Can Dogs Have Hash Browns

Different dogs react differently to foods and hash browns are no exceptions. Some dogs will react badly to even the smallest amount of hash browns while others might not show any side effects at all.

If your dog happens to show any symptoms after consuming hash browns, it is important that you consult your vet doctor immediately to address the situation before it worsens. Some of these symptoms could be as a result of onion and garlic poisoning, sodium poisoning or food poisoning.

Can Dogs Have Hash Browns?

The answer to this is No. dogs should not eat any hash browns. Hash brown contains high amounts of salt, fats, preservatives and calories which makes this food an unhealthy treat for your dog.

Instead of feeding your dog hash browns, there are healthier alternatives like broccolis, carrots and beets that provide your dog the essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber that your dog needs. Your dog can eat and enjoy these vegetables without having any side effects.

Potatoes cooked plainly without any additives are a better option for your dog than the fried potatoes used to make hash browns. Keep your dog away from frozen hash browns or hash browns containing onion.

Nutritional Value Of Hash Browns

Here is the nutritional value of McDonald’s hash brown (1 hash brown pack of 55g)

Calories – 150cal; Carbohydrate – 16g; Protein – 1g; Iron – <1mg; Sodium – 320mg; Total Fat – 9g;

Calcium – 0mg; Potassium – 0mg.

Here is the nutritional Profile of Trader Joe’s hash brown (1 hash brown pack of  64g)

Calories – 120cal; Carbohydrate – 15g; Protein – 1g; Iron – 0.4mg; Sodium – 250mg; Total Fat – 6g;

Calcium – 10mg; Potassium – 210mg.

Looking at the nutritional value represented above, you would agree with me that hash browns are not healthy for dogs and should not be fed to your dog.

Hash browns contain high calories which exceeds your dogs recommended 25 calories every day for each pound he weighs. Also remember that treats provide only 10% of your dog’s required calories per day.

Not only do hash browns contain high amount of calories, they are also packed with lots of salt that can be harmful to your dog. Consuming excessive salt can lead to sodium poisoning. Symptoms of sodium poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, lethargy, muscle spasms and seizures.

It doesn’t matter if you buy your hash brown from McDonald’s or from Trader Joe’s store, these hash browns are high in carbohydrates and fat. If your dog consumes foods with high amounts of fats and carbs, they could cause health issues in your dog like diabetes and obesity; avoid feeding it to your dog.

Check This Out – Can Dogs Eat Waffles

Ingredients Contained In Hash Browns

The major ingredients contained in hash brown are potatoes, salt, vegetable oil, dextrose and black pepper extract. While these ingredients are one of the major reasons why hash browns are considered unhealthy for dogs’ consumption, the way hash browns are prepared also make them unsafe for your dog’s health.

Hash brown is a human food basically made of shredded or chopped potatoes, seasoned with salt, onion and other spices, and then fried in vegetable oil which contains lots of bad fat that are unhealthy for dogs.

However, our focus in this section is the ingredients that make hash browns unhealthy for your dog’s consumption. Let’s take a deeper look at them.

Potatoes

Plainly cooked potatoes are the safest for dogs and will not cause any harm to your dog if he eats it. However, when the potatoes are seasoned with salt and other spices and then fried in oil, like what you have in hash browns, it becomes unsafe and harmful to dogs.

Also, raw potatoes contain a substance known as solanine  which is toxic to dogs if consumed in large quantities so if you are preparing homemade hash browns for your dog, be careful not to leave any raw potatoes lying around on the floor.

Black pepper is safe for dogs in moderation

Black pepper is another one of the safe ingredients contained in hash browns. In small quantities, black pepper are OK for dogs but if consumed in large amounts, it can cause stomach upset in your dog.

Salt

Hash browns contain excessive amount of salt used to make them tasty but this is harmful to dogs. Just a few hash browns can result in sodium poisoning for your dog. Keep hash browns away from your dog.

Trendy Post – Can Dogs Eat Hummus

Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oils are not healthy for dogs as they contain really bad fat that could be dangerous to your dog’s health. Unfortunately, this is what is used in making hash browns so you should keep away from feeding your dog any of that.

McDonald’s and Trader Joe’s hash browns even contain corn oil and soy bean oil which most dogs are very allergic to. The recommended types of oil that you can safely use for dog meals are: Olive oil, Fish oil, Flaxseed oil, Sunflower oil and Coconut oil.

Dextrose

One of the predominant ingredients in hash brown is Dextrose. Dextrose is basically sugar used to sweeten the hash browns and your dog does not need this sugar at all. All the sugar your dog needs are gotten from the carbohydrates he gets from his regular diet.

Feeding him with food containing dextrose is simply adding to his sugar intake which is not healthy for your dog. Consuming excessive sugar can lead to diabetes, obesity, cavities and tooth decay.

Look out for hash browns that contain artificial sweeteners like Xylitol and completely avoid feeding it to your dog as this ingredient is highly toxic to dogs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can Dogs Eat frozen Hash Browns?

No! you should not feed your dog froze hash browns. Frozen hash browns may contain lower amount of calories than McDonald’s hash browns but these frozen hash browns are still packed with high levels of salt, fats and preservatives, all of which are not healthy for your dog’s consumption.

Can Dogs Have Hash Brown Potatoes?

Hash brown is basically chopped potatoes that are fried in oil; this is not a healthy snack for dogs. They contain high amounts of calories from being fried in oil, which is bad for dogs.

McDonald’s hash browns are even more harmful to dogs as they contain high amounts of salt, bad fat and preservatives. Some hash browns are prepared with onions and this is a toxic ingredient that can be harmful to your dog.

What If My Dog Eats Hash Browns?

Do not hesitate to call your vet doctor as your dog may require immediate medical attention if he accidentally consumes a large amount of Hash browns and begins to show any of the following symptoms:

Diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, extreme dehydration, excessive urination, lethargy and seizures.

Final Thoughts

Although a small amount of hash brown is not likely to cause any harm to your dog, we do not advise that you feed your dog any hash brown at all. If you must feed your dog this food, you must give your dog in moderation, preferably as an occasional treat.

Do not make the mistake of feeding your dog frozen hash browns at all as this can be dangerous to your dog’s health. Remember, moderation is key; hash browns in large quantity may have severe adverse effects on your dog.

More so, McDonald’s hash browns contain high amounts of calories and bad fat that make them very unhealthy for dogs.

Small amounts of McDonald’s hash browns exceeds your dog’s recommended limit of daily calories and this is not good for your dog’s health. They do not provide your dog with any nutritional benefit so your dog is better off without any hash browns.