Can My Dog Eat Fries?

Health

Can your dog eat fries? Yes, they can. Should your dog eat fries? No, they shouldn’t.

It is often difficult to deny our precious pets some of our own favorite snacks. But, its always to think about their health before giving them human food.

While your dog won’t necessarily fall ill immediately after consuming a french fry or two, there’s nothing in fries that will benefit your dog’s health.

Fries typically contain three main ingredients: potatoes, oil, and salt. None of these are particularly beneficial for dogs.

Potatoes:

Potatoes are not harmful to dogs when consumed infrequently and in small quantities. However, these are high in starch and carbohydrates that your dog doesn’t need.

In fact, based on the nutrient recommendations provided by the National Research Council, carbohydrates are unnecessary for a healthy canine diet, which should be composed mostly of protein and certain levels of fat. Carbohydrates like potatoes can also cause your dog to have excessive energy and even gastrointestinal upset.

Oil:

Certain sources of fat could be good for dogs in small quantities. However, fries are loaded with oils that can cause indigestion, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting in dogs.

Dogs that frequently consume oil could develop pancreatitis, a serious condition that could also lead to even more serious diseases like diabetes.

Salt:

A small quantity of salt is essential to a good canine diet. However, salty snacks made for humans have salt in quantities that can cause dehydration and excessive thirst in dogs.

In bad cases, excessive salt could lead to a fatal electrolyte imbalance called Hypernatremia.

Furthermore, much like in humans, dogs that frequently consume too much salt could also develop weakened kidneys, liver, and heart.

Conclusion:

Fries are delicious but have no real nutritional value for dogs (or humans for that matter).

While small quantities every so often shouldn’t harm your dog, consider avoiding it altogether and give your dog high-quality dog treats that are not only healthier for them but safer as well.

Do you let you dog eat french fries? Let me know in the comments.

References:

Potatoes:

Oil:

Salt:

Conclusion:

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