Can Dogs Eat Mashed Potatoes

Can dogs eat mashed potatoes? Yes, dogs definitely can eat mashed potatoes, but you have to be careful with the kind of ingredients you add to your mashed potato. Continue reading to learn more…

Dogs and Mashed Potatoes – What You Need to Know

The first thing you need to keep in mind each time you are feeding your dog is that it is an obligate carnivore. This means that, even though it will enjoy fruit and vegetables, it is genetically engineered to prefer meats and other high protein food such as eggs.

This does not to mean that they do not enjoy other plant based foods, and potatoes just happen to be among their favorite human foods. But is mashed potato any good for your dog? What nutritional impact do they carry? There are several beneficial nutrients in potatoes that include;

1. Loaded with vitamins and minerals

From one humble potato, your dog can actually obtain a good deal of nutrients such as Vitamins B6 and C, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, manganese, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, folate, niacin and fat. Each of these play a significant role in the physiological functions of a dog. You will find that your dog’s immunity will also benefit, especially due to the Vitamins.

2. Anti-oxidants

Potatoes generally have a decent number of carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids which act as antioxidants. What they do is reduce the chances that your dog may suffer from such conditions as heart disease, cancer and even diabetes. This helps to keep your dog’s immunity at the best levels.

3. Great for digestive health

Resistant starch is potatoes actually becomes food for good bacteria which in turn aid in the digestive processes in a dog’s gut. In addition, potatoes have a decent amount of fiber which is also known for aiding the stomach with digestion, allowing for your dogs to experience better gastrointestinal functions.

Having established that potatoes in general are good for dogs, does this mean that mashed potatoes are recommended?

As earlier mentioned, mashed potatoes are often times seasoned using spices and other ingredients, and this is where the main point of concern comes in. unlike human beings, dogs do not bear the capacity to digest a couple elements we use in our foods, and a good lot of hem include spices, salt and dairy additives.

So, what should you not add into mashed potatoes meant for dogs?

Garlic and Onions – If you like to add garlic and onions into your mashed potatoes, you might want to reconsider it if your dog is going to have the meal. Both these foods are poisonous to dogs, and taking too much of these can cause your dog to get anemic.
Salt – Salt is one of those elements that you need to be extremely careful about when feeding your dog. It has the tendency to get them to be dehydrated quite fast, and too much of it can actually create a problem for your canine.
Butter/ cheese/ bacon and other high fat ingredients – The caloric count in potatoes is already high, and for this reason, it is recommended that you do not add any high calorie food into the mashed potatoes. If at all you have to, make certain that they are not too much.

How to Serve Mashed Potatoes to Your Dog

1. As a topping for their regular food

Seeing as it is not recommended that you feed dogs too much mashed potatoes, you can serve it as a topping on their regular food.

2. As a regular home-made meal

If you like to make food for your dog as opposed to buying it, you can incorporate mashed potatoes and make sure that you add a good amount of protein to keep the food balanced.

Conclusion

As you can see dogs can eat mashed potatoes. Dogs like to be experimental, especially where human food is concerned. For this reason, they have developed a taste for various cooked human foods, and potatoes happen to be one of them. thankfully, these are quite good for dogs, and the likelihood that your dog would suffer adverse effects from having controlled portions is quite low.

Mashed potatoes make an ideal method of serving potatoes to dogs, but you should make certain that you keep the quantities controlled so you do not have to worry about excessive caloric intake.