Smartfood Popcorn is well-known for its delicious taste, but don’t think about sharing it with your dog as it’s not canine-friendly.
You’re probably now wondering why not? So, let’s find out more about Smartfood Popcorn, what ingredients it contains, and what could happen to your dog if it eats it.
Can Dogs Eat Smartfood Popcorn?
No, dogs can’t eat Smartfood Popcorn. Dogs shouldn’t eat any type of pre-packaged popcorn (unless it’s marketed for dogs) because it’s likely to contain harmful ingredients, such as artificial flavorings and colorings.
Smartfood Popcorn is not suitable for dogs because:
- It has a high salt content
- Contains a lot of fat
- Could contain unpopped kernels
Salt is a normal part of a dog’s diet. They get all the salt they need from their daily diet and shouldn’t be fed additional foods containing salt, such as Smartfood Popcorn. If a dog eats too much salt, it could get toxicosis or heart disease.
Toxicosis occurs when a dog eats too much salt too quickly. Many dogs will guzzle on water after eating a lot of salt. But if water isn’t available or they don’t drink it, they could get ill quickly.
Symptoms to look out for include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Weakness or fatigue
- Convulsions
- Walking strangely
- Seizures
- No appetite
Tucking into salty snacks like Smartfood Popcorn could also lead to heart disease. Excess salt raises a dog’s blood pressure. This can then cause heart disease. Heart disease is a lifelong health problem that often contributes to death, so don’t risk your dog’s health by letting it eat Smartfood Popcorn.
Smartfood Popcorn is also high in fat due to the oil used in it. The company says that it uses corn, canola, and/or sunflower oil in its popcorn. One serving of Smartfood’s Sea Salt Popcorn contains 7 g of fat which is 8% of an adult’s recommended daily value.
As any popcorn-lover knows, prepackaged bags of popcorn often have unpopped kernels sitting in the bottom of the bag. These kernels are a choking hazard for dogs. They can also damage a dog’s teeth or get stuck in them.
READ NEXT: Can dogs have salty popcorn?
Can Dogs Eat Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn?
You shouldn’t let your dog eat Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn. As you’d expect, this flavor contains cheddar cheese which is a dairy product.
Although some dogs can stomach dairy, others can’t. When they can’t, they’re diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Not all dogs with lactose intolerance are diagnosed, so your dog might have this condition without you knowing about it.
Dogs also can’t eat Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn because, like Smartfood’s other popcorn varieties, it contains a lot of fat and salt.
Which Flavors of Smartfood Popcorn Can Dogs Eat?
None. We know it’s tempting to share a tasty bag of Smartfood Popcorn with your furry pal when you’re snuggled up on the sofa together. But, this isn’t recommended.
Smartfood Popcorn currently makes the following flavors of popcorn:
- White Cheddar
- Flamin’ Hot White Cheddar
- Caramel Cheddar Mix
- Movie Theater Butter
- Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn
- Sea Salt
All of these flavors contain ingredients that could put your dog’s health at risk. The ones we’re most worried about are:
- Salt (found in all varieties of Smartfood Popcorn) – too much salt can make a dog seriously sick.
- Romano cheese (found in Flamin’ Hot White Cheddar) – Romano cheese is a salty cheese.
- Artificial colors (found in Flamin’ Hot White Cheddar and Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn) – Smartfood uses controversial artificial food colorings, including Yellow 5 and Red 40 Lake. These have been linked to hypersensitivity and cell damage in animals.
- Corn syrup (found in Caramel Cheddar Mix) – corn syrup is a type of sugar that dogs don’t need in their diets.
- Sugar/brown sugar (found in Caramel Cheddar Mix) – dogs don’t need to eat sugar. Sugar is linked to obesity and diabetes in canines and shouldn’t be eaten unnecessarily.
- Butter (found in Caramel Cheddar Mix and Movie Theater Butter) – butter is high in fat. It also contains lactose. Many dogs are lactose intolerant and shouldn’t eat foods containing it.
Will Smartfood Popcorn Make a Dog Sick?
A couple of pieces of Smartfood Popcorn are unlikely to make your dog sick. The worst-case scenario is that it will suffer from some minor gastrointestinal issues, such as vomiting, cramps, and loose stools.
There’s more likely to be a problem if your dog breaks into your snack cupboard and sneakily eats an entire packet of Smartfood Popcorn. Salt poisoning is the main illness to be concerned about.
Keep a close eye on your dog and check it for symptoms. If you’re at all concerned or want reassurance, speak to your dog’s vet who will be happy to help.
What Popcorn Can Dogs Eat?
Now that Smartfood Popcorn has been ruled out, you may be wondering whether there are any alternative types of popcorn that you can give your dog.
The good news is that there is! Plain, air-popped popcorn is a healthy treat for dogs and boasts some health benefits, including being high in fiber, protein, and iron.
So there you have it, dogs can’t eat Smartfood Popcorn. The next time you break open a bag of Smartfood, do the right thing, and don’t share it with your hound. Instead, pop a few kernels in an air popper and serve those up plain to your pet instead.
Sources
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/food/romano-cheese/sodium
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17505761/
https://naturesadv.com/blogs/natures-blog/is-food-coloring-safe-for-dogs
