Can Dogs Eat Expired and Spoiled Meat? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

Just as you wouldn’t eat meat that has passed its expiry date, your dog also shouldn’t be eating it. Dogs do have a stomach different to ours but that doesn’t mean they won’t be at risk of getting things like food poisoning after eating expired food.

Meat that’s only a day or two passed its “best by date” and has been kept well-refrigerated the whole time may end up being okay for dogs but we personally wouldn’t risk it. Any spoiled meat that’s well passed the expiry date or has been left out at room temperature for a long period of time should be discarded immediately.

In addition to food poisoning, expired meat, such as spoiled chicken, may also contain bacteria that cause conditions like gastroenteritis, which will make dogs go through periods of diarrhea and vomiting. If your dog accidentally eats some expired meat from the garbage then we would pay close attention to him for a few days. Call the vet if you start to see any concerning symptoms.