French fries are one of the trademark foods of fast food chains such as Wendy’s, Burger King, and of course, McDonald’s.
In fact, french fries are the most popular menu items at McDonald’s, and McDonald’s uses more than 3.4 billion pounds of U.S.-grown potatoes every year to satisfy the fry demand.
Now let’s imagine (and this probably won’t be hard to do!) that the next time you go to dig into your hot bag of crispy fries, you hear a moaning from your canine friend under the table.
They want to share. And you may be tempted to share the treat with your pet.
So a question a lot of us dog lovers have is, “Can Dogs Eat French Fries?”
In this article, we will tell you whether french fries are safe for dogs to eat. You’ll also learn about the potential health benefits and/or harmful effects eating fries on our dogs.
Can Dogs Eat French Fries?
The short answer is no; dogs should not consume french fries. French fries are an unhealthy food option for dogs. In fact, sometimes they can even be toxic.
There are many types of foods that are not good for dogs, such as grapes, bones, chocolate, and french fries fall in that list.
Why are French Fries Bad for Dogs?
French Fries are bad food for our furry pups. It is considered to be an unhealthy food for our dogs.
While potatoes are not necessarily bad for dogs, they are not great either. This is because dogs cannot digest carbs as well as humans can. Excessive carbohydrates can lead to conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
But, it is in the way that french fries are cooked that is harmful. Fries are deep-fried making them high in trans and saturated fat, This can pose a lot of health problems- like obesity for one. Unhealthy fats can lead to numerous health conditions such as heart disease, kidney issues, pancreatitis, and more.
Fats are not the only concern when it comes to french fries. Often fries are served with a generous amount of salt added. And salt is always bad for dogs.
At the very least, salt can cause kidney problems for your dogs. At its worst, it can cause salt poisoning. To add to that, some people tend to put a lot of seasonings on their french fries.
When are French Fries Toxic for Dogs?
We have mentioned before that seasonings can be harmful and unhealthy, if not toxic, to your dog. For example, you may put paprika in your french fries, which is a big no-no for dogs.
Some dogs are also allergic to potatoes, so it would be best not to give your dog one if they are allergic to them. Most of the time, potato allergy is not that bad for your dog; however, in rare cases, it can be fatal.
Do not worry, though, as french fries are not generally toxic to dogs. A piece or two will not instantly put your dog in a hospital.
And there you have it! French fries are unhealthy for dogs, so we advise you to avoid sharing your fries with them, or anything deep fried for that matter.
Learn More About What Human Foods Are Healthy or Harmful for Dogs
This article is a part of our special series of articles about “What Human Foods Can Dogs Eat?”
In the next article, get the answer to the question Can Dogs Eat Squid?
