Who doesn’t enjoy watching a movie while eating a bowl of popcorn? Well, maybe a dog who isn’t getting any of that popcorn.
So. Should we share some popcorn with our canine pals?
The answer is yes… and no. It depends on the kind of popcorn.
The right kind of popcorn provides a surprising amount of nutritional benefits for dogs. The wrong kind, however, can make a dog seriously, maybe even lethally ill.
Read on to learn more about popcorn for dogs!
What Popcorn Is Good for Dogs?
Popcorn is nothing more than corn kernels that have expanded and puffed after heating. Completely plain popcorn—that is, popcorn that contains no salt, butter, sugar, flavoring, or other additives—is good for dogs.
Your dog is also better off eating air-popped popcorn, which uses an air popper to heat the kernels. As it doesn’t require any oil or flavorings, it’s healthier for dogs than microwave popcorn.
You should remember, however, that even plain air-popped popcorn can harm a dog if eaten in excess. This food should therefore only be fed to dogs as an occasional treat.
With that in mind, here are the health benefits plain air-popped popcorn provides:
Fiber
The right amount of fiber keeps the canine digestive system in excellent health, therefore protecting your dog from issues such as constipation and diarrhea.
Fiber also speeds up the healing of colon injuries and may even play a role in colon cancer prevention.
Antioxidants
Popcorn contains antioxidants. These chemicals prevent free radicals from damaging your dog’s cells, which in turn boosts their immune system response and safeguards them from dangerous chronic conditions including diabetes and several cancers.
Minerals
Popcorn has several minerals that dogs need to stay in optimum health.
For instance, there’s magnesium, which is vital to energy production, energy transfer, and over 300 biochemical reactions in a dog’s body. It makes numerous processes necessary for life possible, such as muscular movement, nerve function, and the health maintenance of the bones and immune system.
Manganese has many roles in the canine body. It helps keep the brain healthy and the kidneys and liver functioning optimally. It can activate over 300 enzyme functions, allowing the conversion of food into energy and other critical processes. It’s also involved in the development and maintenance of strong, healthy ligaments.
More than 80% of phosphorus is found in the bones and teeth, making it crucial to the maintenance of these structures. In addition, it’s a structural component of RNA and DNA—the molecules carrying the cells’ genetic code. Phosphorus is also essential to biological processes such as energy use, energy storage, cell growth, and amino acid synthesis.
Zinc contributes to skin and fur health, immune system health, and good thyroid function. It’s also involved in wound and skin healing, carbohydrate metabolism, protein production, and over 100 enzyme functions.
Vitamins
Many vitamins important to dogs are found in popcorn.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) helps metabolize carbohydrates into energy, making it necessary for the proper function of high-energy organs such as the brain.
Niacin (vitamin B3) helps in energy production, blood circulation, enzyme function, fat production, and other processes.
Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) aids in amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter production.
Vitamin A is required for healthy vision. It’s also good for the immune system, skin, growth, and reproduction.
When Is Popcorn Bad for Dogs?
Whether or not your dog grows ill from eating popcorn depends on how much and what kind of popcorn they eat.
So, when is popcorn bad for dogs?
When it’s eaten in excess
Too much of a good thing can be bad. All those nutrients we discussed in the previous section? They can hurt your dog if they’re consumed in excess.
Absorbing a great abundance of phosphorus, for example, can cause hyperphosphatemia, which is when the blood’s phosphorus levels are extremely high. This condition can weaken your dog’s bones and cause depression, lethargy, or loss of appetite.
Therefore, if your dog eats a bunch of unseasoned, air-popped popcorn, or if they eat this type of popcorn every day, they could end up suffering from various health issues.
So how much popcorn can dogs eat safely?
Dogs get all the nutrients they need from a well-balanced diet consisting of vet-approved dog food, which should make up 90% of what they eat weekly. The remaining 10% can consist of any combination of healthy treats, such as veggies, fruits, meats, and yes, unseasoned air-popped popcorn.
When it’s salty
While the popcorn the cinema-going public is used to is typically high in salt, many store-bought microwave popcorn varieties are also loaded with salt.
