When talking about our dogs’ health, we always want them to eat food that reduces their risk of developing diseases or to maintain their good health. There are foods recommended for dogs because of the multiple nutrients they have, however with conditions. One of these foods is potatoes. Thus, can dogs eat potatoes? Absolutely yes, but its impact on our dogs’ health depends on how we prepare it.
Potatoes, known as Solanum tuberosum, are low-calorie crops rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, dietary fiber, B6, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, and niacin. These are just some of the content of potatoes because they differ based on their variety. Based on these components, there are multiple benefits of potatoes.
Benefits of Potatoes
a. It is an antioxidant.
Antioxidants prevent the accumulation of free radicals. When accumulated in one’s body, it might increase the chance of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Furthermore, it prevents the growth of liver and colon cancer.
If you want to choose a type of potato with higher antioxidant content for your dogs, you might consider buying colored potatoes such as purple or red ones.
b. It helps maintain a healthy glucose/sugar level.
One interesting thing about potatoes is that it contains resistance starch. There are a lot of studies that prove how resistance starch improves blood sugar control in an animal’s body. If you want to know more about this, you can read into this article; 7 Health and Nutrition Benefits of Potatoes. Thus, this is helpful once you don’t want your dogs to develop sugar content-related diseases.
c. It greatly helps in maintaining good digestive health.
Just like us, dogs need to have a healthy digestive system. Resistance starch has a great role in this as it is converted into butyrate, short-chain fatty acids, in the intestine. Butyrate helps reduce colon inflammation and the risk of colorectal cancer formation. Not only that, but it helps in curing inflammatory bowel disorders such as ulcerative colitis.
Why do we have to take extra care when serving potatoes to our dogs?
There are components of potatoes that are alarming when dogs, even human beings, take a high dosage of it, such as solanine. Solanine is a natural component of all plants under the genus Solanum. It is a toxic chemical that can cause diarrhea, fever, slow pulse or breathing, and vomiting. Potatoes are very nutritious, but we have to observe ways to lessen its toxic components.
How can we lessen the Solanine content of potatoes?
The dosage of solanine in a potato is higher when it is raw, so it is advised for you to make sure that the potatoes are fully cooked before serving it to your furry friend. Some dogs can handle a higher dosage of solanine, but some cannot. Can dogs eat raw potatoes? Some dogs can eat it without showing any symptoms or signs of solanine poisoning, but for us to ensure their safety, it is advised for you to cook first the potatoes. Also, solanine is usually higher in potato skin, so it suggested for you to peel first the potatoes before cooking.
Can dogs eat red potatoes?
As long as the red potatoes are boiled or baked, it is safe for dogs to eat. Other than that, it contains a higher amount of healthy or beneficial components than white potatoes. It contains potassium, calcium, folate, vitamin K, A, and C, omega-6, and omega-three fatty acids. Thus, this has components that help maintain the healthy skin of your dogs. This is a better choice for you if you have a diabetic dog because it has a lower glycemic index than white potatoes.
Can dogs eat mashed potatoes?
Yes, dogs eat mashed potatoes; however, it is recommended that you avoid adding seasonings such as onion powder, garlic, salt, and others. Avoid adding food supplements that could cause disease or illnesses such as anemia and dehydration. Mashed potato without seasoning is healthy for your dogs.
Can dogs eat baked potatoes?
Absolutely! Aside from boiling, one way to lessen the amount of Solanine content in potatoes is through baking. On the other hand, baking plain potatoes are healthier than adding seasoning or supplements that might negatively impact your pet’s health. Adding sugar into it might increase the sugar content in dogs, which is bad, especially for diabetic dogs. What if you boil it? Can dogs eat boiled potatoes? Yes, they also can! Aside from baking, boiling helps in decreasing the toxic content of potatoes, such as solanine.
After reading this article, I hope that it has cleared your doubts about letting your furry friends eat potato or not. If not, I hope this gave you an idea on how to serve potatoes to your furry friends. Again, potatoes are nutritious and are recommended for different types of dog breeds. However, remember the tips given above to help your dog maintain a healthy body and have them live a longer and happier life.
How about other vegetables such as carrots? For you to know about this, I invite you to read our article. This will help you know the benefits of carrots and the maximum amount of carrots that your dogs should take in a day. You can also read the article about celery so that you have all the important knowledge needed such as the amount of celery and tips that you could follow in serving celery for your dogs.