Not recommended — dogs and silverside
Not safe. Silverside is cured beef — a brining process that loads the meat with sodium, curing salts, spices, and sugar. The sodium content alone (typically 500–900mg per 100g) makes even a small slice inappropriate for dogs. The cooking liquid is concentrated brine and is the worst part. Plain beef is an excellent dog food; silverside is beef that’s been turned into something a dog’s kidneys weren’t designed to handle.
🏆 PawKeen Safety Score™ — Silverside for Dogs
“I had an owner bring in their Labrador convinced the dog had eaten something poisonous. He was excessively thirsty, a bit wobbly, and had vomited twice. Turned out the family had been giving him silverside scraps for three days because ‘it’s just beef.’ It’s not just beef. Silverside carries the full sodium load of a curing brine. That dog spent a night on IV fluids rehydrating. His kidneys were fine in the end, but it was entirely preventable. Plain boiled beef is sitting right next to the silverside at your butcher and costs less — use that.”
It’s not just beef
Silverside gets offered to dogs constantly in Australian households because it looks and smells like beef — and beef is fine for dogs. The assumption is reasonable. The problem is silverside isn’t plain beef. It’s beef that has sat in a curing brine for days, and that brine is sodium-dense in a way that most people underestimate dramatically.
A 100g serve of cooked silverside typically carries 500–900mg of sodium. A medium-sized dog’s recommended daily sodium intake is roughly 200mg. Two slices of silverside at Sunday roast time can push a dog four times over their daily sodium limit before you’ve served the vegetables.
What happens during the curing process
Silverside — the cut itself is from the outer thigh of beef, named for the silver membrane — starts as perfectly decent, lean beef. The curing process transforms it chemically:
The meat is submerged in a brine solution containing sodium chloride (table salt), sodium nitrate and/or sodium nitrite (curing salts that prevent bacterial growth and create the characteristic pink colour), sugar, and a spice mix that typically includes peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves. The meat absorbs this brine over several days.
After curing, the sodium content of the meat is dramatically elevated — the muscle tissue has been osmotically loaded with salt. Slow-cooking in water reduces the sodium concentration slightly as it leaches out, but doesn’t come close to making the meat low-sodium. And the cooking liquid that’s left behind? That’s effectively concentrated brine. Some people serve it as a sauce or use it to make stock. It is not appropriate for dogs in any amount.
What sodium overload actually looks like in a dog
The immediate sign of a meaningful sodium overload is excessive thirst. Dogs with elevated blood sodium (hypernatraemia) drink compulsively trying to dilute the excess. If you give a dog silverside and two hours later they can’t stop drinking and have already vomited once, that’s the pattern.
The progression:
1. Excessive thirst and urination — the kidneys trying to excrete the excess sodium through urine
2. Vomiting — GI irritation from the sodium load
3. Lethargy — the body working hard to maintain osmotic balance
4. Neurological signs — tremors, disorientation, seizures — these appear when sodium levels are high enough to affect the brain
Steps 1–2 are unpleasant but manageable in a healthy adult dog after modest exposure. Steps 3–4 are an emergency. The progression depends on how much the dog ate, how quickly, and whether they had access to fresh water.
The case that made me take this seriously
A client’s 8kg Spoodle had been fed silverside offcuts every Sunday for a month. He’d been slightly off — more thirsty than usual, a few vomiting episodes that the owner attributed to the heat. On the fourth week he came in genuinely unwell: dehydrated despite drinking constantly, elevated blood urea nitrogen suggesting his kidneys were under strain.
Dietary history was the key. Three sessions of silverside per week in an 8kg dog. We took him off the silverside, increased his water intake, and he returned to normal within a week — no permanent damage. But I see this pattern repeatedly with cured meats. People give their dogs the same food they eat. With most foods, this is low risk. With cured meats, it’s a slow sodium drip.
The comparison that should settle this
| Beef product | Sodium per 100g | Safe for dogs? |
|---|---|---|
| Plain boiled beef (no salt) | ~70mg | Yes — excellent treat |
| Slow-cooked plain beef | ~80mg | Yes |
| Roast beef (plain, no seasoning) | ~65mg | Yes |
| Silverside (home-cooked) | ~500–700mg | No |
| Silverside (deli-sliced) | ~700–900mg | No |
| Corned beef (tinned) | ~1,100mg | No |
| Beef jerky | ~1,500–2,000mg | No |
Plain beef is genuinely good for dogs. It’s a complete protein source, provides taurine and B vitamins, and is well tolerated by virtually all dogs. The sodium in plain boiled beef is naturally occurring and at levels the kidneys handle easily.
Silverside is just plain beef that’s been turned into a high-sodium product. Give them the plain version.
Where to get plain beef for dogs in Australia
- Butcher: Ask for beef mince or beef trim with no seasoning. Most butchers will sell this cheaply as it’s off-cuts
- Supermarket: Plain beef mince from Coles or Woolworths, boiled without salt
- Pet Circle: Freeze-dried raw beef, beef liver treats, raw beef chunks from brands like Big Dog or Primal — these are made specifically for dogs and are properly formulated
The cost difference between silverside and plain beef mince is minimal. The sodium difference is enormous.
🚨 My Dog Ate Silverside — What Now?
If your dog ate a large amount of silverside — more than a couple of small pieces — or drank any of the cooking liquid, call the Animal Poisons Helpline on 1300 869 738. Sodium overload from cured meats warrants professional assessment in any dog under 10kg.
Signs that warrant a vet call:
- Excessive thirst within 2–4 hours of eating silverside (the first obvious sign of sodium overload). Vomiting. Lethargy. Muscle tremors or seizures in serious cases — sodium ion toxicity becomes neurological at higher doses
If your dog ate a large amount or is showing the signs above: Don’t wait — call immediately.
📞 Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Available 24/7 across Australia. Have your dog’s weight, breed and approximate quantity consumed ready when you call.
Frequently Asked Questions
One small piece in a medium-large dog is unlikely to cause serious harm. Give access to fresh water and monitor for the next few hours. If they start drinking compulsively or vomit more than once, call your vet.
For more on cooked meats and dogs, see our dog food safety hub and our guide to can dogs eat cooked beef and safe human foods for dogs.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
- Osweiler GD. Salt (Sodium Chloride) Toxicosis. In: Veterinary Toxicology. Iowa State University Press, 1996.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Salt Toxicity. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine — Canine Kidney Health. https://www.vet.cornell.edu
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — Sodium in Processed Meats. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au
