Can dogs eat sausages? Take caution when feeding your dog sausages meant for human consumption. Most of them are made up of ingredients that can seriously damage his health. This does not mean sausages are completely off-limits to him.
Put your own spin on this human food and turn it into a harmless and healthy occasional snack for your furry pal.
1. Can dogs eat chicken sausages?
Commercially-produced chicken sausages are not the healthiest food to share with your dog. While they are a good source of protein, processed meats are high in fat and salt.
Chicken sausages created for humans are heavily seasoned with other spices too, which can irritate your furry friend’s stomach.
Making chicken sausages at home allows you to choose nutritious and dog-friendly ingredients. Follow the recipe below to create a healthier version of this human food for your pooch:
Chicken Sausage Patties for Dogs
What you need:
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thigh
- 1 finely chopped green apple
How to make these dog-friendly chicken sausage patties:
- Combine all the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.
- Form sausage meatballs by hand or by using an ice cream scooper.
- Transfer them to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roll out the meat to about 1-inch thick.
- Preheat a skillet with coconut oil over medium heat for around 1–2 minutes.
- Add 2–3 patties and cook each side for 3–4 minutes or until brown.
- Repeat until all patties are cooked.
A note for these dog-friendly chicken sausage patties:
- Uneaten cooked patties can be stacked in a resealable bag and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
2. Can dogs eat pork sausages?
Feeding your dog traditional pork sausages is not a good idea. They usually contain several toxic ingredients to pooches, such as onions and garlic powder.
Both of these ingredients destroy red blood cells, which may result in severe hemolytic anemia if left untreated.
Fortunately, homemade pork sausages can be easily tailored to be safe for your dog. Here is a recipe that you can try:
Baked Pork Sausage and Vegetables for Dogs
What you need:
For the pork sausage:
- 1 pound boneless pork shoulder
- 2 tablespoons ground sage
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 19–21 millimeter hog casings
- 1 cup ice-cold water
For the vegetables:
- 1/2 cup sliced zucchini
- 1/4 cubed yellow squash
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 diced fresh red bell peppers
- 1 diced fresh green bell peppers
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
How to make this baked pork sausage and vegetables for dogs:
- Soak the sausage casings 2 hours in advance to soften them and reduce their salt content.
- Chop the boneless pork shoulder into 1-inch cubes.
- Feed the meat into the grinder.
- In a large bowl, mix the spices and the ice-cold water until everything is well-incorporated.
- Add the meat to the bowl and combine it with the spice mixture thoroughly by hand.
- Run the spiced sausage meat through the grinder.
- Load the meat into the sausage stuffer. Fill the casing evenly and leave it a little loose. Overstuffing will tear the casing.
- Make sure that your links are of the same length, at least 3–4 inches.
- Tie off the casing in a knot by pinching the center of the links. Then roll each of them in the opposite direction as the one before it.
- Repeat until you get to the end of the sausage. Tie up the ends.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice 5 whole pork sausages into 1-inch rounds.
- On a large baking sheet, place all the vegetables and drizzle with the coconut oil. Toss to combine.
- Add the slices of pork sausages to the baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are cooked through.
Notes for this baked pork sausage and vegetables for dogs:
- You can swap out any of the veggies with other greens available in your local grocery store. Just make sure they are safe for dogs to consume.
- You can feed your dog baked pork sausage and vegetables as is. Or you can add them in small amounts to his dog food.
3. Can dogs eat sausage rolls?
Regular sausage rolls are not ideal treats for dogs. The puff pastry enveloping the meat often contains all-purpose flour, which can trigger allergies in some dogs.
Moreover, some common ingredients used to create this dish are dangerous to pooches, such as cloves of garlic and onion.
Use this recipe to create homemade sausage rolls that can be safely fed to dogs:
Beef Sausage Rolls
What you need:
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 pound plain, unseasoned beef sausage meat
- 2 eggs
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
For the pastry:
- 2 cups garbanzo flour
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 1/2 cup cold water
How to make these beef sausage rolls for dogs:
- Pulse the garbanzo flour with 4 chilled coconut oil in a food processor. The mixture should begin to form small crumbs.
- Add 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil at a time as you continue to blitz the flour.
- Once all of the sunflower oil is used up, transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Pour in the ice-cold water and mix until a dough is formed.
- Refrigerate the pastry dough for 3–4 hours before use.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine the sausage filling ingredients evenly.
- Flatten the pastry dough to 1-inch thick and cut it in half horizontally.
- Place the 2 strips of pastry on separate greased baking pans.
- Put the sausage meat filling lengthwise in the center of each pastry.
- Roll up the pastries to enclose the filling and pinch to seal.
- Cut the rolls into 1 1/2-inch length and bake them for 25–30 minutes or until golden.
Notes for these beef sausage rolls for dogs:
- The pastry dough is sensitive to temperature. Double-wrap it with plastic before storing it in the fridge to chill to avoid freezer burn.
- If your dog consumes one whole sausage roll, he might choke. Always slice it into bite-sized pieces beforehand.
- Leftover sausage rolls for dogs can be frozen for 2–3 months.
4. Can dogs eat sausage biscuits?
Feeding sausage biscuits to dogs should be done with caution. This human food uses plenty of butter, which is loaded with fats. Excessive consumption can cause health issues like stomach upset, pancreatitis, and obesity.
Here is a low-fat and dog-friendly alternative to regular sausage biscuits:
Turkey Sausage Biscuits
What you need:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 pound plain, unseasoned turkey sausage meat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon ground cilantro seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely minced thyme
- 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
How to make these turkey sausage biscuits for dogs:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except for pumpkin puree until a dough is formed.
- When everything is properly incorporated, pour the pumpkin puree into the dough. Combine thoroughly.
- Dust a flat work surface with flour and knead the dough 5–8 times until soft.
- Roll out the dough to ½-inch thickness.
- Use a biscuit cutter to cut out circles from the dough. Transfer them to the lined baking sheet
- Bake the turkey sausage biscuits for dogs for about 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.
A note for these turkey sausage biscuits for dogs:
- Place uneaten turkey sausage biscuits in an airtight container. Storing them in the fridge makes them last for 3 days. Freezing them increases their shelf life to 2 months.