The answer depends on how the potatoes are prepared. Dogs can eat potatoes as long as they are plainly cooked and offered in moderation. Roasted potatoes, prepared without spices or butter are the best way to let your pet have a taste of a delicious spud.
But avoid giving your dog raw or boiled potatoes as they’re not safe for dogs to eat as they contain solanine. Always cook the potatoes before offering them to your pet.
As with any human food, make sure you check with the vet before adding it to your dog’s diet. Pooches suffering from diabetes need to be particularly careful when it comes to potatoes.
Too much and their blood sugar might become too high. So, if your dog has diabetes, it’s best to avoid potatoes altogether.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Potatoes?
You should never feed your dog a raw potato. White potatoes belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which includes tomatoes; like tomatoes, raw potatoes contain solanine, a compound that is toxic to some dogs. However, cooking a potato reduces the levels of solanine.
If you do feed your dog a potato, it should be baked or boiled, with nothing added to it. Potatoes fried in oil, such as French fries or potato chips, or potatoes with butter or salt added to them are not healthy for dogs. If your canine companion has diabetes, they should not be given potatoes, which can cause blood sugar spikes.
A dog’s body is designed to get most of its nutrients from animal protein, so if you decide to feed your pup baked or boiled potatoes, it should be done in moderation. Giving a dog too many carbohydrates can result in obesity or other health problems.
Can Dogs Eat Potato Skins?
While potato skins can be incredibly delicious and crunchy, they should only be given to your dog sparingly. Potato skins contain oxalates. Oxalates are fine in moderation. However, if your dog eats too many potato skins, they may develop kidney problems.
In order to keep your pet safe, consider supporting the potato skins to yourself and only sharing small amounts of unseasoned, cooked potatoes.
What Should I Do If My Dog Ate A Raw Potato?
As we’ve already discussed, raw potatoes can be dangerous to dogs, but whether or not you take them to the vet depends on how much they eat. Eating a single raw potato from your garden is unlikely to cause any severe health issues, especially in otherwise healthy dogs.
However, since small dogs are more susceptible to solanine and chaconine, it’s wise to take your dog to the vet after they consume anything that could be potentially toxic.
Reactions to raw potatoes depend on your dog’s size, age, health, and how much they ate. While most dogs should be OK after consuming a small portion of raw potato, you should still monitor them for signs of a bad reaction, including behavioral or medical symptoms.
For example, solanine can cause hypersalivation, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, drowsiness, central nervous system depression, confusion, weakness, and a slower heart rate.
Additionally, eating raw potatoes can cause mild GI upset, resulting in vomiting and diarrhea, especially in dogs with sensitive stomachs. If your dog is experiencing one or more of these symptoms, you should take them to the vet as soon as possible.
When Are Potatoes Bad for Dogs?
Dogs should not eat raw potatoes. They include a compound called solanine, which is toxic to many dogs and can cause what’s sometimes referred to as potato poisoning.
University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine associate professor Richard Hill, VetMB, PhD, says the green sprouts and green potatoes are harmful, too. Sprouted potatoes have higher levels of glycoalkaloids, including unsafe solanine.
So if your dog accidentally eats potato peels because he rooted through the trash while you were at work, call your veterinarian right away. A small amount might only make him vomit or temporarily have diarrhea, but it’s best to schedule a checkup.
We’ve established that dogs can eat cooked, plain potatoes, so keep your canine friend away from garlic-mashed potatoes. Garlic, onions, scallions, chives, and leeks contain thiosulfate, a chemical toxic to dogs.
What Potatoes Can Dogs Eat?
How you prepare potatoes makes a big difference on whether they’re OK for dogs to eat. Generally speaking, cooked plain potatoes are fine for dogs. But potatoes that are fried or prepared with other ingredients like butter and cheese are not a good option.
