Salted fermented seafood (jeotgal)
ToxicJeotgal is seafood cured in salt, so salt is the main ingredient rather than a seasoning. A small dog can reach the toxic range on two or three tablespoons, and most seasoned varieties also contain minced garlic. Call your vet now.
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
Do not offer as a treat
There is no recommended treat portion for this hazardous item. If swallowed, contact a vet with the amount, time and product details. Do not induce vomiting yourself.
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.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Increased thirst
- Increased urine volume
- Weakness
- Tremors
- Poor coordination or balance
- Seizures
- Salt poisoning
- Haemoglobin in urine
- Pale gums or mucous membranes
More about this food
Jeotgal is Korean salt-cured fermented seafood: saeu-jeot made from tiny shrimp, myeolchi-jeot from anchovy, and seasoned versions made from squid, octopus, pollock roe and pollock gut. There is no version of it that belongs anywhere near a dog.
The first reason is salt. These are preserved foods, so the salt is not seasoning, it is the preservative that makes the product work, and traditional saeu-jeot runs roughly a fifth salt by weight. The Merck Veterinary Manual places clinical signs of salt toxicosis at 2-3 g/kg of sodium chloride and the lethal dose around 4 g/kg in dogs. For a 7 lb (3 kg) dog that is only 6-9 grams of salt, which works out to about two or three tablespoons of a 20% salt product. A dog licking out a condiment dish can get there.
The second reason is garlic. Squid, octopus and roe jeotgal are usually sold already dressed with chili powder and minced garlic. Merck describes Allium species, garlic included, as causing oxidative damage to canine red blood cells and hemolytic anemia. So a seasoned-jeotgal incident is a garlic exposure as well as a sodium one, and hemolysis shows up over days, not minutes.
Third, it is uncooked fermented seafood, which brings bacterial risk and fermentation byproducts like histamine along with it.
Timing is fast. Merck describes vomiting within several hours of ingestion in dogs, progressing to weakness, diarrhea, muscle tremors and seizures. Frantic drinking and frequent urination are the early signals; staggering and tremors are late ones.
Call your veterinarian, an emergency animal hospital, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now, with the type of jeotgal, the rough amount and the time. Leave fresh water freely available but do not force water into your dog. Correcting serum sodium too quickly causes cerebral edema, so the rate of fluid therapy is a calculation your vet has to make. And never use salt or salt water to make a dog vomit: Pet Poison Helpline states explicitly that salt and salt water should never be used to induce vomiting because of the risk of creating salt poisoning.
Frequently asked questions
- My dog licked a small dish of saeu-jeot. Is that really an emergency?
- There is no amount anyone can call safe. A 3 kg dog reaches the toxic range at roughly 6 grams of salt, and salted shrimp paste is a substantial fraction salt by weight. Note the amount and the time and call your veterinarian or the APCC at (888) 426-4435 now.
- Should I make my dog drink a lot of water?
- Leave fresh water freely available but do not force it. Dropping serum sodium too fast causes cerebral edema, so the correction rate has to be calculated by a veterinarian. Do not take the water bowl away either, and never use salt water to induce vomiting.
- It was seasoned squid jeotgal. Does the garlic change anything?
- Yes. Garlic causes oxidative damage to red blood cells and hemolytic anemia in dogs, and that develops over days rather than hours. Tell your vet it was a seasoned variety, and watch for pale gums, weakness, jaundice or red-brown urine for about a week.