There are pros and cons as to when can dogs eat popcorn. Considering how sensitive dogs can be, you must be extra careful as a dog owner.
Popcorn is not one of those foods that humans should avoid. Unlike junk foods, popcorn contains minerals that are good for the body. That is because popcorns came from kernels after all.
The same thing can be said to dogs. Although in an ideal situation, you would want to give popcorn to your dog on rare occasions. Popcorn contains magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc that improve the dog’s overall nutrition.
Popcorn Flavoring
The thing with popcorn is that most people are not fans of plain old popcorn. To add flavor to the popcorn, people started to introduce salt and melted butter. In this way, the classic snack would be more fun to eat.
This is not the case for dogs though. As mentioned before, dogs are sensitive.
If you ask if dogs can eat popcorn with butter? The answer is not so simple as it seems.
You can feed popcorn with butter to your dog, and your pet dog will still be fine. However, you must remember dogs are more susceptible to intestinal problems.
Too much salt and fat can also cause obesity to your dog. If you insist on feeding your dog with popcorn, then a plain, unsalted one would be the best choice.
Creating New Popcorn Flavor
There are also quite a few other flavors aside from salted popcorn and popcorn with butter. Note, however, that these alternatives, just like the salted and butter version, must be given occasionally.
The first would be cheese-flavored popcorn. It’s an all-time classic, but can dogs eat cheese popcorn? Yes, however, not all type of cheese is allowed. Similar to butter, cheese is considered to be a dairy product. Therefore, it contains fat.
Your dog could benefit from getting calcium from eating cheese. At worst, it could upset the stomach of your beloved dog. Unless you want to go fancy with cheese, you can opt for cottage cheese, as it contains less fat compared to regular cheese.
The second well-known flavor is popcorn with caramel. Nearly every person loves sweet food. But can dogs eat caramel popcorn? The answer is simple; sugar-based product is not advisable for your dog.
The effects of too much sugar in a dog’s body is similar to that of humans. Dog’s too can experience dental issues, get obese, lost focus, and at worst have diabetes.
This happens if the sugar level goes beyond the advisable amount. It is, therefore, a good practice to keep sugar-based products away from your dog’s sight.
Popcorn Alternatives
Other than popcorn, you can also be creative and introduce your dog to other food.
Avocado can be considered as an alternative to popcorn. There’s a good amount of nutritional benefits your dog can get from eating avocados. They are fruits, to begin with. The only problem with it is that your dog may not be convinced to eat on the first try.
Dogs may get sick since the taste of avocado is unusual. But when your dog has gotten used to the taste, you can prepare it on a regular basis.
You just have to be careful when feeding them. When taken in large quantities, your dog may experience digestive problems. To know more about avocadoes and the effects it may bring to your dog, visit the link here.
Mushroom is also one of that unlikely food for dogs, but definitely a must-try. Mushrooms contain vitamins and minerals that could enhance your dog’s metabolism.
However, before buying any mushroom, you have to remember what kind of mushroom is allowed for dog consumption. The kind of mushrooms that humans eat is the kind of mushrooms allowed for your dog.
If it so happens that your dog ate a wild mushroom, they will experience diarrhea, vomiting, and weakness among other things. If you have observed these side effects, immediately go to a veterinarian. To know more about mushrooms and the effects it may bring to your dog, visit the link here.
You can also get fancy with your dog and try feeding them with almonds. But, they are not advisable. Most almonds sold in the supermarket contain have additional seasoning. These seasonings may vary from salt to artificial flavoring.
These seasonings can have harmful effects on your dog. Instead of feeding them raw almonds, you can create a recipe that may resemble almond flavor. To know more about almonds and the effects it may bring to your dog, visit the link here.
Other Things to Avoid
You might wonder ask when can dogs eat popcorn kernels then? Since the topic of popcorn and popcorn flavors have been discussed.
Two things could possibly happen. The first one would be that these kernels will get stuck between your dog’s teeth. It may get a little annoying on your part since you have to find and remove them. The other thing that may happen is that your dog may choke if you are not careful enough when feeding him.
Conclusion
There really is nothing wrong with feeding your dog just about any food. In this case, feeding it with popcorn. You just have to be extra careful.
Enjoying the next late-night show is all fun and relaxing until your dog feels unwell because of that weird food you just fed him.