A dog’s happiness can be in various forms through acts of service, physical touch, and gift-giving.
Right into your dog’s wagging tail and little puppy eyes, you may see their interests as you bring bags full of surprises, such as bags of food, toys, or even a new collar.
Your dog waits as you open your present. But, can a bag full of chips take part in your dog’s happiness? Can your dog eat hot chips?
Let’s try to find out as this article aspires to get a closer look at hot chips, their impact on your dog’s health, and the best and safe ways to serve your dog with this food.
What are Hot Chips?
Hot Chips are processed snacks commonly found in supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast-food outlets.
These snacks are packed in plastic bags and are usually deep-fried. As a readily available cheap option for people to snack, Hot Chips have become a popular choice for those on the go.
There are lots of famous hot chips you can buy, such as Kettle Chips, Twisties, Doritos and more.
These foods are the best alternative for different cravings since they offer flavors like Sour Cream & Onion, Pizza, and many more.
So, you don’t have to bring yourself anymore to expensive restaurants to satiate your needs!
For your benefit, hot chips are made from potatoes that are rich in starch. Potatoes also contain folic acid, vitamin C, and B-complex vitamins like thiamine (vitamin B), riboflavin (vitamin B) pantothenic acid (B).
Food family of Hot Chips
Hot Chips belong to the family food of chips and crackers — a processed snack commercially prepared from potato ingredients.
Chips are thin, crisp, or brittle food made from potatoes or cereal grains like corn and rice. Potato chips are sliced thinly with knives, whereas potato flakes make tortilla chips by pressing them between hot plates to remove moisture content.
During the production, chips are cut from the starchy center of the potato, deep-fried, and then salted to produce a tasty snack.
Hot chips are rich in carbohydrates, fiber, and protein but low in fat. Because of the high content of starch, a complex carbohydrate, it takes time for our bodies to break down this food into glucose.
Glucose provides energy that can be used by body cells as fuel, so your brain will work better, and you feel more energized.
Since it fuels the human body, can hot chips be part of a dog’s diet, too?
Can dogs eat Hot Chips?
Hot chips contain no toxic, harmful substances. And it goes to show that dogs can eat hot chips!
However, since dogs have a minor digestive system compared to humans, it will take them a long time and more effort for the food’s complete digestion.
The more you feed hot chips to your dog, the higher its stake in having developed digestive problems.
Dogs can have a few chips as an occasional treat rather than sticking them into their daily meal plan to be on the safe side.
And to make feeding more manageable, we created the best ways to feed your dogs with hot chips:
Best Ways to Feed your Dogs with Hot Chips
Create your own version of hot chips
We believe in your creativity. So why not buy raw potatoes, wash them and slice them yourself. You can add your spices to the potatoes before putting them into a baking tray, then pop them in an oven until cooked thoroughly.
In this way, you may get rid of additives found on commercially produced chips that have been deep-fried for hours.
Nevertheless, you will also control ingredients added to hot chips and monitor how much you give your dog.
Cut in small pieces or strips that are easy for dogs to chew and swallow.
Since hot chips are processed food, it’s best to cut them into smaller chunks before serving them up to our beloved pets.
If the size of the potato chunk is large, it will be harder for dogs to chew, swallow and digest. So, as much as possible, it’s best when you feed hot chips that are already cooked (crispy), so your dog will find it easier for digestion.
As an additional tip, make sure the potato coat is not too thick since eating raw potatoes isn’t a good idea if it’s still complete with starch inside.
Best choices for dogs with hot chips as an occasional treat
You can give your dog small pieces of potato or tortilla chips as a gift. However, be careful not to overfeed it since we don’t want them having digestive problems.
Also, take note that there’s not much difference between cooked and raw potatoes in terms of nutrition values, so go on and enjoy this snack!
Reasons Why Dogs Can Eat Hot Chips
To quite an extent, convenience eating hot chips also comes with health benefits for your dogs. So we did a little research, and here’s what we found out:
Energy-providing foods
Hot chips are energy-providing food for humans. However, since dogs also get energy from carbohydrates, it’s not surprising that this type of food can boost their daily nutrient intake.
Here, carbohydrates empower your dog’s body to have a higher energy level and better mood. In addition, being low in fat is not greasy at all, so dogs won’t have stomach aches after eating hot chips.
Rich source of Vitamin B
As a rich source of Vitamin, hot chips are also packed with essential nutrients for your dog’s body.
This type of food can offer protection against heart diseases and cellular damage since it has high vitamin C levels that are good for maintaining tissues in our pet’s bodies.
Likewise, dogs will have healthier skin, especially if they eat more hot chips.
Provides Potassium
As a rich source of potassium, it’s not surprising why dogs love to have this type of food as their snack since they can maintain important fluid balance in their bodies with the help of vitamin B complex and Vitamin C, which is good for them!
Also, potatoes contain calcium that works together with potassium to produce neurotransmitters.
