If you are like me who loves watching a movie with a tasty bucket of popcorn and has your lovely dog by your side begging you to share it with you, you should know if dogs can have popcorn and especially can dogs eat buttered popcorn?
Many people do not realize that high-fat human foods can be harmful to a dog’s health. Dog owners associate fatty foods with being beneficial for a dog, but that is far from the truth. These foods usually have serious side effects for your dogs.
Below you will get to know more about popcorn, dogs, and whether that food source is good for them.
Is Buttered Popcorn Safe for Dogs?
Most of the time, popcorn is harmless for a dog’s consumption. According to the American Kennel Club, popcorn is safe for dogs to consume if you provide it to them in small quantities. However, there are some caveats. According to experts, popcorn can also be good for dogs because it contains valuable nutrients. Popcorn contains fiber, which is very good for digestion.
It also has minerals like magnesium and zinc, which can also be beneficial.
Dumping butter, caramel, cheese, and sugar on popcorn is, however, not the most nutritional choice. It is not safe to be feeding your dog all the extra butter, fats, and salts. Not only does this make your dog fatter, but the different kinds of butter and oils can be difficult for your dog to digest.
Can Dogs Eat Caramel Popcorn?
Caramel consists of butter, creams, and other ingredients that do not sit well inside a dog’s stomach, so caramel popcorn is not good for dog consumption. Even feeding them sugar-free caramel popcorn is not a good idea, as it consists of xylitol which can be poisonous to canines.
Can Dogs Eat Salty Popcorn?
Too much salt can be detrimental to your dog’s health. According to a vet-related study, salts can create a poisonous impact on a dog’s body. In some instances, it is also the reason why a dog will shake and have tremors. If it upsets the stomach, the dog will start showing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. To counter salt toxicity inside a dog, you can give them fresh water.
Can Dogs Eat Cheese Popcorn?
Despite cheese popcorn being delicious, dogs should stay far away from it. The cheese that usually comes with popcorn contains different types of additives and oils that are not good for your dog’s stomach.
Can Dogs Eat Sweet and Artificial Colors Popcorn?
How to Prepare Popcorn for Dogs?
1.Ideally, it is best to take an air popper and purchase popcorn that only has one ingredient, which is corn. This means that you should pass on packaged popcorn that needs to be microwaved. Microwave popcorn includes many additives and flavor enhancers that are unhealthy and can be detrimental to a dog’s consumption.
2.It may be tempting to use a microwave when making popcorn. Using an air popper is the better option. They are not very expensive, and they make good popcorn.
3.You could also make popcorn using a pot, but that involves a different process of getting the pot hot and adding oil to it. This is why an air popper is a better way to prepare popcorn. Making popcorn in an air popper will only take a few minutes.
What is a Good Serving Method for Popcorn for Dogs?
It is not good to give your dog a large bowl of popcorn. When feeding popcorn to your dog, the best practice is to give it as a treat one piece at a time. When giving it a treat, use it as positive reinforcement for the dog only giving it to the dog when it obeys a given instruction.
This will help you train your dog and make it more obedient. Another good method to feed your dog with popcorn is to mix it with its regular meals.
For instance, when you prepare a meal for your dog, you can mix some kernels into the food when you are serving it warm to your dog. This will give the meal extra texture and crunchiness that your furry friend will love.
Precautions and Caveats When Feeding Your Dog Popcorn
If your dog has a corn allergy, then popcorn is not a good option for your dog. Another thing to keep in mind, especially with smaller dogs, is that popcorn can also be a choking hazard.
To avoid this, make sure you do not give your dog popcorn unsupervised. It is also important to give your dog a fully popped kernel and not a half popped piece that presents the highest risk of a choking hazard.
Final Summary
So can dogs eat buttered popcorn? The simple answer is no. If you are feeding popcorn to your dog, keep the quantity limited, and make sure that the popcorn is air-popped, without any flavors or additives at all.
Thank you for reading our “Can Dogs Eat Buttered Popcorn?”
We would love to hear about your experiences giving your dog buttered popcorn – please leave a comment below.
We believe that other dog owners will definitely appreciate and benefit from it.
References:
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/toxicology/food-hazards/raisin-and-grape-toxicosis-in-dogs
