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How much sodium is safe for my dog? Is salt needed in dog food?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 4 years and 10 months old | 17 lbs

I'm very confused about sodium levels for pets. The food that I feed my dog has 250 mg. per 7 oz of food. this seems excessive to me, is salt even needed in dog food? How many mg is the safe upper limit for sodium? my vet told me 1,000 mg would be ok for a 17 pound dog but these numbers don't add up to me. can someone please help to clarify this for me? thanks!

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on May 19th, 2017

Salt is absolutely necessary in dog food although too much salt isn't good either. the minimum is usually 0.3% sodium content but it is considered to be fine up to 0.5% (you can find this information on the label).

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 13th, 2017

    I don't know where this number is coming from but a dog should have no more than about 100 mg of Sodium per 30 Lbs, in case of your dog that would be between 350-700 mg. i would not recommend feeding a dog food that contains more than 0.6% sodium.

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