Ranch is the most popular option when it comes to salad dressings and dipping sauce for vegetable chips and potatoes. You can also use Ranch in your casseroles, soups, roasts, and even marinades — you can basically do a lot of things with this product!
As a pet owner, you might not be able to fully enjoy Ranch at home as your pets will paw at you whenever you start to eat some. But is it okay to share Ranch with your dogs? Is Ranch safe for them? This article will answer all of these questions.
Unfortunately, dogs should never eat Ranch. Ranch is made for human consumption and contains ingredients that aren’t dog-friendly. The practice of giving Ranch to your dogs is highly discouraged because of the following ingredients:
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is an important ingredient in Ranch. Buttermilk is a dairy product that can trigger a lot of symptoms in dogs, especially dogs who are lactose intolerant. By feeding your dogs Ranch, they might experience diarrhea and vomiting.
The ingredients used in making buttermilk are also harmful to your fur babies. For one, buttermilk contains modified corn starch that can trigger allergies in dogs who are allergic to corn. Buttermilk also uses carrageenan, a thickening agent that can irritate your dogs’ digestive systems and cause gastrointestinal inflammation. In extreme cases, carrageenan also causes cancerous malignant tumors in canines.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is generally safe for dogs, but the mayonnaise used in Ranch contains calcium disodium EDTA. This is a food additive used to protect the flavor of the mayo. What’s concerning about calcium disodium EDTA is that it’s commonly used in paper and textiles to prevent discoloration.
Calcium disodium EDTA is also present in laundry detergents, cleaning products, and industrial germicides. Imagine how this additive can affect your dogs’ sensitive stomachs.
Garlic, Onion, and Shallot
Garlic, onion, and shallot come from the allium family. Regardless of the form — whether they’re powdered, fried, cooked, raw, or dried — they’re all toxic to canines. In fact, garlic and onion powders are more potent than their fresh counterparts.
Ingredients from the allium family contain N-propyl disulphide, a toxin that triggers anemia in dogs. N-propyl disulphide can also become deadly to dogs as it can destroy their red blood cells. Onion, in particular, contains organosulfur and thiosulfate, compounds that your dogs can’t digest properly.
Giving your fur babies foods that contain garlic, onion, and shallot can trigger short- and long-term health conditions, such as anemia, vomiting, diarrhea, asthma attacks, muscle weakness, dermatitis, and liver and kidney failure.
Salt
One teaspoon of Ranch contains 80 mg of sodium. This amount is too much for your fur babies and can trigger many symptoms such as headache, vomiting, swelling of the lips and tongue, and lethargy.
A 33-pound dog only needs 100 mg of sodium daily, and a 10-pound dog only needs 30 mg. Keep in mind that your dogs will also receive sodium from their kibbles, so giving them salty snacks (like Ranch) will already exceed their daily salt limit.
Citrus Juice
Some Ranch products contain citrus juice. This ingredient is not dog-friendly because it can trigger digestive issues, such as diarrhea and vomiting in dogs. These symptoms usually resolve after a few hours, but if they don’t, call your vet ASAP.
Is Ranch Toxic to Dogs?
Yes, Ranch is toxic to dogs, which is why you should never share any with your four-legged friends. Excessive consumption of Ranch can cause sodium poisoning and onion and garlic toxicity. These health conditions can cause sudden death, especially in puppies and senior dogs.
What Should You Do When Your Dogs Eat Ranch?
The moment you notice your dogs eat Ranch, determine how much Ranch is consumed. If your fur babies had a lick or two of the Ranch, they should be fine. However, if your dogs consumed a lot of Ranch in one sitting, call your vet immediately. Inform them of the amount of Ranch your dogs ate and wait for further instructions.
In the meantime, make sure that your dogs have access to clean water. Proper hydration will help your dogs flush out Ranch and its harmful ingredients from their systems.
Can Dogs Eat Salads With Ranch?
No, dogs should never eat salads with Ranch. As mentioned, Ranch contains harmful ingredients, and mixing the product with fruits and vegetables will not minimize the risks.
Can Dogs Eat Ranch-Flavored Snacks?
No, you should never feed your dogs ranch-flavored snacks. These products still use the same toxic ingredients used in Ranch. For instance, ranch-flavored chips are heavily sprinkled with onion and garlic powder.
Talk to Your Vet
Ranch should never be a part of your dogs’ diets because it contains several harmful ingredients. If you suspect that your dogs ate too much Ranch, reach out to your vet immediately. Your fur babies will have better chances of surviving if you act fast.