We all know how much dogs love to eat. Every dog owner knows that once you let the dog in your home, you will never again eat without puppy eyes looking straight at you. Or more eyes actually, if you have a multi-pet household.
Dogs are so used to getting treats that even when you don’t serve them, they will find a way to grab an additional bite. So, should you let your dog help you with clearing the popcorn bowl? Let’s discover.
Can Dogs Eat Popcorn?
Yes and no. Popcorn itself is not bad or dangerous for dogs. In general, corn kernels contain minerals that are important to canine nutrition, including:
- magnesium
- zinc
- phosphorous
- manganese
Also, corn kernels contain fiber and vitamins, that are also great for dogs.
So, what’s the deal-breaker? People love popcorn because of additional ingredients, such as salt and butter. This ingredient is what makes popcorn so delicious.
Naturally, dogs love popcorn for the same reason. The truth is that although popcorns with salt and butter are delicious, they are not too healthy for us. The same goes for dogs.
Canines are not made to tolerate oils, salt, butter, and other toppings on popcorn that we love to use often. Also, every bite of greasy food can eventually lead to obesity, rising problems among pets.
So… Is It Safe For Dogs To Eat Popcorn?
As long as you serve your dog plain air-popped popcorn, it’s safe for him to eat this snack. Avoid any toppings, salt, and even regular butter.
Plain popcorn is the best option for your canine. Of course, dogs should avoid food, that’s not good for them all the time. However, if they snick something from the kitchen counter (and they are masters in that area!), you should know that he will be fine. Just make sure to check what he ate and in how significant portion.
Eating buttered popcorn with salt won’t do much hard, as long as your doggo ate a few.
If he eats a large amount of salt or buttered popcorn you can expect diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach noises all night long.
If the sickness lasts longer, make sure that you contact your veterinarian.
Popcorn And Your Dog’s Health
Keeping your dog healthy is crucial if you want your dog to live a long and healthy life.
Since the huge part of their loneliness is their diet, it’s mandatory to keep nutrition on the right track. Therefore, you need to provide good nutrition, adequate workout, and proper treats, next to early training and socialization.
Having a healthy dog requires time, dedication, and a serious financial investment. If you let your dog eat food that shouldn’t be eating, you are opening a gate to hell.
Offering unhealthy food in large amounts on a daily level will eventually lead to obesity, heart problems, and many other health issues that you can be or not, well aware.
So, if you let your dog eat salty popcorn with butter, you can expect a long line of different health-related issues.
On the other hand, if you treat your good boy or a girl, with an occasional plain popcorn here and there, then the investment into your dog’s health will still be worthy.
As mentioned earlier, at its core, popcorn is safe for dogs. Again – at its core. As long as its served plain, without other delicious ingredients. When served plain popcorn to your dog, you are serving him plenty of fiber.
As you may know, fiber is beneficial both for humans and dogs when it comes to a robust digestive system. In addition, popcorn contains iron, protein, and a long line of B vitamins.
If you feed your dog every day with popcorn, he will be ingesting all the necessary ingredients? Of course not. The truth is that plan popcorn is just an excellent and safe snack option, from time to time.
Dogs treats are specially designed for reasons, and they should be used every day. In a nutshell, popcorn won’t boost your dog’s health enormously.
Alternatives To Popcorn
If you want to reward your dog with safe human treats, you should think about safe ones first.
The first thing that you should always bear in mind is the frequency. Although some human foods are safe for dogs, that doesn’t mean that they should eat it often.
Everything served to dogs should be balanced. So, what’s the best way to serve popcorn to your dog?
Serving Popcorn To Your Dog
Plain popcorn should be your first option. That variety is also the best one. However, if you want to bring in some diversity, you can serve cheese bacon popcorn and peanut butter popcorn.
Cheesy Bacon Popcorn
As you probably know, dogs can eat tiny amounts of bacon. Still, you should avoid feeding him with bacon only.
If you are fixing up breakfast to yourself with bacon, you can use the oil and mix it with popcorn. Don’t serve too much fat. Another option is to spread your popcorn on a baking sheet and cover the reduced-fat and bacon bits.
Cook until cheese melts and let it cool. Serve.
Peanut Butter Popcorn
Low-sugar peanut butter can be an excellent addition to make popcorn more interesting.
Make sure that peanut butter doesn’t contain Xylitol. You can mix it with olive oil and mix it with popcorn.
Can Dogs Eat Popcorn – Conclusion
Since dogs are such diverse eaters, it can be challenging keeping them away from human foods. As is comes, some foods are more suitable for dogs, while others not so much.
So, when it comes to popcorn and dogs, you should keep it simple. No extra salt, no additional ingredients, such as butter, chocolate, or anything with sugar or Xylitol in it.
Dogs should only eat plain popcorn without salt.