Dogs can only ingest a tiny amount of salt per day; if your pet exceeds their required daily salt intake, they can experience rapid, drastic dehydration, which affects the muscles to cause involuntary muscle spasms and even destroys brain cells to cause confusion, seizures, and other problems.
Salt toxicity symptoms include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Reduced appetite
- Incoordination
- Extreme thirst, causing excessive drinking and urination
- Confusion
- Respiratory problems
- Rapid heartbeat
In extreme cases, salt toxicity can also cause:
- Muscle tremors
- Seizures
- Fainting
- Coma
- Death
Contact a vet asap if your dog exhibits such symptoms after gobbling up salty popcorn.
When it’s buttery
Popcorn soaked in butter may be mouthwateringly delicious, but it’s also extremely unhealthy.
Butter is high in saturated fat, which is terrible for dogs. For starters, it can cause digestive issues such as:
- Gas
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
Eating fatty foods such as butter also increases the risk of serious conditions such as:
- Obesity
- Pancreatitis
Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and heatstroke. It can also give your dog severe joint pain due to osteoarthritis, therefore discouraging your pooch from exercising and losing weight.
Untreated pancreatitis can kill a dog.
But wait, there’s more! Butter is a dairy product, and you know what that means—lactose intolerance! Yes, some dogs can’t handle their dairy very well; in fact, eating butter can result in issues such as:
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Excessive thirst
- Weakness
- Dehydration
To make matters worse, dairy is also the second most allergy-provoking food for dogs. If your pet is unfortunate enough to be allergic to dairy, eating buttery popcorn can lead to:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Itchy, red, and/or dry skin
- Excessive licking and scratching
- Hair loss and bald patches
- Flatulence
- Constipation or frequent defecation
- Hot spots
- Ear infections
- Skin infections
In the event of severe symptoms of digestive problems, lactose intolerance, and allergies, contact a vet for help.
When it’s sugary
While sugar isn’t toxic to canines, it can cause digestive concerns in dogs, especially those with a low tolerance for sugar. Expect the ingestion of sugar-rich popcorn to cause:
- Gas
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
Take a dog to the vet for treatment in case of severe vomiting or diarrhea, as the failure to do so can lead to potentially deadly dehydration.
Regularly feeding your dog popcorn rich in sugar can cause more serious long-term effects, such as:
- Dental problems
- Sugar addiction
- Obesity
- Pancreatitis
- Hyperglycemia (a.k.a. high blood sugar level)
The last three conditions are particularly dangerous. We’ve already discussed obesity and pancreatitis, which leaves us with hyperglycemia—a condition that can contribute to the risk of diabetes.
My dog ate popcorn. What should I do?
Stay calm and determine how much and what kind of popcorn was eaten.
Did they eat some plain air-popped popcorn? Then your dog will be fine. If they ate a lot, they may end up with digestive issues, but it’s doubtful they’ll come to any serious harm. Seek veterinary advice regarding how to treat those digestive problems.
If they consumed a few pieces of salty, buttery, and/or sugary popcorn, your dog will likely be okay. Nevertheless, monitor them, and call a vet for advice on treatment options if any issues arise.
If your pooch ate a significant amount of popcorn with salt, butter, and/or sugar, or any amount of popcorn with toxic ingredients such as onion and/or garlic, you could have a problem. Contact a vet; if your dog needs to be rushed to the hospital, do so, as waiting can have dire consequences.
Those in North America can also call the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 or Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.
What other types of popcorn are bad for dogs?
Any kind of popcorn that contains toxic ingredients is bad for dogs. Stay away from popcorn containing:
- Caramel
- Cheese
- Chocolate
- Garlic
- Onion
- Vanilla
You should also avoid spicy popcorn, popcorn with artificial flavoring, and popcorn with artificial sweeteners such as xylitol, which can cause deadly poisoning in dogs.
Conclusion
If you want to give your dog popcorn, choose the air-popped variety without any salt, butter, sugar, or toxic ingredients. This way, you can ensure your pet enjoys a range of health benefits while avoiding all the problems that come with eating substances that are bad for them. Just keep in mind to feed your dog popcorn in moderation!