With the epidemic of unhealthy fast food spreading faster than wildfire nowadays, french fries immediately comes to mind. What used to be a healthy, natural potato is turned into thin, deep fried, salty strips of potato that don’t do any good to anyone.
So, where were we again? Oh, yeah. You’re home and your order of your favorite meal has just arrived, which usually almost always contains deep fried french fries on the side, no matter what you’ve ordered.
So, you start delving right into it, and here comes your furry best friend who wants in on some of that action! But, can dogs safely eat french fries? Or is this a tragedy in the making?
If the answer to that question isn’t already clear from the terrible rep given to french fries in this introduction paragraph, then let’s get into the specifics.
Can Dogs Eat French Fries?
You might be really tempted to share some fries with your dog when you’re having some, especially if they start nagging and begging for some, but this question gets a big fat NO.
It’s our duty and responsibility as mature pet owners to keep our dog’s best interest in mind at all times, and doing the right thing in situations like this proves we are worthy of our dog’s trust.
Just like french fries are very unhealthy for you and I to eat, the same is true when it comes to your dog.
Why would potatoes that were changes from their natural form into a deep-fried form that’s filled with salt and other harmful ingredients (additives and preservatives) ever be a good food choice to feed your dog?
It’s obvious that this is a very bad and unhealthy choice for your dog!
So there you have it, french fries should remain off-limits at all times whenever Fido is concerned.
Why Are French Fries Bad For Dogs?
– French fries provide absolutely no nutritional benefit to your dog
– French fries are insanely rich in calories, much more than regularly prepared potatos, which leads to your dog becoming obese
– French fries are extremely high in fat content (thanks to how they are deep fried when being prepared), which leads to your dog developing pancreatitis
– French fries are rich saturated fat (which is anything but healthy for dogs) and contains high levels of the worst type of fat, transfats, which is known to cause health problems in humans and dogs alike
– French fries usually have a lot of added salt to them, and if you give your dog food containing high amounts of salt (as is the case in french fries) then the chances of them getting sodium poisoning are very high
Some people will tell you that it’s fine to give your dog a couple of french fries every now and then, and that it won’t do much harm.
However, it’s best if you don’t ever get your dog familiar with french fries at all so they don’t start to expect that this become a regular food in their diet.
Dogs usually make a habit out of something even if you only expose them to it a couple of times, and while this does indeed differ from one dog to another (based on different personality types and characteristics), you’re playing on very thin ice here if you insist on giving your dog french fries “from time to time”.
You and I may think that french fries are so much more tasty that your good ol’ potato, but truth be told, your dog doesn’t find much difference between the two.
Feed them a potato in its most natural form or in its french fries form, your dog will love you for either – so why choose to go down the route that will harm your dog while you could achieve the same goal by going with the safer option?
My Dog Ate French Fries, What Should I Do?
If it’s too late and your dog already ate french fries, then don’t fret.
If your dog only ate a few pieces of french fries, nothing bad will happen most of the times and it’ll just pass by.
But, make sure to not let this happen again so your dog doesn’t make a habit out of it and think they are allowed to eat french fries.
However, if your dog ate a large amount of french fries, then you’re going to have to monitor them for symptoms of poisoning, mostly sodium poisoning due to the high amounts of salt in french fries.
These symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Decreased apetite
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Muscle tremors
- Seizures
If you notice any of the following symptoms in your dog after they eat french fries, you have to get them to immediate professional animal care, because it’s more than likely that they’ve been poisoned by excessive levels of sodium in their blood.
