Can I give my dog chips?

Potato chips are an extremely popular household snack and it’s only a matter of time before your pet dog begs you for a taste. So when the salivating starts, should you share some of this salty snack?

Obviously chips are a junk food that shouldn’t be fed to dogs, at least on a regular basis. We’ve all felt guilty, at one time or another, about not sharing with a best buddy but that’s besides the point.

The top priority should be your dog’s long term health when deciding whether to provide this processed food. Hopefully you’ll feel better about being strict after hearing about all the downsides to giving potato chips to a pet.

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Can I Give My Dog Chips? Answer: Not toxic, but still a bad choice

They certainly aren’t a healthy snack so don’t make a routine of it.

You don’t want your dog to develop a bad feeding habit such as this one. Though canine can process potatoes, most types of chips are highly processed. Think of all the additional oils and fats as well as artificial ingredients that go into your favorite brand of chips. It’s a health hazard for pets, and the high sodium levels of could even contribute to doggie dehydration.

Just Not Worth It

Dogs don’t get the same pleasure factor from eating chips that we do. They’ll just wolf it down, crunch it up, and it get on with their day. In fact, it won’t even stay in their mouth long enough to savor it. It’s just fuel for them, the wrong kind. Sure, they salivate in anticipation but don’t let that factor into your decisions.

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We know that it can be tough to refuse your dog. If you aren’t tough, this bite-sized junk food can easily end up being tossed to them without a second thought. Providing potato chips is a dangerous habit that could have consequences later on. So, at the very least, strictly limit them to just a few and only do so on occasion.

Whole Bag of Chips!

If your dog somehow raided the pantry and consumed an entire bag of chips, or more, expect to be cleaning up some diarrhea fairly soon. The intoxicating smell of this human snack means your buddy cannot resist. In fact, they may just eat until all the chips are gone! At that point, their body will be dealing with a massive amount of oil, fat, salt and processed potatoes.

Since the canine digestive process is comparatively fast, it doesn’t take long for it to come spewing out the other end.

All Brands & All Flavors

Junk food manufacturers, like Frito-Lay, are always trying to entice people to try new flavors. They are coming out with extreme forms of potato chips, some of which are fairly spicy. It’s safe to say that these varieties are even worse for dogs and could really upset the stomach, among other long-term health consequences. Potato chips, with the fewest ingredients as possible, are the least harmful if you must provide a taste.

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Understand that all kinds of chips are really inappropriate for dogs.

Top Up Fido’s Water Bowl

The salt (sodium) from processed chips will tend to make your dog really thirsty. It’s important to have a fresh supply of water at the ready. Shortly after a decent amount of potato chips are consumed you’ll hear the unmistakable sound of your dog drinking that water. This should be a good indication that chips can create a hydration concern, in addition to the other negative attributes that we’ve outlined.

Conclusion on Chips

Avoid giving your dog potato chips or any other kind of processed junk food snack. There are so many reasons to not allow canine consumption of such unnatural treats. If you care about feeding habits and long term health, don’t feel guilty about leaving your pet dog out when you snack on chips. If and when sharing, at the very least, don’t allow it to the point where Fido is always expecting to receive their fair share of chips.

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