Can Dogs Eat Lays Chips?

It’s a beautiful Saturday night, you are laid back on the couch ready to watch a movie with a bowl of crunchy lay chips at hand.

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You would like to enjoy the bowl with everybody in the family.

However, looking at your already salivating furry friend, you wonder if it’s right for them to have the chips or not.

So can dogs eat lay chips?

Yes.

Dogs can eat lay chips but within limits.

Your dog could get sick if it consumed a lot of chips.

This is because chips have high amounts of salt and fat.

Although small amounts of chips don’t have effects on your dog, they are probably not the best treats for them.

Here is a detailed outlook on what makes chips harmful for your furry friends, symptoms of salt poisoning, and what you should do after your dog eats chips.

In addition to that, is a list of crunchy and healthy alternative treats for dogs.

Why lays chips are harmful to your dog

Toxic contents

Although chips are made from potatoes, they don’t carry the nutritional benefits that potatoes do.

In place of the carbohydrates in potatoes, chips contain refined carbohydrates which are not good for your furry friend. S

econdly, chips are completely infused with fats as a result of being fried.

Even though fats are important to your dog, consuming them in excess could cause pancreatitis and obesity.

Risk of Addiction

Once you introduce your furry friend to chips, it will be hard to make them stop.

It’s tempting for your dog to keep reaching for the next bag of chips because they are an easy way of getting the carbs in.

In addition to that, the carbohydrates in chips are refined, therefore don’t provide sustainable amounts of energy for the pups.

Consequently, your dog will keep going in for more so as to replenish their energy.

Stomach complications

We all love our chips flavorful.

Consequently, many manufacturers use various artificial flavors in their chips to please and attract more customers.

These artificial flavors are harmful to your dog and could cause them to suffer from diarrhea, stomach pains, and gas.

Dogs have fewer taste buds when compared to humans and thus do not appreciate all these flavors as much as humans do.

In this regard, there is absolutely no reason to give them a taste of the chips.

Injury risks

The lay chips wafers have sharp edges which may hurt your dog’s mouth.

Your furry friend eats the chips hastily unlike you, who places them safely in your mouth.

Therefore, your dog’s mouth is at a higher risk of getting cut by the wafers.

These cuts make the dog uncomfortable and difficult for them to eat other foods which are important for their well-being.

Dehydration

Chips are made with a lot of salt or sodium if you like.

Salt is good for dogs when taken in enough amounts.

However, it can be harmful when consumed in large amounts.

Immediately after your dog eats a bag of chips, they will look for a way to hydrate and will be dehydrated if they don’t get any.

You never know what your furry friend is up to whenever you are not keeping an eye on them.

As a dog lover, always place a bowl of water next to the food bowl just in case of such an incident.

Chances of suffocation

Lay chips come in bags that can be hard to tear apart.

As your dog keeps getting into the bag for more chips, high chances are that it will struggle to get the bag off its head when it’s done.

Your dog might suffocate to death in such a scenario.

In this regard, always keep all bags away from your dog’s reach.

What happens when your dog eats lay chips

Dogs have a low tolerance for salt, one of the lay chips ingredients.

As such, your dog will suffer from salt poisoning if it takes more sodium than what is necessary.

Salt poisoning symptoms include:

Wonky walking
Excessive urination
Diarrhea
Lack of appetite
Swollen limbs
Vomiting
Seizures

Lay chips also have high, fat content which could make your dog obese.

Obesity makes dogs susceptible to dangerous diseases like diabetes, arthritis, and heart diseases.

What you should do if your dog eats lay chips

There is no need to rush to the veterinarian if your dog consumes little amounts of chips because they will be fine after a short while.

On the other hand, you should contact the veterinarian immediately, if your dog consumes considerable amounts of chips.

The veterinarian will then administer supportive care, which involves intravenous fluids, to your dog so as to increase its survival chances.

Alternatives to lay chips

In order to resist the urge to share lay chips with your salivating furry friend, you should opt for healthier crunchy treats which are good for your pups.

These include:

Carrots
Apples
Air-popped popcorn

These healthy treats are not only healthy and crunchy but your dog will find them palatable too.

What happens if a dog with pancreatitis eats lay chips?

In case your dog has pancreatitis, refrain from feeding it any crunchy snacks including lay chips.

This is because the disease makes dogs sensitive to fat.

Final thoughts

As much as you would love to share your lay chips with your furry friend, doing so might have dire consequences on their health.

It is always advisable to give your dog healthier alternatives like carrots, apples, and air-popped popcorn.

This way, you get to enjoy your snacks without putting your dog’s health at risk.

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Megan Turner

Hi, my name is Megan Turner and I have worked in a dog’s shelter for four years now. It is truly my dream job, and I see hundreds of dogs every month being united with new owners to give them a loving forever home.

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