Can My Dog Eat Imitation Crab Meat?: Imitation crab meat is used in a lot of seafood dishes, the most common is imposter meat. From sushi rolls and crab cakes to seafood salads, imitation crab meat is all over the place! But is it good for your dog? Well, dogs will chew on anything and everything you throw at them except some veggies.
While a little bite of imitation crab probably won’t hurt your dog, the added sugar, sodium, other additives, and binders may make a dog throw up or experience GI distress.
Imitation crab meat is made from seafood but it generally contains no crab. Only a tiny amount of crab extract is added for flavoring.
This meat is made from surimi (de-boned fish flesh) which is minced into a paste. The paste is then blended with the remaining ingredients after which it is heated and pressed into shapes that imitate the crab meat.
Imitation crab meat is sometimes called by the name ‘krab’. Although it does have a little crab meat for flavoring, the prime ingredient which makes it extremely affordable is wild Alaska Pollack.
Freshly caught fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters are edibles that come under the word ‘tasty’ and are healthy for you and your dog to have but the main question here is, Can your dog eat imitation crab meat?
We all know that dogs are mammals and just like humans they can be allergic to several things.
For example, some dogs are allergic to peanuts and kiwis while some of them may be allergic to pollen.
Many things such as surimi-a paste-like substance made up of Alaskan Pollock- food coloring, certain chemicals, preservatives, and other additives(added to increase the shelf life of the product) are combined together to make imitation crab meat. All these things together can make up a very nasty and unpleasant case of allergies for your doggo!
Several recent pieces of research state that dogs have been seen with swollen eyes and redness on their skin.
Similarly, your dog can also go through seafood allergies, artificial additive allergies, or the worst case, both of them combined!
Surimi, which is the main ingredient of imitation crab meat can be pumped with a large amount of salt that is not good for any dog or human.
The downside of feeding imitation crab meat to your dog:
- Consumption of imitation crab meat can lead to stomach pains, irregular bowel movements that might induce vomiting.
- It has high salt content which can result in high levels of blood pressure and heart problems in dogs. Excessive consumption of salt affects dogs the same way it affects humans.
- If it is necessary, give the crab meat to your dog in small amounts, or else it will cause nausea.
- Unlike real crab, imitation crab meat may contain unhealthy fats which will lead to obesity and heart problems too.
Breakdown Of Unhealthy Chemicals In Imitation Crab Meat:
As we have discussed earlier that surimi is the main ingredient of imitation crab meat, artificial colors and various flavors are added to the fish paste to make imitation crab meat look, taste, and smell like real crab meat. Let us dig in deep and enlist the harmful components found in imitation crab meat that can prove detrimental to your dog’s health.
Sodium Pyrophosphate:
Imitation crab meat consists of sodium pyrophosphate. This chemical substance is also found in canned tuna and chicken nuggets with salt contents so high that it only competes the table salt we use in our day-to-day food. Too much sodium pyrophosphate can increase the blood pressure of your dog and can also cause your dog’s heart to suffer.
Carmine:
The presence of carmine is the real reason why we don’t recommend imitation crab meat for your dogs. You will be surprised to know that carmine is made out of dead bugs and is used as an artificial food coloring. Yes, you guessed it right! This is the same substance behind ‘easy on the eyes cherry red color’ in flavored milk and yogurt. It can be a cause of respiratory issues in dogs for example, asthma.
Potassium Chloride:
We all love that savory flavor in crab meat, right? It is effortlessly imitated by potassium chloride which will lead to a darker and smellier poop. Scientifically speaking, potassium chloride reduces water content in the body. However, it can be healthy if taken in a minute and in controlled amounts.
Excessive consumption will cause bloating and smelly stools.
Disodium Inosinate And Guanylate:
This substance is an unnatural food enhancer and a common additive found in canned foods mostly. It will make your dog feel tightness around the mouth and chest area and can also cause a burning sensation.It is a horrible and painful ordeal for your dog to go through!
Not only this, it makes your dog sweat, pant, and swollen in different spots and can affect their skin or fur coat.
How Much Imitation Crab Meat Can My Dog Eat Regularly?
Can your dog eat imitation crab meat? I am sure that you have got the answer to this question by now. For instance, you still have doubts about the imitation crab meat being good or bad for your doggo, you need to know that large quantities of this edible can prove to be fatal for your dog or cause a spike in blood pressure, skin irregularities, and possible heart failures as discussed earlier.
We completely understand that you need to give your dog a good tasty treat made of crab meat.
For that purpose, you should always try to feed your dog with real crab meat but if you are on a low budget and your pooch really loves to eat crab meat, try feeding him imitation crab meat in small quantities once every few weeks.
But first, you need to make sure if your dog likes it or not!
Some signs Your Dog Likes Imitation Crab Meat:
Though imitation crab meat can be hazardous to your dog’s health, the incredible taste and mesmerizing smell can be so tempting that your dog might not be able to resist the urge of eating it!
If you find your dog doing the things mentioned below, there is a 100 percent chance that he likes it.
- Your dog will try to eat the meat quickly.
- His ears would get straightened as if it is very alert.
- Drooling and licking his lips is a big yes!
- Literally speaking, he will beg for some more imitation crab meat.
In case if you don’t see your dog begging or drooling over the imitation crab meat and you still want to give him, while knowing how unhealthy it is for him, then feed him a small amount of imitation crab meat after a few weeks or even after a few months. You can also make some healthy snacks for him that imitate the taste of this food!
Signs Your Dog Didn’t Like Imitation Crab Meat:
The preference of food varies from dog to dog just like it varies from person to person.
Every dog doesn’t like to eat seafood, it depends on their taste buds and mostly on their moods!
Well, if your dog is not a fan of imitation crab meat, that is technically good news. You can judge that by the following signs.
- Your dog scatters it all over the place without having a single bite.
- He would feel nauseous and his stomach might ache after eating the imitation crab meat.
In case your dog does not like imitation crab meat, that is great news but you need to take him to a vet to check if he has any seafood allergies.
If he does not like imitation crab, it is a possibility that he is allergic to seafood.
Conclusion
In this article, we tried to cover various aspects of the notion of why crab meat is not healthy for your dog.
Imitation crab meat can be extremely harmful to your dog if taken in large quantities.
The only reason for this product’s high demand is the affordability and convenience of usage.
Keeping in mind all the negative impacts, you should come to the conclusion that imitation crab meat is not a safe food for your dog and you should avoid feeding it to him as your dog is better off without it!
