If you love spicy snacks and have a companion craving for them, you’d probably wonder: “Can dogs eat hot chips, and is it safe?” Snack foods can be a great way to get that quick fix of great taste and satisfying crunch. Whether you fancy sweet cookies or salty pretzels, snack foods often found in vending machines can be an immediate satisfaction for your tastebuds. Savory, sweet, spicy, or salted, you’ve got your options when it comes to tasty snacks. Since they taste so good, perhaps you may assume that your dog wants all in on what you’re eating.
While they may be in for a taste, that may not mean that it’s the best idea to fall into those classic puppy dog eyes. Sharing your snack food can end up compromising their overall health and making them not feel so good. This can be the case for all kinds of junk food or other snacks that you may want to share with your furry friend. Like other snacks, hot and spicy chips may taste delicious to you. You can quickly scarf down a bag in just a matter of minutes. You’ve developed a tolerance to it. You’ve conquered the chip heat. But your dog most certainly has not.
While your dog may love the smell, the ingredients and flavors used to make hot chips can cause serious concern for their overall health. Although it may be no big deal for you, it could just set your dog’s mouth on fire. Whether you’ve already developed the habit of feeding your dog your snacks or are curious if they would enjoy a taste or two, you have a responsibility to care for your dog. To help you stay informed about what kinds of foods your dog should and should not eat, here we share about your dog’s relationship with hot chips. We’ll also share some helpful alternatives you can try out that may be healthier options for your dog and their digestive system.
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Is it Safe For Dogs To Eat Hot Chips?
They are delicious, reasonably inexpensive, and are so easy to consume. Hot chips that bring on the heat can seem like a great snack for anyone and everyone. However, when it comes to getting some chips to your dog, you might want to think twice about it. While chips technically may not be toxic to dogs, they do have the potential for bringing on some very negative health consequences, especially to their digestive system. Here are some reasons why dogs should stray away from consuming chips, particularly those varieties that bring on the heat.
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Dangerous Heat in Chips For Dogs
While we may crave spicy and hot foods, they may not be the best options for your dog. Consuming any amount of spicy food, depending on the size and tolerance of your dog, can bring on some uncomfortable and potentially severe effects to your dog’s health. For dogs, spicy foods are known for causing some severe side effects. These effects can come from just one hot chip or a whole bagful, depending on your dog. Intense and spicy chips can bring on things like diarrhea and vomiting. It can also cause gas and other gastrointestinal pains and problems.
After a dog eats something spicy, they may also be very thirsty in an attempt to alleviate the strange burning in their mouth those hot chips had caused. This rule can apply not to just chips but also any spicy food. While you may love feeling the burn and fire in your mouth from some jalapeño or sriracha flavored chips, your dog may not be as keen on the after-effects. However, some dogs may even enjoy the spice of foods. But just because they enjoy the taste does not mean that they should be eating it. Avoid the hot chips for your dog due to the intense heat that can cause significant problems even just seconds after consuming them.
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Sodium Content
Another essential thing to consider in evaluating the safety of hot chips for your dog is the dangerously high levels of sodium that chips often have. The salt on the chips is what often gives them their flavor and enhances the overall taste. That high amount of sodium, however, is also what can make them very dangerous for dogs. It can lead to salt poisoning, which can severely damage the kidneys and cause other very intense side effects that neither you nor your dog wants to deal with. Too much salt intake can cause harmful effects for a dog, including kidney problems and excessive thirst to counteract the high amount of salt. When they are super thirsty, they may also develop symptoms like vomiting due to their need for something to drink.
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Fat Content
Another feature of chips, especially spicy chips from a bag, is their high-fat content. While your dog needs to have a healthy amount of fat in its diet, it can become dangerous when consuming an excessive amount of saturated fat, which is the type of fat that can have some pretty harmful consequences. Too much unhealthy fat can cause extreme weight gain for your dog and lead to other issues associated with obesity. They may not be as mobile as possible or develop other lingering adverse side effects later.
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Extra Additives and Flavorings
If the heat, salt, and fat content were not enough, the extra additives and flavors incorporated into hot chips could make them near toxic for dogs. Mainly when the list of ingredients includes garlic and onion, which are harmful to dogs, be sure to steer clear of sharing them. If you find that your dog has consumed hot chips, be sure to monitor their health very carefully in the hours following their indulgence. Ensure they are provided a lot of fresh water and can have access to going outside if they need to relieve themselves in one way or another. If you notice any bizarre behavior, be sure to connect with your veterinarian as soon as possible. They can help you plan out a course of action that can help your dog return to its normal, happy, and healthy selves.
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Chip Alternatives For Dogs
Instead of buying a bag of chips from the store, opt for making them at home for yourself. When you make them on your own, you can control what goes in them to ensure that nothing harmful is included for your dog. Make your batch with more flavoring and leave your dog’s chips plain. You can also find options that are designed specifically for dogs and their sensitive digestive system.
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Conclusion For “Can Dogs Eat Hot Chips”
There are many ways you can show your dog that you love them that does not include feeding them potentially harmful snacks like hot chips. While you and your dog may both want to enjoy the snack together, this particular snack category can be dangerous for their overall digestive system due to their heat, sodium content, fat content, and the other additives and flavorings that they can contain.
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Andy is a full-time animal rescuer and owner of a toy doodle. When he’s not saving dogs, Andy is one of our core writers and editors. He has been writing about dogs for over a decade. Andy joined our team because he believes that words are powerful tools that can change a dog’s life for the better.
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