Possible Concerns When Eating Hot Chips
Hot chips also deliver hot health issues when your dog overeats the food. So as a dog owner, you have to watch out for these possible health concerns:
Overweight
Hot chips are high in carbohydrates and calorie content. Therefore, an extra serving of this type of food can lead to obesity if your dog gets too much salt, fat, and calories from these snacks.
As a result, it may be more susceptible to diseases such as diabetes or arthritis. Also, your dog may have breathing problems and skin allergies.
Allergies
If you own a pet with food sensitivities or allergies from certain ingredients, hot chips can be dangerous since they contain starch, which is not suitable for sensitive pets’ stomachs.
As a result of this type of problem, dogs will get digestive problems with symptoms such as vomiting, bloating, and loose stool.
Digestive Problems
As a high-calorie snack, hot chips can contribute to digestive problems. In addition, the food may be difficult for dogs to digest and they might have bloating or diarrhea due to the starch content in potatoes which is not good if your dog’s stomach cannot handle it!
Signs your dog is sick from eating Hot Chips
Not all dogs are suitable for taking hot chips. For example, when your dog manifests the following sickness, it goes to show that they are having a hard time digesting the food:
Lethargy or fatigue
When dogs start to digest hot chips, they might have difficulty moving since the food is difficult!
Lethargy or fatigue can be seen when your dog struggles from overeating salt in their diet. As a result of this problem, you will see less energy and activity with your pet.
Pale gums with sticky saliva
When dogs have a hard time digesting carbs, their body will start to take fluid from other areas in the body.
As a result of this problem, your dog’s gums and saliva might become pale or sticky, indicating that there are some health concerns!
In addition, you might also see frequent urination since they can’t handle the food well.
Sudden weight loss
When your dog eats hot chips, you will see a sudden change in its body! But, as we all know, carbohydrates are high, so dogs might stop eating to avoid getting sick and seeing frequent urination.
In addition, they will start to lose appetite since the digestive system is having issues digesting these snacks.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating Hot Chips?
The first thing you have to do is to calm and compose yourself when your dog acts unusually.
When your dog is not eating, you will need to take your dog right away to the vet. Remember that some digestive problems can be fatal if they go untreated.
You have to give a short note of what happened and let the doctor do their work in taking care of your pet.
In this case, it’s best to consult your veterinarian if your dog is not feeling well. As a result, you will need to ensure that they are given the proper treatment since it’s better to prevent this problem than cure it.
Avoid these similar foods from this family.
Hash browns
When it comes to other types of potatoes, you have to avoid foods such as Hash browns! This type is high in fat and salt, contributing to obesity if your dog keeps eating this food.
In addition, they are difficult for the digestive system since there’s a higher risk that dogs will get diarrhea or bloating from these snacks.
Potato chips
If you are craving salty snacks, it’s best to avoid hot chips! This snack is high in fat and sodium, leading to obesity, just like Hash browns.
In addition, this food has a higher risk that your dog will have digestive problems since they cannot properly digest the starch content from these snacks.
Potato wedges
This type of potato snack is hard to digest for most dogs! In addition, potato Wedges are usually fried, making the starch content even higher than before than hash browns or chips.
Additionally, this food can be dangerous since it contains garlic and onion powder that is not good for your pet’s health.
Dogs cannot digest this kind of food well!
How to Make Hot Chips Safe To Eat
Limit your dog’s intake of hot chips
The less is more, as the saying goes. So to regulate and maintain your dog’s diet, you have to monitor how much you feed hot chips.
On the other hand, it’s also a good idea to control your dog’s intake of hot chips by cutting them into small chunks so they will eat less and digest quickly.
Make hot chips as a treat.
It’s best to give hot chips to your dog as occasional treats. You can include it into their daily diet but don’t overdo it since dogs are always excited about food, and they will eat more than they should have if given a chance!
Monitor ingredients on commercially produced chips
Unfortunately, commercial products like snacks contain additives that are bad for your dog’s health.
If you don’t want to take risks, make sure you buy products offering hot chips that contain natural ingredients without added preservatives
Key Takeaways
Our dogs always appreciate the delight we bring for their everyday needs. Whether the acts of service, physical touch, or gift-giving, we see to it that dogs satiate and contain happiness.
Dogs wiggle when they see you bringing a bag full of surprises. And part of which is a bag of hot chips that profoundly increases your dog’s appetite.
To recap, dogs can eat hot chips that contain no toxic, harmful substances. And it goes to show that dogs can eat hot chips. Hot chips are made from potatoes that are rich in starch.
In this case, potatoes also contain folic acid, vitamin C, and B-complex vitamins like thiamine (vitamin B), riboflavin (vitamin B) pantothenic acid (B).
However, possible health concerns arise when your dog overeats hot chips, such as being overweight, having allergies, and digestive problems.
Sickness such as lethargy, sudden weight loss, and pale gums with stick saliva also occur. So, just like any other thing in life, moderation is the key when it comes down to food intake daily.
As much as possible, you may limit your dog’s intake of hot chips, make this food as a treat, and monitor ingredients on commercially produced chips to make hot chips safe for feeding.