Pork

Pork Glossary: Pork is a meat used as a protein source in some dog and cat foods, supplying good-quality protein, thiamine (a B-group vitamin in which it is particularly rich), along with zinc and phosphorus. Its fat content varies with the cut and can be high. Pork remains less common than chicken or beef in premium recipes, which sometimes gives it an alternative-protein position useful for varying protein sources. An old belief warns against raw pork for dogs over parasite fears, and that caution is reasonable for raw pork because of potential pathogens such as certain parasites; properly cooked pork, as found in processed foods, does not pose this problem (USDA FoodData Central). On a label, fresh pork should be distinguished from pork meal, a concentrated water-free ingredient, and the word pork does not always state the share of muscle versus fat and by-products (NRC, 2006). The marker: well-cooked pork is an acceptable, palatable protein, and the common warning concerns [raw](/glossary/raw) meat, not the cooked ingredient present in commercial foods. Its raw-handling note connects to [Salmonella](/glossary/salmonella) and broader [cross-contamination](/glossary/cross-contamination) precautions, while as a meat choice it sits alongside [beef](/glossary/beef) and [turkey](/glossary/turkey) in the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

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