Whether it is having corn in the street or a penthouse, our dogs will try to mimic us everywhere, especially when we eat corn. They may make puppy faces just to have a portion of the corn or seem to be playing with it. But can dogs have corn?
Well, corn is a safe treat you can offer to dogs. They don’t have any toxins, but carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. You may offer corn to your paw friend sometimes if you want to improve his digestion or gut health. Thanks to its fibre content.
Anyway, corn can be a great addition to dogs’ diets as it offers health benefits too. Most importantly, we need to be certain about its safety concerns.
Can Dogs Have Corn?
Luckily, dogs can also enjoy the goodness of corn, as it is safe for them. You may offer raw or cooked corn to your canine friend. However, corn is safe for dogs, with some exceptions. For example, you can’t add salt to it as we do for our consumption. Also, you have to avoid butter, oil, and other ingredients, which we will discuss later.
The best part is that dogs can not only feel contentment from eating corn but also gain many nutritional benefits from it. It is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Safety Concerns Regarding Eating Corn For Dogs
Corns are available in different forms. For example, we mostly buy canned corn, cornbread, and corn tortillas from the market. Again, sometimes we feel like eating corn cobs on the roadside. But can dogs consume all such types of corn? Well, no. Certain corns are not safe for mammals; they can be risky for them. Let’s find out how.
Don’t Offer Corn Cobs
Usually, we offer corn cobs to our canine friends to promote their playful activity. If the dog is extremely hungry, he may try to ingest the cob. Although it is easy to chew, it is hard to digest.
The most common risk of ingesting the cob would be intestinal blockage, which can sometimes require surgery. However, the initial symptoms would be vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, restlessness, lethargy, and so on.
Avoid Canned Corn
We mostly prefer canned corn because of its taste. The taste is stronger in canned corn because of the added salt and other ingredients. Meanwhile, the sodium content is risky for dogs, and so is the canned corn. This can not only result in high blood pressure but also in dehydration and salt poisoning.
The symptoms of high blood pressure can be restlessness, loss of appetite, etc. Again, the dog can feel excessively thirsty, vomit, have diarrhoea, etc. due to dehydration. For salt poisoning, dogs may go through seizures, tremors, and even coma.
The symptoms can be visible in dogs if they eat canned corn in moderate or large quantities. A small portion of this corn may not harm our canine friends.
Avoid Corn Tortillas
Like canned corn, corn tortillas are high in sodium. Hence, offering it to your dog can lead to dehydration, salt poisoning, and high blood pressure. Alongside, this corn has fat and butter, which can give some bonus side effects to dogs. Such as obesity, pancreatitis, and so on.
Well, these health hazards would be apparent only when dogs eat corn tortillas in high amounts.
Avoid Corn Chips
Corn chips have a high sodium content, along with other spices and preservatives. All these ingredients are unsafe for dogs, even in small amounts. This can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness, decreased appetite, and so on in dogs.
Don’t Offer Cornbread
We know salt and sugar are toxic for dogs. Whereas corn breads contain salt, sugar, butter, oil, and preservatives. All these ingredients can pose health threats to our canine friends. Such as abdominal pain, lethargy, tremor, restlessness, etc. Well, your dog will show these symptoms when he eats too much cornbread. A small amount of cornbread may not cause any adverse effects but may cause weakness for some hours.
Popcorn Is Safe
So far, we have restricted feeding certain types of corn to dogs because of the sodium content and other ingredients. If you can offer air-popped, plain popcorn to your dog, that would be great. Just make sure not to add any butter, salt, sugar, or oil. Keep it as light as possible. Also, pop every kernel properly. Sometimes popcorn gets stuck in the teeth, which can cause tooth decay.
Note: Offering popcorn to dogs with added salt, sugar, or butter can disrupt their digestive system and promote heart disease.
Benefits Of Having Corn For Dogs
Feeding dogs corn in the right way and the right amount can have many health benefits. For instance, corn has carbohydrates, protein, and fibre. Carbohydrates will provide energy for your canine friend and make him feel full for a long time.
On the other hand, protein will keep his skin and fur healthy and promote muscle health. The fibre present in corn will ease his digestive system, which can be a great aid for dogs dealing with constipation.
Another superb element found in corn is antioxidants. These can protect your dog from free radicals and keep his coat healthy. Also, it has linoleic acid, which can lower cholesterol.
When Can Dogs Have Corn?
Corn is human food, not dog food. Hence, dogs can’t rely on it as their everyday meal. We dog owners offer certain human foods to our dogs every day. So offering them corn every day would be unnecessary. Besides, corn can only be beneficial to dogs when they take it occasionally, not frequently. Therefore, make sure not to offer corn to dogs more than twice or thrice a week.
Another important concern regarding feeding corn to dogs is allergies. As said earlier, corn is a human food, and some dogs can’t withstand all kinds of human foods. If your dog can’t have corn, that won’t be surprising.
Try offering your paw friend a small piece of corn first. If he eats it and finds no trouble, maybe he is comfortable eating it. Then you can offer him some more pieces.
Let’s say your dog has no allergies, but that doesn’t mean you can introduce them to him easily. First, ask your vet about it. If he allows you, then you are good to go.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have Corn?
Can dogs eat corn raw?
Raw corn is safe for dogs, but it would be better if you offered them cooked corn. Cooking the corn can make its kernel easy to chew and digest.
Is corn digestible for dogs?
Corn is rich in fibre, so it can be easy for dogs to digest. However, the hull of corn is hard to digest for dogs. They can even get choking hazards and intestinal blockages from eating the corn’s hull.
Is sweet corn safe for dogs?
Like plain corn, sweet corn is also a great treat for dogs. This corn doesn’t have any salt preservatives that can harm a dog. If you feel like offering sweet corn to your paw friend, keep the quantity low or moderate.
Can dogs have frozen corn?
Dogs can eat frozen corn if it is cooked beforehand. You may boil or roast the frozen corn without adding any salt, oil, or fatty ingredients.
Final Thoughts
After learning about some exceptions, we may still think, Can dogs have corn? The answer is yes. Dogs can have corn in moderation, which has no salt or any other ingredients. Besides, the dog should not be allergic, and he must have his vet’s approval.
If your dog ever eats more than necessary, he may vomit and have diarrhoea. In such cases, observe his symptoms first and tell your vet about them. Then offer him the medications prescribed by the vet.
Lastly, be aware of the quantity. A small breed should not eat more than half a cup of corn, and a large breed should not eat more than one cup of corn.
