A night on the couch, watching movies and sharing popcorn is one of those "little pleasures" that life offers us and that we love to share with those we love. So it's totally normal for you to wonder if you can do it with your best friend and if dogs can eat popcorn, especially when he looks at you with that "begging" face every time you open the envelope, right?
However, in this article on our site we will explain why dogs can't eat popcorn and what consequences excessive consumption can have in your state of he alth. Keep reading!
Is popcorn good for dogs?
Popcorn is not a suitable food for dogs as it does not offer any beneficial nutrients to your body. In fact, when we consider incorporating new foods into your diet, we must consider whether or not they are part of your nutritional requirements, such as quality proteins, fats and, to a lesser extent, fiber, minerals or vitamins [1]
Other foods, such as potato chips, can also be compared to popcorn, offering more calories and empty fat than nutrients. Does that mean we shouldn't offer French fries to our dogs? Not necessarily, since occasionally they can eat one or two, but the ideal is to replace them with boiled potatoes, although always offering them in moderation, since they are not part of the basis of their diet.
Why shouldn't dogs eat popcorn?
To understand why we should not offer popcorn to our dog, we must first point out that corn is not an easily assimilated foodfor dogs, as other appropriate cereals could be, such as oats, barley or flax. In addition, popcorn is a food that contains a lot of fat and s alt, even more so when we talk about industrial microwave popcorn.
In addition to causing digestive problems, excess fat can cause rapid weight gain and high cholesterol levels in dogs. The excess of LDLcholesterol (known as "bad cholesterol") generally favors the accumulation of fatty plaques that are not soluble in the arteries, which favors the development of cardiovascular diseases. Too much s alt is also detrimental to a dog's heart he alth, which can lead to a case of canine hypertension.
We can think of the possibility of making homemade popcorn, made in the pan with little oil or steam, without preservatives and without s alt. Obviously, this snack would be much less dangerous or harmful to our furry than industrial popcorn. But let's face it and assume that hardly anyone pops oil-free, s alt-free popcorn, and that the vast majority of people prefer microwave popcorn bags.
Therefore, although they are not always among the prohibited foods for dogs, popcorn is not a he althy food for your best friend. To please or reward your dog during his training, you can opt for natural and he althy treats for dogs.
My dog ate popcorn, what do I do?
If your dog has eaten a very small dose of homemade, low-oil, preservative-free, s alt-free popcorn, that meal may be harmless and may have no adverse effects. In any case, it is advisable to offer fresh and clean water to the can.
However, if the dog has ingested a large amount of industrial popcorn it is very likely that it will have digestive problems, such as gas, vomiting or diarrheaIt is very likely that you are also very thirsty and want to drink water due to excessive s alt intake.
In the most serious cases a intoxication in the dog could occur, in which case we would observe incoordination, dizziness, muscular rigidity, excessive salivation, bleeding, uncontrollable urination and other abnormal signs. In these cases we should go urgently to the vet to perform a stomach pump and/or hospitalize the individual.
