sour cream and onion chips

Can Dogs Eat Sour Cream And Onion Chips? – Complete Guide

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Sharing snacks with our dogs is a great bonding experience. However, some human foods like onions can be really bad for dogs. So can dogs eat sour cream and onion chips?

Dogs should not eat sour cream and onion chips because their ingredients can be harmful to their health. There are potential digestive issues and toxicity that can occur. But there are ways to replace it with a better substitute.

What kinds of effects do the ingredients of this food have?

The main ingredients for this dish are potatoes, onion, and sour cream. However, there are a few more that should be of interest.

Can dogs eat potatoes?

These veggies by themselves are fine for dogs to eat. Offering them boiled or baked is perfectly fine as long as no spices are added. They contain important vitamins like C and B6, as well as some useful minerals. However, served raw, they can cause toxicity in dogs due to a compound called solanine. “The only way to remove solanine is to cook the potato by boiling or baking it.”, says the Animal Care Clinic.

Instead of using potato chips, you may consider using corn chips. However, dogs can not eat tortilla chips if they contain many spices. Given plain, they can be fine in small amounts.

What are the effects of vegetable oil?

Unfortunately, chips are potatoes fried in canola oil or sunflower oil. This leads to some risks of dogs eating sour cream and onion crisps. It adds a lot of calories and saturated fats to the meal. By giving these ingredients over a long time, the dog has a risk of gaining weight and developing obesity.

Eating a huge amount of fats in a short time can lead to the dog developing pancreatitis. This is a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas. Dr. Tammy Hunter explains the symptoms of this condition as such:

The most common clinical signs include nausea, vomiting, fever, lethargy, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. During an attack, dogs may take a ‘praying position’, with their rear end up in the air and their front legs and head lowered onto the floor. If the attack is severe, acute shock, severe depression, and even death may occur.

Can dogs eat sour cream?

This delicious topping can be perfectly fine for dogs to eat. Given in moderation, it will satisfy the cravings for something creamy for your dog. However, it can be problematic if the dog suffers from lactose intolerance. 

In this situation, it is real to expect that the dog will develop digestive issues once it ingests some cream. So signs like vomiting and diarrhea can be a common occurrence if you feed this food to your dog regularly.

What about onion and garlic powder?

One of the biggest risks of feeding sour cream and onion chips to dogs is the inclusion of spices. Onion and garlic belong to the Allium family of plants. “Alliums are thought to contain toxins called disulphides and thiosulfinates that cause damage to red blood cells.”, according to the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. This leads to a life-threatening condition known as hemolytic anemia. Dogs with this health problem will become lethargic and their gums will turn pale. They will be prone to fainting and require treatment.

Is salt really bad for dogs?

Chips are often seasoned with salt to elevate the taste. However, dogs are very sensitive to sodium and can only consume it in really small amounts. The average number according to guidelines says that dogs should not have more than 0.5 grams of salt per 100 grams of food.

Dehydration is a serious complication when a dog eats too much salt. Regarding the symptoms of sodium toxicosis, Dr. Larry J. Thompson says that:

Excess salt intake in dogs results in vomiting within several hours after ingestion. Clinical signs can progress to weakness, diarrhea, muscle tremors, and seizures.

What should you do if you see your dogs consuming sour cream and onion crisps?

The first thing you need to do in this situation is to stay calm and remove the snack from your dog. Some dogs don’t know when to stop eating so you will need to physically remove the food from their vicinity. Then, watch out for any symptoms in your dog. Try to figure out how much it had to eat.

Once you have all the information, contact your veterinarian nutritionist for advice. They will advise you on ways to help your dog. If needed, you will be asked to bring your pup to their office for further diagnostics and treatment.

How to prevent your dog from eating this food in the future?

If you want to prevent further accidents from happening, you will need to act accordingly. Make sure you put all foods that are dangerous for your dog in a high cupboard or a safely closed fridge. Whenever you eat this food, don’t leave leftovers lying around, but throw it in the trash or eat it. Make sure your trashcan is well-secured and your dog doesn’t have access to it.

Tell your family and close friends to stop allowing your dogs to eat sour cream and onion chips. You should also train your dog some commands to control its eating. Teaching the command “drop it” will be of high use for you. However, obedience training should begin at an early age. If your dog doesn’t listen to you, there is always the option to hire a professional dog trainer.

What are dog-friendly alternatives to sour cream and onion chips?

Because sour cream and onion chips are not safe for dogs, you should substitute them with other snacks. Almost all fruits make for great alternative treats for your dog. Apple slices and carrots and crunchy and tasty snacks offer many benefits. Blueberries and bananas can be given frozen and make for the perfect treat during summer.

Any kind of meat cooked simply without adding any seasonings and oils is also a safe treat for a dog. The same goes for some types of fish. You can also try making homemade dog-friendly snacks at home that resemble crackers and chips. Just make sure to use ingredients that are proven to be healthy for dogs.

Can dogs eat sour cream and onion chips? – In conclusion

There are many human snacks that will seem delicious to dogs. But unfortunately, some of them can cause serious issues.

Dogs that eat chips expose themselves to many ingredients like vegetable oils that can cause upsetment for the canine digestive system. Added spices like onion powder are known to be very toxic to canines. Salt is safe, but in very high amounts can cause potential health risks for dogs. Sour cream can also be a good treat but has some risks for dogs.

If your dog does eat this food by accident, you should do anything you can to prevent the situation from getting complicated. In the future, make sure to teach your dog not to eat anything unhealthy.

FAQ

How long after consuming the chips should I wait before I see symptoms in my dog?

Most symptoms will appear a few hours after the food has been ingested. Usually, it will start will vomiting and then continue with lethargy and seizures. Symptoms of choking may appear instantly after eating.

What are the signs of food allergies in dogs?

If your dog happens to be allergic to some ingredients in its food, you will often see rashes and redness on its skin. The dog might start itching and coughing as a way to relieve the symptoms. GI symptoms like vomiting are also common.

What other common household snacks should I be wary of for my dog?

Besides the fact that dogs can not eat sour cream and onion chips, they also can’t eat harmful foods like macadamia nuts and raisins. It’s commonly known that dogs should not eat chocolate or any foods containing xylitol.

Are there specific breeds more susceptible to food-related health issues?

Certain dog breeds like the Labrador Retriever and Daschund are very prone to weight gain and obesity. Compared to them, dogs like the Bulldog and the Boxer have very sensitive digestive systems.

More dog nutrition resources

Here are a few other resources talking about giving certain foods to dogs and the effect they have on their health.

You can find a lot more information on the types of food you can feed your dog on our site Dogisa!

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