Can Dogs Eat Mashed Potatoes?
Do you really think that you can share everything you eat with your doggie? Does everything you eat are safe to eat for your dog as well? You should really think upon this the next time you share the food bowl with your furball. No matter whether it is a pickle, mashed potato, marshmallow, or pizza, you should be aware of the ingredients of which these food items are made before you feed it to your dog. You should literally know what can be fed to your dog and what not to. Because dogs would stare at you and demand for everything you eat, and it is you who should play intelligent here to keep your dog healthy.
You can give mashed potatoes to your dog in a small quantity if it is necessary. Mashed potatoes aren’t made of only potatoes as it sounds. Mashed potatoes are safe for dogs if it not topped with gravy, sour cream, or butter. However, mashed potatoes are not considered very healthy for dogs and are not recommended to be fed regularly or in large quantities.
Let us look more into how mashed potatoes are made, what are their ingredients, and why it is not considered healthy for your furballs.
Why Is Mashed Potatoes Not Healthy For Dogs?
Mashed potatoes are made by mashing cooked potatoes. The potatoes alone wouldn’t do any justice to your taste buds. Therefore, mashed potatoes are added with milk, butter, or flavorings to make it yummy and fluffy.
Mashed potatoes are generally high in fat. The consumption of too much fat can lead your dog into an obese condition. It will also increase the chances of diabetes and heart diseases. Too much fat intake can also cause pancreatitis. It can be a life-threatening condition for your dogs if not treated well. prevention is always better than cure. So, better not to include too much fat in your dog’s diet.
Potatoes are nutritious for dogs as it is for humans. It contains Vitamins, Minerals, Magnesium, Iron, and several other nutrients required for dogs. However, overfeeding your dogs with potatoes can lead them to obesity. Obesity can make the life of your dogs worse. It would pave way for many other diseases as well.
Potatoes contain a chemical substance called Solanine which is found to be toxic for dogs. Solanine is mostly found in the potato peels. And, peeling off and cooking up the potatoes destroys solanine up to an extent. However, you should be careful whenever you feed potatoes to dogs. introduce potatoes in small quantities and make sure that your dog doesn’t show any allergic symptoms.
The majority of the dogs have lactose intolerance. Mashed potatoes are, however, blended with dairy products such as milk, butter, and cream to increase the flavor and fluffiness. So you should definitely know what mashed potatoes are made of before you feed them to your dogs. And obviously, you should not feed mashed potatoes with dairy products to your lactose-intolerant dog.
Mashed potatoes with dairy products can make your dog’s stomach upset. It may lead to indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, breathing problems, or rashes.
Different Varieties Of Mashed Potatoes
Many varieties of mashed potatoes are available in the market. Let us have a look at some of them and find out whether it is safe for dogs.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Garlic mashed potatoes clearly contain garlic. Do you think that garlic is safe for dogs? Definitely, garlic is not good for the health of your dogs. Garlic can damage the red blood cells and lead your dog into an anemic condition. It will also cause digestive problems in dogs leading to vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Therefore, never take a chance on the life of your dog by feeding Garlic mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes With Gravy
You would love to have mashed potatoes with gravy. Gravy is one of the most loved and popular toppings for mashed potatoes. But, is it safe for your dogs as well? Not really. Gravy is not a safe topping for mashed potatoes for your furballs. Do you know why? Gravy has high sodium levels that can affect your dog’s health. Excess sodium in the diet of your dog will affect its kidney severely increasing your dog’s thirst. Gravy may also contain onion and garlic that are hazardous for your dog’s health. It is also high in fat and can contribute to obesity.
Mashed Potatoes With Butter And Milk
Mashed potatoes are added with milk and butter to increase the texture as well as the flavor. Diary products are not much favorable for your fur friends. Diary products are not easily digested from the stomach of dogs. Dogs lake milk digesting enzymes such as lactase and renin. Therefore, the consumption of dairy products leads to indigestion problems in dogs. It may cause diarrhea in dogs.
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes available in supermarkets would be obviously high in sodium content. Excess sodium levels are not recommended for the diet of dogs. High sodium levels can cause kidney impairment in dogs resulting in more thirst and weakness. Instant mashed potatoes may also contain cheese which is not safe for dogs.
Instant mashed potatoes may also contain garlic, onion, and herbs that are hazardous for the health of your dogs. Therefore, check up on the ingredients of instant mashed potatoes before you feed it to your dog.
Mashed Potatoes With Green Peas
Sometimes peas are served with mashed potatoes. Green peas are good for dogs when served in small amounts. Green peas are rich in Vitamins, Fibers, and Minerals. However, consuming a large amount of peas may trigger gas problems leading to indigestion in dogs.
Mashed Potatoes From KFC
Mashed potatoes from KFC are first of all high in sodium content. You know well that excess sodium is not required for dogs and it might affect the kidney of your dogs. Mashed potatoes from KFC also contain several chemicals that can be hazardous for your dog’s life.
Alternatives For Mashed Potatoes
Now you know that majority of the mashed potatoes you eat are not safe for your fur friends. So, you can make relatively healthier mashed potatoes for your dog at your home.
You can boil some of the vegetables safe for your dogs and mash them without adding any seasonings. Skip the addition of onion and garlic. Also, don’t add butter or milk to make mashed potatoes fluffy. You can satisfy the cravings of your dog by serving a little from this healthy mashed potatoes variant.
Sweet potatoes are safer and rich in nutrients required for dogs rather than ordinary potatoes. Therefore, regulate the number of potatoes and add more sweet potatoes in the diet of your dog.
Conclusion
Mashed potatoes are definitely not a good choice of snack for dogs. Make a healthier version of it excluding the toxic ingredients if your dog really craves it. Do not share everything you eat with your fur friend. Especially, potatoes rich in carbohydrates can drive your pet into obese conditions. You may share such food items out of love, but it would actually make their health worse and life threatened.
