Can dogs eat it?
Can dogs eat sausages?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Most sausages made for people are a poor choice for dogs. They are typically 20 to 30 percent fat, heavily salted, and often contain onion, garlic, or sage and onion seasoning. A small piece of a plain, fully cooked pork or beef sausage will not harm a healthy dog, but regular sausage treats or a stolen pack can cause real stomach trouble.
What goes into a typical sausage
Beyond the meat, sausages usually contain rusk or breadcrumbs, salt, spices, and flavorings. Popular varieties add onion, garlic, leek, chili, or fennel. Onion and garlic are the most worrying, because they can damage red blood cells, and powdered forms are concentrated, so even small amounts can matter for a small dog.
Casings are generally digestible, but plastic or collagen ties on some sausages are not.
Festive favorites and barbecue sausages
Pigs in blankets combine sausage with bacon, doubling the fat. Chorizo and spicy sausages can irritate the stomach. Barbecued sausages are often undercooked in the middle, which adds bacterial risk, and they get dropped on the lawn where dogs find them before anyone notices.
Raw sausage meat should never be fed.
If your dog ate a whole pack
Check the label for onion or garlic and note how many were eaten. A 6 kg (13 lb) terrier that eats eight sausages has taken in a large fat load, and your vet may want to see them. Keep the packaging so you can read the ingredients over the phone.
Sausages made for dogs, or made at home
Some pet shops sell sausages made specifically for dogs, with no onion or garlic and much less salt. Read the label and count them as treats. At home, you can roll lean pork or chicken mince into thin logs, bake them at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes until cooked through, cool, and slice into coins. They freeze well and make handy rewards for walks.
Key takeaways
- Sausages are high in fat and salt.
- Many recipes include onion or garlic, which are harmful to dogs.
- Pigs in blankets and spicy sausages are especially unsuitable.
- Keep the packaging if your dog steals some, so you can check the ingredients.