Dog and humans have one thing in common, that is love towards food. Though we know junk foods are unhealthy, we do crave them, yes! When it comes to dogs there are some limits to sharing your unhealthy food. Let’s look at the effects of feeding this world-famous snack Cheetos!
How Cheetos are made?
Cheetos are made by blending corn and water. The germ of the corn is removed to prevent spoiling, then the corn is ground into cornmeal. Since the germ is removed from the cornmeal it does not have the nutrients, it is improved by adding nutrients to build its dietary benefit.
The blend is heated under pressure, then squeezed out through a die. The making the trademark texture of the Cheetos is formed because of contact with hot air. After oven drying, the item is then tumbled with the various tasty flavor materials.
Cheetos are tasty, but they are not the best as far as nutrition is concerned. As indicated on the Cheetos website, 13 bits of Cheetos Puffs contain 160 calories of energy. The breakdown is as below,
- 10 grams of fat
- 16 grams of sugars
- 270 mg of sodium
To produce a one-year supply of Cheetos it requires ten million pounds of cheddar cheese. Ten million pounds of cheese requires 11 million gallons of milk, which needs around 5,000 cows.
Could dogs eat Cheetos?
No, it isn’t recommended by Vets normally to feed Cheetos to your dog. An occasional small bit of plain Cheetos puff is fine, yet it shouldn’t be a regular snack to feed your dog. Plain and Original Cheetos are made with no glaringly risky seasonings, so your dog won’t turn out to be genuinely sick after eating few pieces of plain Cheetos.
Despite the fact small quantities are not harmful, they have no dietary advantages and contain unnecessary empty calories. Hence it is failed to meet the expectations derived by AAFCO for dog snacks. The vast majority of their ingredients can cause issues if eaten in large quantities and regularly. Between the absence of medical advantages and the potential dangers, this is unquestionably a food you should not feed your dog.
Cheetos Ingredients breakdown:
- Enriched cornmeal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Vegetable oil (Corn, Sunflower Oil, Canola)
- Cheese seasoning (Whey, cheddar)
- Sodium
- Canola oil
- Maltodextrin
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Whey protein concentrate
- Citric corrosive
- MSG
- Yellow 6
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Salt
Why Cheetos are bad for dogs?
Considering the above ingredients and calories breakdown. It is apparent that they are high in unsaturated fat.
Dogs, like people, need fat in their eating routine, but an excess of unsaturated fat can prompt overweight gain, coronary illness, kidney infection, joint pain, diabetes, breathing issues, and even malignancy. It additionally has high salt content.
Consuming an excess amount of salt at a time can cause a stroke, hypertension and heart issues in dogs.
The most stressful part is Cheetos have a lot of sodium which can cause Hypernatremia. The following are the symptoms of Hypernatremia,
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Loss of craving
- Behavioral changes
- Clumsiness
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Excessive thirst
Thus dogs with hypernatremia require immediate veterinary consideration.
Cheetos additionally contains plenty of empty calories. Cheetos contain numerous basic allergens and eating these could trigger an allergic reaction which could prompt the below side effects:
- Excessive scratching or licking
- Rubbing face across the floor
- Skin depigmentation
Excessive dietary fat is the reason for excess weight gain, which can trigger coronary illness, kidney issues, and diabetes.
All varieties of Cheetos are bad for dogs?
Cheetos Puffs
The high measure of salt is the main reason to keep Cheetos puffs away from your dog. Eating excess salt can prompt sodium ion poisoning. Side effects of consuming an excessive amount of salt include:
- vomiting
- depression
- tremors
- diarrhea
- high temperature
- seizures
Cheetos Balls
A couple of cheddar balls is safe for dogs, but they should not eat them regularly.
The Cheetos Cheese and Bacon Balls contain paprika which can trouble your dog’s eyes, skin, and stomach. Cheddar balls additionally contain useless calories that aren’t good for your dog. Your dog can get a sufficient amount of calories from their dog food and excessive cheese ball snacks can lead to health issues with obesity.
Hot Cheetos
Do not give your dogs hot Cheetos. Anything from the “flamin’ hot” line of Cheetos could upset your dog’s stomach.
Nonetheless, this kind of Cheetos contains “Flamin’ Hot Seasoning,” which contains maltodextrin, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, yeast removal, citrus extract, artificial tone, onion powder, whey, whey protein concentrate, garlic powder, characteristic flavor, buttermilk, sodium diacetate, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate.
This can cause stomach ache, loose bowels, and gas. It could likewise make your dog be excessively thirsty. If your dog ate a pack of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, give them a lot of water to drink.
The Flamin Hot Cheetos contain onion powder and garlic powder, the two of which are poisonous to dogs. In addition to toxic ingredients and poor health benefits, hot foods regularly cause gastrointestinal pain for dogs.
Organic Cheetos
Using organic corn doesn’t make the Cheetos any better for your dog. It is still extremely high in carbs and salt – the two of which your dog should just eat in small amounts.
Baked Cheetos
Despite the fact that they have less fat, they are still extremely high in carbs and salt.
Baked Cheetos contains Natural Corn Meal, Expeller-Pressed Sunflower Oil, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Whey, Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Skim Milk), Torula Yeast, Lactic Acid, and Citric Acid.
The main ingredients are enriched cornmeal and vegetable oil. Both of those ingredients should be fed to your dogs occasionally.
Crunchy Cheetos
Dogs love crunchy Cheetos as they love eating crunchy food varieties. Because of their high salt and corn content, you should not feed your dog crunchy Cheetos.
If they sneak a pack and eat it, simply ensure they drink a lot of water and don’t allow them to eat anything with salt till the end of that day.
Jalapeno Cheetos
No, Jalapeno Cheetos are unsafe for dogs. Jalapeno Cheetos are hot, very much like the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, which can upset your puppy’s stomach. They contain onion powder and garlic powder, the two of which are harmful to dogs.
What to do if your dog ate Cheetos?
If your dog has eaten a large quantity of Cheetos, then watch them carefully and don’t feed him with regular dog food in high quantity.
In worst-case scenarios, the symptoms caused by garlic and onion seasoning can be observed only after a few days. So it is important to care for your doggie for at least 14 days.
Persistent intestinal issues that longing for more than a day could indicate that there could be a health issue for your dog.
Indications of anemia (decreased energy level, loss of craving, in addition to other things) are extremely worst situations. In such situations, you need to consult your vet right away.
Based on the amount of Cheetos he burned through and his size, if the side effects are mild, your vet will probably advise you to give your dog a bland diet.
In case of serious conditions like anemia, proper medications can cure your doggie.
Alternatives for Cheetos:
If you need to treat your dog, think about offering a new organic product or vegetables. Snacks free from any chemical substances or added salt and fat.
There are many good “human” food that your pooch can eat. Carrot sticks, a green bean or a cut of pumpkin, unsalted pretzels, and cheddar are naturally some good treats that most dogs like to eat.
Here are some of the other snacks which you think of feeding to your dog:
- Apples (no stems, seeds, or centers)
- Carrots
- Peas
- Cooked Green Beans
- Watermelon
- Cooked Sweet Potatoes
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Cooked Squash
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
Practically, you need to adhere to treats that don’t contain soy, corn or artificial ingredients in any form.
At the end of the day, it is about what is healthy for your dog and not exactly what’s tasty for him. Hence dog perhaps adores the flavor of Cheetos, but his body really needs something nutritious.
All things considered, Cheetos are not a good treat for your dogs. They may upset your pet’s stomach and don’t contain vital health nutrition.
Credit: Photos by Annette Aigner on pixabay.
