One of the most common junk foods that we all crave is french fries. Sometimes, our dogs make puppy faces to have some pieces of fries from our plates. But can dogs have french fries?
A couple of french fries will not harm a dog, especially if he is a large breed. Don’t get mistaken in thinking that dogs can eat the french fries that we eat generally. For them, the cooking process is different. If you let them eat french fries from a restaurant, the results can be devastating.
This article will relate to the precautions that you need to follow before feeding your dog with fries.
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Can Dogs Have French Fries?
Luckily, dogs can enjoy french fries like us, but with few exceptions. For example, they can’t digest the ingredients that we use to make french fries. Besides, they can’t eat as much french fries as we can eat. It means you need to follow some safety concerns to let your paw friend have them.
Whether your dog is eating french fries for the first time or after many times, his vet must know about it.
Risks Of Having French Fries For Dogs
All human foods can somewhat be risky for dogs, especially when they eat them in the wrong way and wrong amounts. For instance, french fries are high in sodium content, and dogs are not allowed to have high sodium. If a dog eats too many french fries, he indirectly consumes too much sodium. This can raise his blood pressure, leading to restlessness and dehydration.
Eating too many french fries can also be the reason for inflammation in dogs. It is because french fries have trans and saturated fats which come from the oil. This can inflame a dog’s pancreas. The initial symptoms can be bloating, gassiness, and abdominal pain. If the condition gets worse, he may suffer from pancreatitis.
Even if a dog doesn’t face a severe disease, he can’t escape some common symptoms. Such as vomiting, diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal distress.
French fries are high in both fats and carbs, which are enough to gain weight. If you want your canine friend to maintain the perfect weight, french fries should be occasional treats for them.
Another risk that we can all miss out from our mind is allergic reactions. If fresh potatoes can trigger their allergies, so are the fried potatoes. In such cases, they can get swelling, hives, rashes, and irritated gut.
French fries are again a bad companion for dogs when they have added salt, spices, and seasonings. For example, we add corn flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and many other ingredients to french fries. These all can disrupt a dog’s intestine, causing vomiting and diarrhoea. As french fries already have sodium, adding extra salt can lead to salt poisoning. This especially happens when they take too many salted french fries.
What To Do When Dogs Have French Fries?
If your dog eats french fries in the right way and in the right amounts, maybe you have to do nothing. Well, we will discuss the correct procedure for feeding french fries to dogs later. But what if your dog mistakenly eats too much or flavorful french fries?
Firstly, you need to monitor his symptoms. See if he is vomiting, having diarrhoea, drooling, panicking, or having abdominal pain. Then tell your vet about these symptoms accordingly. Meanwhile, you can let him drink some water to calm down. If he is urinating too much, maybe he is suffering from salt poisoning. But if his body is swelling or having rashes, this could be because of the allergies. Your vet must know every sign. If needed, take your dog to him and offer immediate treatment.
How To Offer French Fries To Dogs?
While preparing any food for your canine friend, you need to be more alert. You can’t let him eat french fries from your plate. It is because you prepared the fries for yourself in a tasty way which can be toxic for dogs. If you want your dog to have french fries, make some more time and prepare for him in another way.
Make sure the potatoes that you will use to make fries are fresh and organic. Then wash them properly, and peel off their skin. Cut the green parts too (if any). They can be toxic to dogs. Then make small pieces of the potatoes, like we do for making fries. Keep the pieces as small as possible to avoid choking hazards. Then, as usual, boil the pieces, and fry them in olive oil, palm oil, or soybean oil. Do not add any ingredients to enhance the taste, not even salt.
After the fries are ready, let them cool a bit. Now your paw friend can enjoy a couple of pieces.
How Many French Fries Can Dogs Have?
You can decide how many french fries your dog can have only after they are prepared safely. French fries have high amounts of fat, i.e. 15 grams of fat in each serving. Meanwhile, dogs should not have more than 21 grams of fat. Also, they are high in sodium, i.e. 190 milligrams of sodium per serving. Dogs can’t have more than 200 grams of sodium in a day.
Hopefully, french fry is not the only human dish you will serve your dog. You will serve him other human foods too, like fruits, veggies, rice, etc, which will have fats and sodium. It means the amount of french fries should be low in dogs’ meals so that the fat and sodium content doesn’t exceed their required value.
If you own pigs, Yorkies, or any extra-small breed, they can eat half of a french fry. Again, beagles, basenjis, and other small breeds can eat one french fry. Border Collies, Basset Houndscan, and other medium breeds can eat 1 ½ french fries. German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, and all large breeds should not eat more than two french fries. And if he is an extra-large dog, like Great Pyrenees and Newfoundlands, three pieces of french fries won’t harm him.
When Can Dogs Have French Fries?
Since french fries offer some health risks, we need to be certain if our dogs should eat them or not. As said earlier, french fries are high in sodium. If your dog is struggling with high blood pressure or dehydration, better don’t give him french fries. They are also high in fats that can put on weight among dogs. Hence, overweight or obese dogs should avoid them.
If you ever see your dog panicking from eating fresh potatoes, it means french fries are not for him. This is a sign that he has allergies to potatoes. Most importantly, your dog should have his vet’s approval before eating french fries or any human foods.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have French Fries?
Can dogs eat french fries every day?
Dogs should not eat every day, or else they can be prone to salt poisoning, high blood pressure, and dehydration. This can also lead them to weight gain and obesity.
Is ketchup with french fries safe for dogs?
Like any other ingredients, ketchup is an unsafe option for dogs to eat with french fries. This can increase the fat and sodium content that is already present in french fries.
Are french fries good for dogs?
French fries have zero nutritional value but are loaded with fats and sodium. It means french fries do no good to dogs and humans.
Final Verdict
After knowing so many side effects of french fries, we may still think, Can dogs have french fries? The answer is yes if they are saltless, have no ingredients if dogs are not allergic and have their vets’ approval.
Even if you don’t add salt or any ingredients to french fries, they are still junk food. They give almost zero benefits to dogs. It would be better if you substitute french fries with unflavoured chicken or beef in your dog’s diet.
