Every dog owner knows the feeling. You’ve just gotten your favorite meal from McDonald’s: six-piece chicken nuggets and a large sprite.
You get up to grab some paper towels from the kitchen and come back to find your chicken nuggets are gone!
Who would do such a thing?
Well, looking over at your dog, you begin to realize what happened, and they’re grinning at you like eating those nuggets was doing you a favor. You might scold them and pick up your phone to order more, but then stop yourself, thinking, “Can dogs eat chicken nuggets?”
In this article, we’ll answer that question, so you don’t need to call up your vet at one in the morning to find out. While you might think that chicken nuggets are OK for dogs, the truth is that you really shouldn’t feed them that sort of stuff at all.
Can Dogs Eat Chicken Nuggets?
No, Dogs really shouldn’t eat chicken nuggets. While your furry friend will be fine if they eat one occasionally, consistently eating chicken nuggets is very bad for dogs.
That’s because chicken nuggets are loaded with fat and other stuff that’s harmful to dogs’ bodies. While they aren’t toxic, chicken nuggets will have detrimental effects on your dog’s health over the years.
Further, you might think that some nuggets are better than others. However, most chicken nuggets have similar nutritional facts, whether they’re frozen or the McDonald’s variety. That said, homemade chicken nuggets are slightly more healthy than store-bought or fast food.
You should really avoid feeding your dog anything fried, especially hyper-processed foods like chicken nuggets. However, you can feed your dog one or two nuggets as a last resort when you’re traveling or running low on dog food.
Related Articles:
- Can Dogs Eat Rotisserie Chicken?
- Can Dogs Eat Croissants?
- Can Dogs Eat Cotton Candy?
- Can Dogs Eat Grape Jelly?
Will My Dog Die If It Eats Chicken Nuggets?
In all likelihood, your dog won’t die if it eats chicken nuggets. Unless a dog can’t swallow the nugget and begins to choke, it is doubtful that your dog experiences serious medical problems right after eating a chicken nugget.
However, the long-term effects of eating chicken nuggets can actually kill your dog. It can become obese, develop heart problems, digestive issues, and more. These problems can worsen over time, eventually ending your dog’s life.
If you want your dog to lead a long, healthy, happy life, then you shouldn’t feed it chicken nuggets.
Why Are Chicken Nuggets Bad for Dogs?
You might think that since chicken is good for humans, it must be good for dogs. Chicken is a huge source of lean protein, promoting healthy muscle growth and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. It’s also meat, and dogs are carnivores, right?
Well, it’s not the lean protein in chicken nuggets that is the problem for dogs (and humans as well). While chicken nuggets aren’t toxic, they contain a ton of fat and other nasty stuff that’s really harmful to dogs.
Chicken nuggets are heavily processed, salted, and fried. All of these things can result in obesity, diabetes, heart problems, dehydration, and lethargy. Does that sound like a healthy snack for your pup?
Anyone wondering, “Can dogs have chicken nuggets?” has to remember that no matter how much their dog begs you, those chicken nuggets just aren’t worth it.
How Do I Stop My Dog from Eating Chicken Nuggets?
Despite nuggets being bad for dogs, your dog will probably love the taste of them. That means once they start eating one nugget, they’re probably down to eat the whole package. The more chicken nuggets they eat, the unhealthier it is for them.
However, stopping your dog from eating chicken nuggets can be challenging, especially if it has access to them all the time. “Can dogs eat chicken nuggets?” might become “Can dogs eat so many chicken nuggets?”
The best way to prevent your dog from eating more nuggets is to keep them out of reach. Be aware that if you leave your fried bits of gold in a place where your doggo can get them, they likely won’t be there when you return.
Also, early training may help condition your dog to avoid eating your chicken nuggets. Through positive reinforcement, you can develop good habits for your dog going into the future. A well-trained pup won’t take food off the table, even if you’re not around to stop them.
What About Vegan or Quorn Nuggets?
If you’ve heard about vegan or Quorn nuggets, you might think that they’re better than chicken nuggets for your dog. They’re supposed to be healthier because they don’t have meat, right?
Dogs are carnivores, meaning they need to consistently consume meat products to stay healthy. Since vegan and Quorn nuggets don’t contain meat, it’s tough to justify using them for dog food.
Also, vegan and Quorn nuggets are still fried. Even if they use a healthier oil alternative, like sunflower or palm oil, the resulting nuggets will still be high in fat. Excessive fat isn’t good for your dog, no matter what comes inside the golden battered envelope.
Further, while chicken nuggets won’t contain anything toxic to dogs, you can’t be so sure about vegan nuggets. Thoroughly check the ingredients to make sure the vegan nuggets don’t contain anything lethal, and they should be OK for the occasional treat.
Conclusion
To summarize, you really shouldn’t feed your dogs chicken nuggets, no matter how much they beg you. An occasional treat every now and then won’t kill them, but consistently providing them chicken nuggets is harmful to their health and happiness in the long run.
Even if you make them from scratch, chicken nuggets still aren’t the best food for dogs. Chicken might be a good choice for dog food, but you can be sure that battering and frying it removes any potential health benefits.
Instead, feed your dog a mix of lean protein and spring vegetables to keep them begging for your food for years to come. Now, if your friends ask, “Can dogs eat chicken nuggets?” you can tell them, no!
