MSG Seasoning
CautionMSG itself is not an established canine toxin, but it is a sodium compound and the products it comes in are mostly salt plus onion and garlic powder. The habit of sharing seasoned human food is the real hazard.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Check the precautions before sharing
Risk depends on preparation, ingredients or amount. Read the precautions below; body weight alone cannot establish a safe portion.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Increased thirst
- Increased urine volume
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Lethargy
- Poor coordination or balance
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Dehydration
- Pale gums or mucous membranes
More about this food
Monosodium glutamate is not an established toxin in dogs. A lick of it will not poison anything. It is, however, a sodium salt -- roughly 12% sodium by weight, compared with about 39% for table salt -- and nobody actually keeps pure MSG in the pantry. What sits on the shelf is seasoned salt, bouillon cubes and stock powder, ramen and instant noodle flavor packets, and Chinese-restaurant style seasoning blends. Those are salt-forward products with onion powder, garlic powder, fat and spices mixed in. The thing to evaluate is the product and the dish, not the glutamate.
Start with sodium. Merck puts clinical signs of salt toxicosis at 2-3 g/kg of sodium chloride with roughly 4 g/kg lethal in dogs, so an 11 lb (5 kg) dog would need something like 10-15 g of salt. A pinch of seasoning does not get there. What does get there is a dog that drinks a bowl of broth, tears open a ramen flavor packet, or empties a spilled shaker. Merck describes vomiting within several hours, progressing to weakness, diarrhea, muscle tremors and seizures.
Next, the allium powders. Merck flags dehydrated flakes and powders as particularly hazardous, notes garlic is 3-5 times more potent than onion, and reports that hemolysis typically appears 3-5 days after ingestion. A dog that ate a real quantity of bouillon or seasoning is not cleared by a normal next morning; watch gum color, urine color and energy for several days.
Third, the habit. Sharing seasoned leftovers off the dinner table is how most of this happens, and for a dog on a sodium-restricted diet for heart or kidney disease it quietly undoes the prescription. Merck recommends keeping treats under 10% of daily calories.
Note what was eaten and how much, keep the packet so the label can be read, and call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Never withhold water; offer small amounts frequently rather than letting a dog gulp a large volume, since dropping serum sodium too fast is itself dangerous, and head to the clinic. Do not induce vomiting at home.
Frequently asked questions
- Is MSG bad for dogs?
- MSG on its own is not an established canine toxin. The catch is that dogs almost never eat pure MSG: they eat seasoning blends and bouillon that are largely salt with onion and garlic powder, and that combination is what you should judge.
- My dog licked broth made with a bouillon cube. What now?
- A lick or two will not cause salt toxicosis. Offer water and watch for excessive drinking or vomiting. If the broth also contained onion or garlic, check gum and urine color over the next several days, and call your vet if the amount was significant.
- He ate a whole ramen flavor packet. Is that serious?
- Call your veterinarian now. Those packets are concentrated salt, seasoning and allium powders, and the smaller the dog the more it matters. Do not restrict water, offer small amounts frequently on the way in, and do not induce vomiting.