Mashed Potatoes
When prepared without harmful ingredients such as garlic or butter, mashed potatoes are safe for dogs to eat. You can add a small serving of plain mashed potatoes to their regular kibble as a food topper the next time you make a batch for yourself.
Just set aside some of the plain mashed taters before you add butter, salt, or cream to your own serving.
Baked Potatoes
Like mashed potatoes, baked potatoes are safe for dogs to eat if they’re plain and have not been topped with any harmful ingredients (hold the cheese and sour cream!). Potato skins can upset your dog’s stomach, so it’s best to peel them off before sharing.
Raw Potatoes
Don’t let your dog have raw potatoes. Raw potatoes contain solanine, which can be toxic to dogs if ingested in large amounts. If your pooch tries to dig them out of the garden, consider adding a fence to keep your pup away or else they’ll likely end up with an upset stomach or diarrhea.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potato is safe for dogs to eat and is a great source of nutrition for your furry friend. Sweet potato is rich in fiber, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants.
This tasty root vegetable can help regulate digestion and promote a healthy immune system. Boiled, mashed, or baked sweet potato in small amounts is a healthy treat for dogs, but steer clear of giving your dog sweet potato fries.
Fries
Fries aren’t good for dogs, since the salt and oil they’re prepared with can make your dog sick. If he sneaks one or two off the floor, your pooch will probably be fine. But too many fries could lead to pancreatitis or other long-term health issues, so be careful.
Potato Skins
Potato skins are difficult for dogs to digest, so remove the skin from any potato you share with your dog. If he gets into any peels from the trash or compost pile, call your vet, as the solanine in the skins can be toxic in large quantities.
Potato Chips
Potato chips are not good for dogs. They’re high in salt, fat, and other harmful ingredients that can make your pooch sick if he eats too many.
That said, if your dog sneaks one or two chips from your plate, he’ll probably be fine. Just don’t give him chips as a regular treat especially if your dog has any health issues.
How Much Potato Can My Dog Eat?
Share potatoes with your dog as a treat and follow the 10% rule: up to 10% of your dog’s daily calories can come from treats. A golf ball-sized potato with the skin removed contains about 130 calories.
How to Serve Potatoes for Your Dogs?
For some, potatoes are best when smothered in butter and cheese, while others prefer fried and salted. Dogs shouldn’t consume those kinds of concoctions, though.
It’s fine to give your dog a few french fries here and there. However, the extra salt and fat we like to add to potatoes aren’t healthy for your dog, so limit the number of treats he gets from them.
Potatoes should be served to dogs, boiled and unseasoned. You can bake, steam, or mash the potatoes for them.
What Happens if a Dog Eats Potatoes?
If you feed your dog properly prepared potatoes in moderate quantities, it won’t have any issues. In fact; it might even benefit from its iron, vitamins, and fiber content. Fiber can help your dog remain full longer and may even aid in weight management.
However, if your puppy eats potatoes in large quantities, then it is at risk of gaining weight due to their high carbohydrate content. Moreover, potatoes are not nutritionally balanced food for dogs. As always, introduce new food slowly to your pet.
Dogs need balanced nourishment through animal protein with healthy fats and antioxidants. Potatoes cannot provide these nutrients. This can cause nutritional deficiencies which can result in health issues in dogs.
Do Potatoes Affect Blood Sugar Levels?
When your dog eats carbohydrates like potatoes they’re broken down into glucose, which becomes energy. Insulin is released to move the glucose into the cells. This becomes a problem when large amounts of starchy carbs like potatoes form part of your dog’s diet.
They’ll cause blood sugar spikes, so insulin is constantly being secreted to manage the glucose. Over time, your dog can become less sensitive to insulin, causing the pancreas to produce more insulin more often. Ultimately it can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Insulin resistance puts your dog at risk for thyroid disease and some types of cancer. One of the roles of insulin is to store body fat, so it can cause weight gain in your dog. It can be a challenge to remove the weight when his system isn’t regulating carbohydrate consumption properly.
