Can Dogs Eat Popcorn? Read Before You Feed

Just like us, dogs also can eat popcorn. But there are some problems with the way of preparing and serving of popcorn to your dog.

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Without age discrimination, people love to eat popcorn as a snack. Popcorn has become an essential snack in every time when we are watching a movie. It is hard to imagine a person who do not like popcorn because that much people love it. Imagine your dog somewhere in the corner stares at you with big sad eyes. You will probably give some popcorn to that innocent. And you may have a question whether popcorns are suitable for dogs.

They are popped corn kernel made by using a popcorn machine, a microwave or a heated pan. They are tastier with added flavors like salt, butter, caramel, cheese, chocolate and peanut butter. Those toppings would be harmful to your dog. That is why you should be aware when your dog eats popcorn.

Below you can see summarize of good and bad of feeding popcorn which we discussed thoroughly, later in this article.

Is Popcorn Healthy for Dogs

There is a lot of confusion how healthy or unhealthy popcorn is. First thing we should check whether popcorn is a real food. Real food means they are extracted from nature. Answer is yes. Popcorn is a natural food. It’s a plant like other types of corn.  

Nutritional Value of Popcorn

Without added flavors, popcorn is not bad for dogs. Plain popcorn is always healthy for both humans and dogs. Corn kernels contained several nutrients which are important to dog’s health. They are mainly energy, protein (small amount), fiber, minerals and small number of vitamins. Important minerals are magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron and manganese. Fiber helps in digestion and it helps to reduce your dog’s intestinal problems.

But remember that popcorn does not contain a considerable amount of nutrients.

How to Give Popcorn to Your Dog?

Fully air-popped popcorn without any toppings is the acceptable way to preparing popcorn for your dog. Many of us love popcorn with tasty toppings. But don’t feed your dog with toppings.  When you are preparing popcorn for you, first you can separate a small portion for your pup before adding flavors. But you should remember eating few pieces of popcorn dropped here and there will not harm to Your dog. As well as too much popcorn also can make troubles in your dog’s health.

Homemade popcorns are the best. You can easily make popcorn at home. A pan and a little amount of oil is perfect. That means it does not contain preservatives and salts. So, these popcorns are less harmful than industrially produced popcorn.

Why Popcorn is Bad for Dogs?

Even though people taste popcorn with various dipping, dogs should not eat popcorn in such way. We add non-healthy flavors to popcorn. Because butter, poor quality oils and salt like toppings can lead to intestinal upset in dogs. Unnecessary amount of sweet and butter also make obesity and obesity related health problems in your dog. Popcorn is not a daily basis meal to your pet and it’s only a nice occasional treat.

Can dogs eat popcorn with cheese? There is cheese flavored popcorn in the market. You may think cheese is good for dogs. But most of these flavored cheeses are cheese powders. They are unhealthy.

Don’t give them prepacked popcorn too.

Can Dogs Eat Popcorn Kernels?

No. Another risk factor is partially popped corn kernel can stuck in dog’s teeth and can make a choking hazard. That is uncomfortable to your dog, when they stuck in teeth. So, you should remember to remove whole or partially popped kernel, before giving popcorn to your dog. Specially pups and small breeds cannot digest it well.

Can Dogs Eat Popcorn Shrimp?

Popcorn Shrimp is a type of   fried breaded and battered shrimp seasoned with several spices and served with different sauces. So, remember that popcorn shrimp is not the type of popcorn we talked earlier. It is completely a different food. It contains so much artificial ingredients. So, it is not good to feed your dog too much popcorn shrimp.

Side Effects Caused by Unhealthy Popcorn

• Digestive problems (gas, vomiting, diarrhea)
• Dehydration from too much salt
• Kidney problems by eating too much salt regularly
• Obesity from eating high fat popcorn
• Thirsty and kidney problems due to excessive salt

Conclusion

Popcorn is an unreplaceable snack to all of us can enjoy in anytime. If you have dogs at your home, they also wander if they can have some too. So, you also tend to give some to taste it. Now we know the good and bad thing with popcorn to your dog. So, hope you will enjoy popcorn together with your pet dog.