyone supplement their dog's diet with sea salt? I'm looking into it for Treck, but can't find any definitive resources (specifically for dogs) on the web.

Thanks.


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## jake (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: Sea salt*

not sure if dogs ever NEED salt supplement.Sea salt IS higher in potassium than table salt.some human medical conditions need to limit sodium and increase potasium.I am unaware of any dogger related condition requiring salt supplement.any details?


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

*Re: Sea salt*

Factory-farmed meat (esp beef) is rather high in sodium. You don't need to supplement sodium. 

Potassium can be supplemented in other ways: here's a quick list:

Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Brazil Nuts, Cantaloupe, Figs, Honeydew, Kiwi, Legumes, Lima beans, Milk, Oranges, Orange Juice, Peaches, Prunes, Roasted Peanuts with skin, Spinach, Squash, Vegetable Juices, Winter Squash, Yogurt 

Obviously, some of these may not be perfectly appropriate for your dog. But it gives you an idea of where you can go for potassium. 

I like the website http://www.whfoods.org for nutrient information.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

*Re: Sea salt*

what's the purpose of giving your dog sea salt?


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

The sea salt I have at home says that it does not contain iodine- if it didn't contain iodine why else you would use it?


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## JackieM1982 (Jul 21, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

Simply researching it as a possible beneficial supplement. Have read a few accounts of adding it to a dog's diet. Looking for more info. As in a healthier source of sodium rather than processed salt. Curious, is all.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

*Re: Sea salt*

i don't think you need to add sea salt or any other kind of salt
to your dogs diet. what are you feeding your dog?



> Originally Posted By: JackieMSimply researching it as a possible beneficial supplement. Have read a few accounts of adding it to a dog's diet. Looking for more info. As in a healthier source of sodium rather than processed salt. Curious, is all.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

http://www.watercure2.org/index.htm


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

*Re: Sea salt*

do you really believe the watercure?


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

Never tried it.....but I wouldn't be opposed to doing so... it certainly is cheap and can't hurt....

I actually know Bob Butts and he has spent megabucks getting the word out...with nothing to gain...that's how much HE believes in it. He swears by it...and so do alot of others.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

The OP was looking for articles pertaining to sea salt / dogs...and so I provided her with one


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## Qyn (Jan 28, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

If you are feeding raw, which contains blood, there is an appropriate amount of salt in blood product. Humans use salt (plus sugar and fat) as a flavour enhancer, sometimes to extreme and dangerous levels - dogs do not need to get the same addiction and like humans do not need additional salt other than what is already present in a natural, balanced diet.

Salt, as we use it, is composed of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) (plus, sometimes, other trace elements including iodine (I)). Potassium (K) can also be a salt but is used as a means of regulating the hydration of cells and the function of various metabolic processes at a cellular level and as K an Na have similar properties the levels of each can alter the effect of the other. 

As K levels are very important for correct heart function in humans, too much Na can have a negative effect. I cannot say for certain but I would think the canine body works similarly for similar organs so I would be very wary of adding additional salt to the diet of canines.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

*Re: Sea salt*

I'll just throw this out there, to be an example of my post above. You can certainly look around the site yourself.

Beef, bottom sirloin, tri-tip roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades, raw -- 1 ounce -- 14.6 mg sodium. 

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/beef-products/7388/2

Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat and skin, raw -- 1 ounce --21 mg sodium 

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/730/2



Yogurt, plain, low fat, 12 grams protein per 8 ounce - 1 ounce -- 20 mg sodium

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/105/2


One teaspoon of table salt has 2325 mg sodium. As you can see, each of these foods that I listed contain sodium. As you start to add up all of those ounces of food, the sodium adds up quickly as well. By the end of the week, your dog may have ingested several teaspoons of sodium just from his food -- and far more if you include any canned foods, such as canned fish, that many BARFers feed to their dogs.

Like Alison, I don't see any reason to supplement sodium in our dogs' diets. In fact, I go out of my way to *avoid* feeding any excess salt (NaCl) to my dogs. It's not particularly good for their hearts, and it's hard on kidneys as they age as well.


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## jake (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: Sea salt*

looked at site but didn't see anything specific to dogs-did I miss something?I don't think dogs and humans equal when discussing something like this.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

yes...there was a link up in the right hand corner regarding pets.


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## JackieM1982 (Jul 21, 2005)

*Re: Sea salt*

From what I've read of my own research and what others here have provided it doesn't seem like any great necessity. Thanks all for the replies.


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## sleachy (Aug 10, 2001)

*Re: Sea salt*

I do give my dog and cats a pinch of unrefined, unprocessed sea salt every now and then.

From <u>The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care </u> by C.J. Puotinen :

"In fact, one of the most important supplement for any dog, cat, horse...or other pet may be salt - not any salt, but unrefined, unprocessed sea salt which contains only 80 to 83 percent sodium chloride, with the remaining 17 to 20 percent consisting of moisture and 84 trace elements in the proportions needed by all of the earth's animals, human included."

from page 105 The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care 

(Any spelling errors in the above quote are mine as I copied from page 105)


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