Superbowl Snacks For Your Dog- Are they a ‘No’, or a ‘Go’?

Superbowl 58- Allegiant Stadium- Las Vegas, Nevada- Kansas City Chiefs Versus San Francisco 49’ers.

Superbowl Snacks For Dogs

So, You wanna celebrate Superbowl 58 with your Best Friend and your favourite snacks eh?… That’s just fine as long as you know which ‘people’ foods are safe for your best friend and which are not.

Allegiant Stadium: Las Vegas, Nevada- Superbowl 58

No matter if you’re rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49’Ers;

Here’s a little bit of helpful information on what treats are a “GO” and what treats are a “NO” for your dog.

*Let’s start with the “GO” category first; which it’s safe to say consists of sticking with the ‘Organic Fruit & Veggie Tray’ option for your pup as far as ‘healthy’ party food goes.

*Be sure to wash all fruits and veggies in a rinse of filtered water and white vinegar as unless you buy all organic there’s no guarantee that you won’t be ingesting pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides; all of which are harmful to you and your dog.

GO! List:

Organic Baby Carrots- High in Vitamin A, Beta-Carotene, helps eye sight and the adrenals, thereby lowering stress; plus they’re a tasty crunchy treat dogs really love.

Organic Apples– * No seeds and cut into small bite-sized bits apples, like all fruits, are high in beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals and the skin has Quercitin in it naturally. The old saying, “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away” holds true for dogs too, and refers to the fact that apples help lower the risk of certain cancers like breast, colon, liver, and lung cancer and new research is showing that they help fight off Alzheimer’s as well.

Bananas- Bananas are high in potassium and magnesium which are both great for optimum muscle function. They are also high in both Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. * Cut these into slices then quarter them for easy bite-sized doggie treats.

Bell Peppers- Red, Orange, or Yellow bell peppers are high in Beta Carotene, Vitamins A, B6, and C and also high in potassium.

*No seeds. Slice and dice into bite-sized pieces.

Coconut- In all of its forms except the shell- Coconut is one of the most perfect foods on Earth. we just can’t say enough good things about coconut, but here are a few reasons why both you and your dog should be eating it on a more frequent basis, and not just for a Superbowl treat.

Its high in Vitamins B-6, C, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, rich in Omega 3 & 6 “good” fatty acids, excellent for immune system support, high energy food, great for hydration, helps lower heart disease, promotes healthy thyroid and metabolism as well as digestive function, great for healthy fur, skin, and nails, excellent for brushing teeth and gums and is antibacterial, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and antiviral.

Cucumbers- High in Vitamins A, C, K and potassium, plus a fiber and high water content make cucumbers the perfect party snack or ‘to-go’ treat. * In hot weather we keep a bag of peeled, quarter-cut cucumbers for our pup and I to share on walks, hikes, and errands around town

Garbanzo Beans(Chickpeas)- *One of our pup’s all-time favorites, they contain 71% of the Daily requirements for folate(Iron) and 84% for Manganese and also substantial levels of both copper and zinc. High in Vitamins A, B-6, and C and rich in potassium, magnesium, make an excellent veggie protein source.

Green Beans- High in Vitamins A & C, rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus.

Canned Organic Pumpkin or shelled, ground pumpkin seeds- Fantastic for many things and packs a high serving of Vitamins A, C, calcium, iron, the amino acid- tryptophan, and is a holistic ‘de-wormer’ and works well for BOTH constipation and diarrhea. * always keep a can in your pantry.

Watermelon- (* sans seeds ) Full of Vitamins A, B6, & C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, amino acids, and has a high water content, so its another vegan snack that is great for hydration.

* All fruits and veggies have protein, otherwise there is no way that the plant could live in the first place, let alone produce fruit and veggies for us.

“NO!” List:

Alcohol- NO alcohol of any type, ever. All alcohol can not only be poisonous, but usually results in coma or death in dogs and cats as well.

Chili- NO-Although most Beans are good for dogs, the spicy concoction most of us make for our chili recipes includes tomatoes, onions, fatty hamburger(*Most dogs are allergic to beef), hot chili peppers, and none of these with the exception of (tomatoes- sans skins/ seeds are good for dogs.)

Chicken Wings- NO- Due to the fact that most are commercially prepared and who really knows what is in them as far as the chemicals and preservatives go, most are prepared/marinated using several spices that are not good for dogs.  Bad fats like butter and toxic fats like margarine are typically used, not to mention the risk of your dog ingesting one of those fragile bones in his throat or intestines, plus did you know that its estimated that over 1.3 BILLION chicken’s wings will be eaten in America just for this one game?  * There are definitely other more healthy alternatives.

Chocolate- Big NO!- This one can cause everything from irregular heart rate, bloody urine and stools, and even death due to the active naturally occurring ingredient called theobromine; which is great for humans, but toxic to dogs and most all other animals as well.

Guacamole- Although Haas Avocados in small amounts and without their seeds and skins are in fact beneficial for dogs due to their many benefits such as ‘good’ fats, anti-inflammatory properties, many vitamins and essential amino acids, ‘guacamole’ is NOT good for dogs because it is typically prepared with many ingredients such as onions, and tomatoes with the skins and seeds; both of which are a “NO!” for dogs; especially onions as they are toxic.

Nachos with corn chips- NO. Although some dairy products like kefir are great for daily immune system support due to it having so many live probiotic cultures as many fermented foods do; this is not what ‘nacho’ cheese sauce is made of. Nacho cheese sauce is typically a processed cheese; which are loaded with creepy chemicals like animal rennet, msg, hydrogenated soybean oils, food colorings, and ‘modified’ food starch; all of which are harmful to dogs. If for some odd reason you would want to share your Nachos with your dogs, we DO have a simple, limited ingredient VEGAN Cheez Sauce Recipe you could serve to your human guests and in limited amounts to share with your dogs.

Salsa and Corn Chips- NO.- Most salsas whether commercially prepared or homemade are made with tomatoes including the seeds and skins, which you already learned are not good for dogs;(only the tomato pomace is good for dogs) and NEVER eat or allow your dog to eat the stems or roots of a tomato plant. They are toxic to both humans and dogs.  Salsas usually include various hot peppers, onions, and some even include sugars and other artificial chemicals and preservatives.

The corn as you have already learned from our blog is not ‘species appropriate’ to canines and much of the corn used in North America is GMO (Genetically Modified Organism); which we all know that none of us, human or our beloved best friends should be eating.

Remember to adhere to the ‘NO’ list, and for the ‘GO’ list if your doggie is not used to eating these healthy snacks that it’s a good idea to start off slow and only give little bits of these foods until your poochie’s digestive system becomes used to them.

As Holistic Health & Wellness Consultants, we believe that it is a good idea to give them these treats AFTER their normal morning or evening meals. This is because fruits and veggies are higher in fiber, which is more filling and they will get the digestive system moving a bit quicker and ‘push’ the foods eaten at earlier meals through the system a bit faster. * This is very beneficial for healthy digestion, but you don’t want them to end up with diarrhea, so go easy, and you can begin adding any of these fruits and veggies to your doggie’s daily diet on a regular basis for optimum health and well being.

**This journal article was written based upon research done about some of the most common snacks that are prepared for Superbowl parties and after which we deemed them either a ‘GO’ and ‘NO’ for safety of your dog.

For a more extensive list on beneficial fruits, veggies, herbs and spices stay tuned to further blog articles here on thedoggoddess.com

Here’s wishing you and your best friend a wonderfully fun and healthy Superbowl 58 & may the best team win!!