If you’ve once been tormented by your pooch’s imploring eyes when eating banana chips, you’ve also probably wondered if it is safe to feed your canine buddy with this tasty treat. Dogs have sensitive body systems, especially when it comes to food, and this is why it is important to err on the side of caution when feeding your canine buddy.
So, can dogs eat banana chips? Yes, dogs can eat banana chips, provided that they are fed in small, moderate amounts. Also, banana chips prepared with additional ingredients, such as salt and sugar, can be toxic to dogs when consumed. Hence, dogs should only eat plain banana chips that don’t contain additives to improve taste or flavor.
When banana chips are organic and prepared without extra additives, they can be of immense health benefits to a dog. This article contains the health benefits that your canine buddy stands to gain from being fed with banana chips, as well as the potential dangers of feeding this food to your dog in excess.
Before we go into all this, however, let’s see whether it is advisable for dogs to eat banana chips, as well as situations where it is considered to feed pooches with this tasty food product.
Can Dogs Eat Banana Chips?
Yes, dogs can eat banana chips provided it is fed to them in moderation and prepared without additional ingredients, such as salt, sugars, spices, and preservatives.
Bananas are undeniably a highly tasty and nutritious fruit to feed to dogs, but they typically retain a high sugar content, even after being processed into banana chips, which is why it is recommended that they be fed to dogs in little amounts, and as occasional treats only.
Additionally, banana chips for dogs should be prepared without additional ingredients such as sugar and spices, and this can be achieved by either freeze-drying or dehydrating the bananas.
If you’re to feed your canine buddy with banana chips purchased from a store, you should check the product label to ensure that the product doesn’t contain ingredients that can be potentially harmful to your canine buddy.
Lots of commercially manufactured banana chip products contain added sugars and spices to increase the food tastiness. They also contain preservatives to improve shelf-life, and these substances are toxic to dogs, even when consumed in small amounts.
How Much Banana Chips Can You Give To A Dog?
As earlier stated, banana chips are best served to dogs as treats. And the rule of thumb when feeding treats such as banana chips to dogs is that the treats shouldn’t constitute more than 10% of the dog’s total caloric intake.
Additionally, it is recommended that you give banana chips only sparingly to your dogs, and feeding your pooch with this treat either once or twice a week won’t have a negative impact on your Fido’s health.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Feeding Dogs With Banana Chips?
The health benefits associated with feeding nutrient-rich banana chips to dogs can include improved metabolic activities, weight management, regulation of the pooch’s blood glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as maintenance of the dog’s oral health, just to mention a few.
Banana Chips Contain A Lot Of Beneficial Nutrients
Bananas contain a significant amount of dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B, and vitamin C, and by feeding your pooch with pure, organic banana chips, you’ll be granting your dog access to the health benefits that typically accompany the consumption of these nutrients.
That said, the nutrients found in banana chips can positively impact a dog’s health in the following ways:
Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber, a nutrient present in banana chips in significant amounts, boasts properties that are useful in managing diseases, such as diabetes, in dogs.
Dietary fiber also helps regulate a dog’s blood glucose levels, and by feeding an overweight pooch with organic banana chips containing fiber, you can help such a dog manage its weight and even shed some of the excess fat.
Additionally, fiber is included in certain pet food products because it helps maintain canine oral health by reducing the accumulation of dental plaque, as well as regulating and balancing a dog’s blood cholesterol levels.
Potassium
Another nutrient that is commonly found in banana chips is potassium, and consumption of this nutrient is beneficial to dogs in the following ways:
- Helps the dog regulate body fluid levels, thereby preventing dehydration.
- Helps maintain the blood pH levels.
- Assists the dog in sending out nerve signals.
- Makes it possible for dogs to move by assisting with nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
B-Complex Vitamins And Vitamin C
The B-complex vitamins contained in banana chips are a group of vitamins that carry out important roles within a pooch’s body.
Thiamine helps regulate energy production in a dog, while riboflavin facilitates the production of enzymes. Vitamin B6 is responsible for the proper functioning of a dog’s immune and nervous system, while folic acid is important for amino acid metabolism.
Vitamin C is also a major component of banana chips, and it boasts important antioxidant properties that help prevent the actions of potentially harmful free radicals in a pooch’s body. Additionally, vitamin C helps reduce canine inflammation and also minimizes cognitive aging in dogs.
What Happens If I Feed My Dog With Too Much Banana Chips?
Feeding your dog with excessive banana chips can result in a gastrointestinal upset, and for a dog suffering weight issues, the consumption of banana chips that contain fats can lead to a further decline in the pooch’s health.
Digestive Upset
Feeding excessive banana chips to your canine buddy within a short time can result in a gastrointestinal upset which can develop into diarrhea for the dog. As helpful as fiber can be in promoting a pooch’s health, the canine digestive system can’t handle large amounts of fiber at once, and this triggers stomach distress.
Weight Issues
If your dog has existing weight conditions, then feeding such a pooch with banana chips isn’t the best way to go. Banana chips are occasionally prepared by deep-frying bananas in oil, which contains a lot of fat, and feeding an obese dog with this meal will only worsen its medical condition.
A healthy alternative to deep-frying banana chips, thereby avoiding issues with oil content, is to prepare this meal by preheating the bananas in an oven at a specific temperature.
