Can Dogs Eat Raw Pork?
No. Raw pork — especially wild boar — can carry Aujeszky's virus, rare but almost always fatal to dogs, plus parasites. Always cook pork.
Quick facts
| Verdict | Toxic |
|---|---|
| Risky amount | No safe or toxic dose is established — treat any amount as a risk. |
| Key symptoms | Frantic itching, often around the face or head, Heavy drooling, Difficulty swallowing, Vomiting or diarrhea, Fever or muscle stiffness, Weakness or other neurological signs |
| What to do | If your dog ate raw pork or wild boar and shows intense itching, drooling or any neurological signs, go to a vet immediately. Aujeszky's disease progresses within days and has no cure — early veterinary contact is essential. |
Why raw pork is dangerous for dogs
The standout risk is Aujeszky’s disease (pseudorabies), a herpesvirus that pigs and wild boar can carry without symptoms. Dogs are infected by eating raw or undercooked pork — hunting dogs fed boar scraps are classic cases — and for them the disease is almost always fatal, typically within days. There is no treatment and no vaccine for dogs; the frantic facial itching it triggers gave it the nickname “mad itch”.
The virus is rare in commercial herds in many countries, but raw pork still is not safe: it can carry Trichinella parasites and bacteria such as Salmonella, which is why general raw meat feeding carries caveats that raw pork turns into hard stops.
Cooked pork is a different story
Thorough cooking destroys both the virus and the parasites. Plain cooked pork — no seasoning, no garlic, no sauce — is a perfectly reasonable protein for dogs.
What to do if your dog ate raw pork
Call your vet, especially if the meat was wild boar or of unknown origin. Watch closely for intense itching, drooling, trouble swallowing or wobbliness over the following days — any of these is an emergency. Digestive upset alone still deserves a check-in call.
If your dog ate it
If your dog ate raw pork or wild boar and shows intense itching, drooling or any neurological signs, go to a vet immediately. Aujeszky's disease progresses within days and has no cure — early veterinary contact is essential.
In the US you can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply).
Frequently asked questions
- What is Aujeszky's disease?
- A herpesvirus infection (pseudorabies) carried by pigs and wild boar. Dogs catch it by eating raw infected pork, and in dogs it is almost always fatal, often within days — the frantic self-scratching it causes earned it the name "mad itch".
- Is supermarket pork safer than wild boar?
- Commercial herds in many countries are free of the virus, so the highest risk is raw wild boar and unregulated meat. But raw pork of any origin can still carry Trichinella parasites and bacteria like Salmonella — so the answer is still to cook it.
- Can dogs eat cooked pork?
- Yes. Plain, fully cooked, unseasoned pork is safe for dogs. Thorough cooking kills the virus and parasites that make the raw version dangerous.
- What about raw bacon or mett?
- Curing is not cooking. Raw bacon and raw pork spreads like mett carry the same infectious risks as other raw pork, with a heavy salt and fat load on top.
See all meat & fish dogs can and can’t eat →