If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine, snacking on tamales at home might be a common practice. Tamales are Mexican delicacies made using corn dough and meat and are cooked inside corn husks. Salsa is also added to give that extra flavor.
Tamales are filling but is that reason enough for you to share some with your fur babies? Is this snack safe and healthy for your dogs? In general, tamales are safe for dogs. However, before you feed any to them, you need to pay attention to the following ingredients:
Cornhusk
Cornhusks aren’t toxic to canines but can be a choking hazard, especially when fed to puppies. Cornhusks can easily get lodged in your dogs’ throats, resulting in severe pain and discomfort. This ingredient is also indigestible, which means that it can clog your dogs’ intestines and cause blockages. In worse cases, cornhusks can trigger internal bleeding.
When feeding your dogs tamales, make sure to remove the cornhusks fully. Never give them fully wrapped tamales, thinking that they can remove the cornhusks by themselves.
Masa
Masa is made from corn dough or maize and is generally safe for dogs to eat. However, the masa used in making Tamales is often mixed with other unhealthy ingredients, such as salsa, spices, vegetable shortening, and lard. These ingredients can cause bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach upset among canines.
Only feed your dogs with tamales if you’re 100% confident about the components of the masa used. If you have second thoughts about store-bought tamales, consider making the dish at home.
Meat
Canines are meat-eaters or carnivores, meaning that any type of meat used to make tamales is safe for them. The least healthy meat option used in tamales is pork, as it contains excessive amounts of saturated fats.
Salsa
Salsa and dogs don’t go well together. Salsa contains chilies and spicy peppers that can irritate your pets’ stomachs, causing indigestion, gagging, vomiting, and diarrhea. Unlike humans, the canine digestive system isn’t built to tolerate any kind of spice.
Onion and Garlic
Onion and garlic are two of the most toxic ingredients to dogs. Feeding your dogs with foods that contain any form of onion and garlic cause their red blood cells to break down at an abnormal rate, resulting in hemolytic anemia. This health condition causes several symptoms, such as lethargy and weakness.
Salt
Due to the excessive amount of salt added to the meat and masa, tamales have high sodium content. Some recipes used in making tamales also use chicken broth and baking powder, ingredients that also contain large amounts of salt.
Excessive salt in your dogs’ diets can cause a lot of symptoms, namely hypertension, dehydration, and excessive urination. Too much salt can also cause sodium poisoning and can cause seizures, coma, and even sudden death.
Lard or Vegetable Shortening
For added richness, lard or vegetable shortening is commonly used to make tamales. This ingredient is harmless for humans but not for canines. In fact, lard or vegetable shortening is unhealthy for your dogs because it can cause cholesterol imbalance, obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues, and pancreatitis.
Are There Any Dog-Friendly Tamales?
Yes, there are! If you want your fur babies to enjoy tamales without worrying about their health and safety, opt to make dog-friendly tamales at home. In this way, you can remove harmful ingredients and ensure that the tamales you serve to your dogs are healthy.
Use unseasoned masa when making the dough and skip adding lard or vegetable oil and salt. You can also use low-fat cheese as an alternative to lard or vegetable shortening. Make sure to soak the dough overnight and cook it with lime water so your dogs get to enjoy the fluffiest and lightest tamales.
As for the filling, it’s best if you use beef without any spice or seasoning. You can also add dog-friendly ingredients to the filling to enhance flavors, such as fruits, nuts, chicken, veggies, and cheese.
Since the cornhusks present the highest risk to your dogs, exclude them from the recipe. Serve only the inside of the tamales to your dogs as it’s safer and healthier for them.
Are There Any Health Benefits to Feeding Your Dogs With Tamales?
Yes, there are. As long as made with dog-friendly ingredients, tamales can be a healthy snack for your pets. For one, tamales are an excellent source of protein and fiber as they’re filled with high-protein meats. One tamale contains about 12 grams of protein, an amount ideal for transporting essential vitamins and nutrients throughout your dogs’ bodies.
Aside from protein and fiber, tamales are also packed with different vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A, B, and K. This Mexican dish also has zinc, which plays a vital role in your dogs’ immune system and thyroid functions.
Can Dogs Eat Hot Tamales Candy?
No, Hot Tamales candy should never be a part of your dogs’ diets. These candies contain high amounts of corn syrup and sugar. Feeding your dogs with foods that contain these ingredients can cause stomach issues, hormonal imbalance, and diabetes.
Can Dogs Eat Canned Tamales?
No, because canned tamales contain unhealthy levels of salt. In general, dogs only require very small amounts of salt in their diets, so feeding them high-sodium foods can take a toll on their health and safety.
What Should You Do When Your Dogs Accidentally Ate Store-Bought Tamales?
If you love to eat store-bought tamales at home, it’s possible that your dogs can snatch some off of the table and eat them. When this happens, it’s crucial that you know what to do.
Tamales are difficult to digest for dogs, which is why their bodies will naturally reject them. If you suspect your fur babies ate store-bought tamales without your consent, look for the following signs:
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Restlessness
- Vomiting
If you notice any of the signs mentioned above, immediately take your dogs to the vet. As mentioned, tamales can cause intestinal blockages, which can create many adverse effects on your dogs’ health and even become fatal.
Talk To Your Vet
Just because you love your dogs so much doesn’t mean that you share all of your meals and snacks with them. Dogs’ bodies are different from humans, and they can’t easily tolerate what you can tolerate food-wise.
If you have questions about tamales and whether or not it’s best to give your dogs any, reach out to a vet. Never incorporate any human foods into your dogs’ diets without their approval, as this can only do more harm than good.