What can a dog eat and what not? Our dogs are different from their owners. Products with seemingly harmless to us will be very dangerous for our four-legged friend. Like the food popcorn with salt! That means can dogs eat popcorn? Well, read this post till the end we should figure out it.
Popcorn is a form of corn that many people love, but not everything that people enjoy is safe for dogs to consume. Knowing if popcorn is a safe treat for dogs and if so how much is too much can help prevent unnecessary problems with your dog.
What is Popcorn?
Popcorn is popped corn, this is corn that is specially designed for this. The corn grain consists of a shell with starch in the core. Before the corn kernel pops, it has a moisture content of about 10-15%, when the kernel is heated, the water present in the core of the corn kernel evaporates to steam.
This steam cannot escape through the shell, which was almost completely seated, causing the pressure in the grain to rise. Most of the people like popcorn flavor and love to eat but can dogs eat popcorn?
Nutritional Value of Popcorn:
Popcorn is popped corn, the nutrients it contains are:
- Vitamin-B6
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
Shapes of Popcorn
Popcorn is a special designed form of corn but there are actually two different types of popcorn.
Butterfly:
Butterfly popcorn is the classic spread-out snowflake core used in movie theaters and microwave-ready varieties of popcorn. Within the butterfly type there are also different types of kernels that produce slightly different colors and sizes of popcorn.
Mushroom:
Mushroom popcorn is a rounder, baseball-like or brain-looking wick often used for coated popcorn because of its more even surface.
In addition to the two different types of popcorn, there are also different ways that popcorn is popped.
- Microwave: This is a common method of popping popcorn because it is fast and there are so many flavor options. Microwaves use small particles called microwaves, which are similar to radio waves, to heat up moisture in popcorn to make it pop. Oil and various chemicals are most commonly used in microwave popcorn.
- Air: Special air poppers can be purchased. They use hot air and steam to pop popcorn. This method does not require any added oils or chemicals, making it the healthiest way to pop popcorn.
- Stove-Top: Popcorn kernels are placed in a saucepan, skillet or wok and heated with oil to make popcorn on the stove.
- Electric: Similar to how popcorn is popped on the stove-top, electric popcorn poppers use oil and heat, but also have an automatic stirrer to keep the popcorn moving so the kernels don’t burn.
- Direct Fire: Campfires and grills produce fire that heats up popcorn kernels, making them pop from the use of oil in aluminum foil.
Can Dogs Eat Popcorn? Is Dangerous for Your Dog?
Popcorn is often a favorite snack in the cinema, but it is also quite an experience for children to make it themselves. You can eat popcorn both salty and sweet, even natural is an option, only then the taste experience will be a lot lower than when you add salt or sweetener to it.
What if your dog gets a fallen piece in its mouth, is this harmful or is it not harmful? Should you go to a vet, these are all questions we can imagine coming to mind.
As stated earlier, popcorn is popped corn. Corn in itself is not dangerous for a dog, so not even in the form of popcorn.
Just make sure that the popcorn is plain, salt is harmful for a dog and too much sugar is not beneficial for a dog. But let’s be honest: who likes to eat plain popcorn without flavor?
The dangerous thing for dogs is the large amounts of fat and salt they consume through popcorn. This leads to dehydration in the short term and obesity in the long term.
In addition, the unpopped, hard corn kernels are also dangerous for your dog, because they can seriously damage the teeth and gums.
Health Benefits of Popcorn For Dogs
Popcorn can be a healthy snack for dogs because of the variety of vitamins and minerals it contains, along with some fiber. Calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, vitamins B6, A, E and K, folic acid (B9), niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2), thiamin (B1) and pantothenic acid (B5) are all natural in regular popcorn.
While these vitamins and minerals may not make up a large percentage of a dog’s nutritional needs, it’s good to know that popcorn is a healthy snack rather than nutritional deficiency. However, it is important to remember that preparing the popcorn and any additives or flavorings can negate the health benefits that popcorn can bring to a dog.
Potential Health Risks with Popcorn For Dogs
Popcorn, while healthy when it’s plain and air-popped, isn’t healthy when salt, butter, and other flavorings are added. Microwaveable popcorn is one of the least healthy types of popcorn and should not be given to dogs due to the chemicals and fats added to it.
As a rule of thumb, any popcorn with added oils and things should be kept away from a dog as these ingredients can cause problems for your dog.
Potential problems feeding your dog buttery or flavored popcorn include diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration from excessive salt, kidney damage from excessive and prolonged salt consumption, and weight gain.
Temporary and self-limiting diarrhea and vomiting, which are not uncommon with sudden dietary changes, are the most common symptoms in a dog who has enjoyed buttered popcorn, especially if it was more than a few pieces.
Your Dog is Simply Not Made For This
There is a difference in which the dog’s body breaks down certain substances. For example, the sweetener xylitol (from chewing gum and gingerbread, for example) or the bitter thebromine (from chocolate) can poison your dog. While we humans have no problem with this.
Before we go to the overview of dangerous and non-hazardous products, we will first briefly focus on such an emergency.
How Can You Safely Share Popcorn With Your Dog?
Once you get your vet’s approval to share some popcorn with your pup, you have to make sure you prepare and serve it safely.
Air-popping your popcorn is simple and quick. You can do this using a popcorn machine, the microwave, or even the stove-top.
Make sure to keep the popcorn you feed your dog plain, without any additives like salt or butter, to keep it healthy enough for them to eat. Take a few pieces from the popcorn you prepare for yourself and make sure there are no uncooked kernels before giving them to your dog.
You may also feed them something else besides popcorn that might be a healthier or even better option for them to have.
The Bottom Line
If you want to take the guesswork out of what foods your dog can eat like can dogs eat popcorn? Then you should try ordering fresh, custom meals for your dog. If your dog isn’t lactose intolerant, then plain Greek yogurt, popcorn or cottage cheese can be enjoyed in small amounts, too.
