24 Jan Potato for Dogs: A Nutritious Treat or Potential Risk? What You Need to Know!

Dogs are omnivorous and can eat a lot of food, fruits, vegetables, and meat. But what about potatoes? Is potato suitable for dogs? How and how much can we give them to our dogs? In this article, we will answer all these questions. So stay tuned.

Potato for Dogs

Potatoes aren’t harmful to dogs, but cooking and preparing them is essential. French fries or potato chips high in salt, spices and oils are poisonous to dogs, and you shouldn’t give them. So if you’re eating a dish full of chips, fries, and sauce and your dog looks at you pleading, don’t give them any potato! You might think that a slice of potato is okay, but it makes your dog get used to it, and every time you fry or eat chips or potatoes, he wants some food. Thus, you endanger your dog’s health in the long run. Remember to give your dog cooked (boiled or baked) potatoes without adding oil, salt, spices or sauce.

Nutritional Value of Potato for Dogs

Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional value of potatoes for dogs:

• • Vitamins: Vitamin C promotes skin health and boosts the immune system, while vitamin B6 supports brain function and development.

1. 1. Minerals: Potassium supports heart and muscle function.
   2. Fiber:  Fiber improves digestive health and helps regulate bowel movements.

While these nutrients can be beneficial, it’s crucial to prepare potatoes for dogs in a dog-friendly manner. Potatoes should be cooked thoroughly, as raw potatoes can be difficult for dogs to digest. It’s also essential to avoid adding harmful ingredients like butter, oil, salt, or seasonings.

Some Potato Recipes for Dogs

• Preparing mashed potatoes for dogs: Mashed potatoes are a creamy and unique combination made with baked potatoes, butter, cream, cheese, salt and black pepper. This combination is delicious, but almost all its other ingredients are harmful and dangerous for dogs, except for potatoes! If you want your dog to eat mashed potatoes with you, take one of the baked potatoes and put it in a separate container for your dog. Then, combine the cooked potatoes with a tablespoon of whole yoghurt and make a delicious and healthy puree for your beloved dog.
• Potato birthday cake: Mix the minced chicken or beef, eggs and grated carrots well, pour into a muffin tin, and bake in the oven. Then cover the muffins with mashed potatoes (without salt, spices and oil). To decorate the cake, you can use a variety of colourful and harmless food for the dog, such as peas, apples, mangoes, bell peppers, etc., and make a healthy, beautiful and delicious birthday cake for your furry friend.
• Potato treat: Cut the potatoes into thick rings. Then, shape them into bones with a particular mould or a sharp knife! Put the potatoes in boiling water for a few minutes and then use them as a treat or next to the dog’s main meals. Suppose your dog likes crispy and crunchy potatoes. In that case, you can put the bony potatoes in the oven for a few minutes to make them crispier. Baked potatoes and cooked vegetables such as carrots and peas are ideal and delicious for dogs.

How Many Potatoes Can I Give MyDog?

With all their advantages and disadvantages, potatoes should sometimes be given to the dog as a treat and food diversity. In this case, you can use the 10% rule: up to 10% of your dog’s daily calories can be provided through dog treats! Be aware that an average potato has about 130 calories. The proper amount of potatoes varies for each dog and depends on breed, age, weight, activity level, and health status. Talk to a veterinarian to get a balanced diet for your dogs.

Different Kinds of Potatoes for Dogs

• Sweet Potato for Dogs: Sweet potatoes aren’t potatoes and belong to a separate vegetable family. It has brown skin and orange inside and is mainly used in North America and Mexico. It’s interesting to know that sweet potatoes are more useful for dogs Because the toxic substance solanine isn’t in them, and even if the dog eats raw potatoes, there’s no dangerous problem. However, cooked potatoes are more accessible for dogs to digest. Sweet potatoes contain vitamins A, C, B6, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and many other essential nutrients for the dog’s health. Most dogs usually don’t have a problem with potatoes. Still, since each dog is different and unique, it’s better to give the potato to the dog first. You can still give him some potatoes if there’s no problem with digestion and excretion.
• Raw potatoes: Under no circumstances should you give your dog raw potatoes. Raw potatoes, like tomatoes, contain a substance called solanine, which is toxic and dangerous to most dogs! Cooking potatoes dramatically reduces the amount of this substance and makes eating it safe for dogs. Therefore, those with a farm or plant potatoes in their garden should be careful that their dogs don’t eat raw potatoes at some point.
• Potato Skin: If there’s skin when cooking a potato, it’s no problem, But we suggest peeling the potatoes before serving. Potato peel is rich in oxalate, which is harmful to dogs. A dog that eats potato skins may show symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, lethargy, chills, seizures and cardiac arrhythmias. Also, if your dog eats a large number of peeled potatoes (for example, half his weight), he can develop kidney failure. The important thing is to check the potato’s skin well when you want to cook potatoes for your dog. If parts of the potato’s skin are green, don’t give it to your dog. The green colour means this potato contains more solanine; cooking them doesn’t eliminate all toxins.
• Boiled Potato: A small amount of potatoes doesn’t cause a problem for the dog’s health but is also beneficial. But it would help if you only fed your dog a few potatoes because it can have many disadvantages. Eating a lot of potatoes can cause constipation and digestive problems for dogs. But how much potato is “too many”? And how much is your dog allowed to eat potatoes? The proper amount of potatoes varies for each dog and depends on breed, age, weight, activity level, and health status. A veterinarian should determine this number.

Other Vegetables and Fruits for Dog

In addition to small pieces of boiled or baked potatoes, your little friend can eat various fruits and vegetables as a treat. Also, to make homemade food for your dog, you must know these foods better. Some good fruits and vegetables for your dog include bananas, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green beans, mangoes, peaches, and more.

Suppose you want to cook for your dog and use potatoes in preparing his food, or you sometimes want to give cooked and boiled potatoes to your dog as a treat. In that case, we still suggest discussing the matter with your veterinarian beforehand. Also, frequent consumption of foods containing peas, lentils or potatoes can increase the risk of developing dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs in the long run. This disease is prevalent in the Golden Retriever breed.

The Last Word

Providing dogs with the proper food and nutrition is the key to their health and freshness. Dog food should be high-quality (appropriate nutritional value) in terms of hygiene without contamination. It should be fed to the dog with fresh and sufficient water. This method will guarantee the health and well-being of your dog. To have a healthy and lively dog, you must pay attention to nutrition, activity, fitness, grooming, etc. You can prevent the disease and have a healthy dog in this case.