Content
- Can Dog Eat Popcorn: Myth or Truth?
- Why can't my dog eat popcorn?
- Why shouldn't you give your dog popcorn
- My dog ate popcorn, now what?
An evening sitting on the couch watching movies and eating popcorn is one of those little pleasures in life that we like to share with those we love. And of course our best friends are never left out of this very homemade show, but can a dog eat popcorn? That's what many tutors ask themselves when they notice the face of "beggar" of their dogs looking at the pot of freshly prepared popcorn.
Here at PeritoAnimal, we always encourage tutors to encourage them to offer a more natural and balanced diet to their dogs. Therefore, we also try to answer the most frequently asked questions of the owners, such as if a dog can eat bread or if your dog can eat egg. Today we decided to talk about one of the most beloved snacks in Brazil and in the world, our infallible companion in movies and series: popcorn.
So as not to leave you in doubt, I want to clarify, already here in the introduction, that popcorn is not one of the foods that dogs can eat. On the contrary, its excessive or unregulated consumption can cause serious digestive problems and harm the health of our best friends. And in this new article, I'll explain to you in detail why popcorn is not a dog food. Come on?
Can Dog Eat Popcorn: Myth or Truth?
As you can already read in the introduction, popcorn is not a suitable food for dogs. Therefore, it's a myth that a dog can eat popcorn and you shouldn't offer it to your best friend.
Why can't my dog eat popcorn?
Popcorn is not dog food for several reasons and the first one is that does not offer any nutrient that benefits the dogs' diet. If you want to include new foods in your dog's diet, you need to give preference to those that contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber, which promote digestion and help strengthen the dog's immune system. And of course, as we've always mentioned, it's critical to consult a veterinarian before introducing a new food or making any changes to your best friend's diet.
At this point, it's also important for us to be more conscious about our own nutrition. Many popular snacks, such as popcorn or potato chips, offer more empty calories and fat than nutrients beneficial to our body. Does this mean we should stop eating popcorn? Not necessarily, but we should consume it in a very moderate way.
Does that mean you shouldn't be offering my dog popcorn? Yes, it does. Because in addition to not benefiting your nutrition, popcorn can also harm your dog's health. Keep reading to learn more.
Why shouldn't you give your dog popcorn
To understand why you shouldn't offer your dog popcorn, first, I want to point out that the dog itself cooked corn, natural and without preservatives is already difficult for dogs to digest. Therefore, there are vegetables and cereals more recommended for dogs, such as brown rice, spinach, carrots, oats, well-cooked peas or squash, which your dog can digest more easily and make better use of their nutrients.
In addition to the fact that corn is difficult to digest, popcorn is a snack that has a lot of fat and salt. And those famous industrial popcorns that we buy to make in the microwave, still have preservatives, artificial flavorings and an exaggerated amount of seasoning and salt.
In addition to causing digestive problems, excess fat can lead to rapid weight gain and increased cholesterol levels in dogs. Excess LDL cholesterol (so-called “bad cholesterol”) often favors the accumulation of non-soluble fatty plaques in the arteries, which favors the development of cardiovascular disease. Too much salt is also detrimental to a dog's heart health and can lead to a case of canine hypertension.
We can think of the possibility of a homemade popcorn, made in a pan with little oil or steam, without preservatives and without salt. Obviously, this snack would be much less dangerous or harmful to our furry ones than industrialized popcorn. But let's be realistic and assume that hardly anyone prepares popcorn without oil and without salt, and the vast majority of people prefer microwave popcorn bags, which are the ones that do the most damage to our dogs due to the amount of salt and artificial substances.
That's why, although it's not always among the prohibited dog foods, popcorn is not a beneficial or safe food for your best friend. To please or reward your dog during your training, you can choose to snacks more natural and healthy.
My dog ate popcorn, now what?
If your dog ate a very small dose of homemade popcorn, made with little oil, no preservatives and no salt, perhaps this ingestion will prove harmless and your dog will not have adverse effects. Either way, it's important that you give your dog plenty of water and be very attentive to your behavior during the 48 hours after ingestion of popcorn, because that's about the time it takes your body to eliminate the toxins. And drinking plenty of water will help with this detox process.
However, if your dog ate microwave popcorn or homemade popcorn with a lot of oil and salt, it will probably show digestive problems, such as gas, vomiting or diarrhea. It is also logical that your dog is very thirsty and wants to drink plenty of water due to excessive intake of salt and artificial flavors.
So if your dog eats popcorn, the best thing you can do is take him to the vet to rule out the possibility that this treat is bad for your health. If ingestion is light or harmless, your puppy will be under observation, relying on the experience of a veterinarian.
However, if your best friend develops adverse effects resulting from this inappropriate intake, they will have trained professionals who will assess the need for a stomach wash and offer the most appropriate treatment to restore your well-being.
If you want to know if dog can eat watermelon check out this article by PeritoAnimal.