Popcorn reminds us of childhood, cinema and fairs. We associate many positive experiences with the delicious popcorn.
But can dogs eat popcorn too?
So we want to shed some light on the popcorn bag or what? Do you already have yours?
Well then, read and nibble on it. We wish you a lot of fun!
In a nutshell: Can my dog eat popcorn?
No, dogs are not allowed to eat popcorn. Popcorn is made with sugar and salt, among other things. These ingredients are very unhealthy for dogs. If you want to share homemade popcorn with your dog that’s free of salt and sugar, that’s fine occasionally.
Corn is well tolerated by most dogs. In untreated form, your dog can also benefit from popcorn.
What is popcorn?
Corn.
More precisely: Popcorn with the correct name Zea Mays Everta.
This corn variety is the only one of its kind that pops when heated under certain temperatures. This is due to the starch and water inside the grain. When heated, a pressure is created that ultimately causes the corn kernel to puff.
The popcorn corn originally comes from Central America and – if it is not popped – is corn grits or cornmeal processed.
Good to know:
Corn is generally well tolerated by dogs, which is why corn or cornmeal is often found in finished dog food.
Reading tip: You want to know if dogs can eat corn? Then you should definitely read our article on the topic “Can dogs eat corn?”. Find out what effects corn has on the health of your four-legged friend and how you can feed it properly.
Is popcorn healthy for dogs?
nope To be honest, popcorn isn’t healthy for anyone unless…
…you prepare it yourself without oil, butter, sugar, artificial colors, sweeteners and flavor enhancers!
If you then do without the microwave and pop the popcorn in pure vegetable oil or, even better, with hot air, it has a good chance of being healthy!
Without salt, your dog should also nibble a bit of it.
However, we advise against feeding popcorn because it doesn’t help.
Reading tip: You want to know if dogs can eat rice cakes? Find out all about it in our informative article, Can Dogs Eat Rice Cakes?.
Can dogs eat homemade popcorn?
Your dog may only taste the popcorn if it contains nothing else apart from the popped corn kernels!
Popcorn is easy to make yourself and healthy. All you need is a pan, some oil, popcorn and good timing.
So if you’re planning a movie night with a huge bowl of popcorn, you should salt or sugar it afterwards if you want to give some to your dog.
Can popcorn be dangerous for dogs?
Oh yeah!
Ready-made popcorn contains a whole range of ingredients that are harmful to your dog!
Next to Sugar or others sweetenerscaramel coating or popcorn with cinnamon, (white) chocolate, vanilla or other flavors will also harm your dog.
The corn kernels themselves can also pose a choking hazard to small dogs, but are generally not toxic.
Isn’t popcorn kinda healthy?
Admittedly, without the harmful additives in the manufacturing process, the small grain is not so wrong.
In fact, corn is a type of grain that is usually well tolerated by dogs. That’s why you often find corn or cornmeal in finished wet or dry food.
Many hide in the shell fiber. Also contains corn calcium, potassium and magnesium. Otherwise, the small grain consists mainly of carbohydrates and protein.
Manageable.
And what about convection popcorn?
As the name suggests, hot-air popcorn is not puffed with oil and butter, but with hot air!
This is definitely healthier than its greasy counterpart. Both for you and for your dog!
Tip:
If you’re a true popcorn junkie, you might want to consider getting a small popcorn maker! If you can, you should always make the popcorn with hot air instead of oil. Your dog can taste it too.
Liverwurst flavored popcorn?
good news:
There is both ready-made popcorn for dogs and lots of recipes on how to make dog-friendly popcorn yourself.
All dogs love liverwurst!You can also use them for your dog popcorn. To do this, simply toss the popcorn (which, at best, you have made with hot air and without any additives) in liver sausage. It can be so easy!
Incidentally, finished dog popcorn is often made from rice instead of corn and does not contain any substances that are harmful to dogs, such as sugar or xylitol.
Of course, you should also treat this special treat as such and only feed them infrequently and then in moderation.
Do dog paws smell like popcorn?
Have you ever heard that?
Many dog owners find that their dogs paws smell like popcorn.
How come?
A mix of bacteria, yeast, and sweat can actually make some dog paws smell like popcorn.
Other dog paws – no kidding – smell more like tortilla chips, hence this phenomenon “Frito Feet” is called.
“Frito Feet” because of the US chip brand Fritos.
Does your dog love popcorn? This is important to know
Popcorn is basically not harmful to dogs, provided it is natural and preferably organic.
If you occasionally want to offer your dog popcorn as a snack, you should definitely make it yourself and avoid ingredients such as salt, sugar, coloring and flavorings and flavor enhancers.
But you can also buy ready-made popcorn especially for dogs, for example with Liverwurst or liver flavor.
The healthiest option is to make popcorn with hot air – both for us humans and for our four-legged friends.
Are you unsure or do you still have questions about popcorn for your dog? Then just write us what you want to know under this article!