Dogs can eat potatoes, and they are healthy in moderation, but they must be cooked and not eaten in large quantities. Raw potatoes contain lobotropin, a toxic substance that can kill dogs if they eat too many raw potatoes. Potatoes should not be used as a staple food for dogs but must be fed with a variety of other ingredients. Dogs can eat a small number of boiled potatoes, and appropriate consumption can supplement the dog trace elements because it contains a lot of plant-based protein, good for dog health. However, it should be noted that potatoes can only be used as a supplement, and dogs are not allowed to eat raw or sprouted potatoes, which can lead to poisoning and can seriously kill the dog.

I. Nutritional composition of potatoes

Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and other nutrients, and are relatively low in fat, which has high nutritional value and is known as the "second bread" for humans.

Potatoes contain starch, protein, fat, sugar, 21 kinds of amino acids, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, carotene, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, and iodine, magnesium and molybdenum, etc.

Potato, an alias for potato, originated in South America and has been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. It is the world's fourth most important food crop, after wheat, rice, and corn. China is the world's largest producer of potatoes, accounting for about a quarter of total production, but imports still far exceed exports because processing technology is not mature enough a faint sorrow.
Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and other plants of the Solanaceae family all contain some amount of "Solanine", also known as lycopene. The presence of solanine is a self-protection mechanism for plants against pests and diseases, as well as a weapon against harmful bacterial infestations.
Potatoes differ greatly in their lobeline content by part
There is also a significant difference in the amount of lobenin between immature and mature potatoes
The content of lobenin varies considerably among potato parts: 0.25% in green leaves, 0.5% in buds, 0.73% in flowers, 1.0% in fruits, 0.004% in mature tubers and 0.01% in skins. Good intact potatoes contain only a trace of lobotropin, feeding livestock with it generally does not cause poisoning; potato storage improperly caused by germination or flesh green and purple, lobotropin content increased significantly, such as germination of potatoes can be increased from the normal 0.004% to 0.08%, an increase of 20 times; buds from 0.5% to 4.76%, an increase of nearly 10 times; moldy potatoes up to 0.58% to 1.84%, an increase of 145 to 460 times; too long a storage time can also increase the toxin, stored until July of the second year, can increase to 0.11%, after a year and a half of storage can increase to 1.30%.

Dogs have an even lower tolerance to lobeline. Lobeline affects the nervous system of dogs, blurs vision, disrupts digestion, and slows the heart rate. Symptoms of poisoning generally include vomiting, diarrhea, elevated body temperature, dulled senses, unsteady walking, drowsiness, and even coma.
Of course, many pet owners now choose to feed their dogs a balanced diet, and dogs rarely have the opportunity to eat potatoes that contain enough lobotoxin. But if there are potatoes with green teeth at home, make sure to put them out of reach of your dog or just throw them away, but not directly in the trash, as many dogs like to go through the trash.

Dogs can eat potatoes, but there are prerequisites
Potatoes are good carbohydrate providers, with a low protein content but high nutritional value, containing a variety of essential amino acids that are easily digested and absorbed. Potatoes are also rich in many vitamins and inorganic salts.

Mature potatoes without any signs of sprouting can be boiled, steamed, or baked after peeling and occasionally given to dogs in small quantities.
Note: As much as we love French fries, chips, potato skins, and baked potatoes keep these away from your dog. Fried oil is unhealthy for dogs, and salt or butter and some other condiments can cause digestive upset.

II. Precautions for dogs eating potatoes

1. Cooked and eaten
Potatoes contain a toxic substance called lobotropin, which can kill dogs when ingested in large quantities, but the lobotropin will be broken down when the potatoes are fully heated and cooked. Therefore, if you must give your dog potatoes, you must cook the potatoes.

2, should not be the main food
Although most dog food contains potato or potato flour, the potato itself contains too much sugar and starch and is not conducive to dog digestion and absorption. At the same time, potatoes can not provide the dog with the comprehensive and balanced nutrition needed for growth and development, and should not be used as a staple food.

3, reasonable consumption
Can dogs eat potatoes?
Dogs lack digestive carbohydrate enzymes in the body, and potatoes can easily lead to flatulence. Therefore, the dog's long-term single consumption of potatoes may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, and in serious cases can lead to digestive problems. So potatoes must be eaten with meat, fruits, and vegetables.

4, potatoes must be peeled and then boiled, otherwise it is difficult for dogs to digest the symptoms of vomiting. Special attention is paid to the dog eating cooked potatoes, it is easy to dirty the dog's hair, so each feeding requires owners to clean up after the dog to avoid becoming potato-colored.

5, never give your dog to eat sprouted potatoes or raw potatoes, because it contains a lot of lobotropin, which can lead to dog poisoning. Home sprouted potatoes, owners should promptly clean up, so that dogs do not accidentally eat, causing irreparable damage.

6, eat cooked potatoes should also be reasonably arranged, because the dog's body lacks the enzyme to digest carbohydrates, and potatoes can easily lead to bloating, so potatoes should not be used as a staple food for dogs, to avoid causing problems with gastrointestinal function, with a reasonable mix of staple foods will make the dog healthier.

In addition, there are many vegetables that dogs cannot eat, such as bean sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, and so on. The actual fact is that you will be able to get a lot more than just a few of the most popular and popular items on the market.

Three, dogs can also eat these

1. Cooked pasta
Cooked pasta can be given to dogs occasionally, but it should be noted that no seasoning should be added to the pasta or rice, as many seasonings can cause irritation to the dog's stomach, and a small amount of salt is fine.
Eat more salt will aggravate the problem of dog hair loss, so usually feeding is best to choose low-salt food.

2, bones and meat
These two foods should be the dogs' favorite, but if you feed meat, be careful not to feed raw meat to be careful of parasitic infections, bones should be fed hard and not easy to bite like chicken bones are easy to bite, but it is easy to scratch the dog's mouth and esophagus.
It is generally recommended that the meat is cooked and fed to the dog, you can add a little salt, but you can not add other seasonings.

3, cereal and whole wheat bread
Cereal can be mixed in the dog food together, and whole wheat bread can be fed to dogs, it can also promote the dog's gastrointestinal health, but the kind of bread with a lot of creams, meatloaf, and jam on top is best not to feed.
There are some dogs that may be allergic to the cereal in the cereal ingredients, so it is recommended to feed them carefully.

4, yogurt and cheese
Although dogs can not absorb the large molecules of lactose in milk but can digest and absorb the fermented dairy products. Whether it is yogurt or cheese, after fermentation, the taste of the dog has a natural attraction.
If your dog's appetite is poor, you can give your dog a little yogurt or feed some goat cheese, which can improve your dog's appetite.

5銆乂egetables
Dogs love to eat meat, in addition to vegetables they also like to eat. For example, carrots have a great benefit to the body of the dog, you can also eat more pumpkins, leafy vegetables, etc...
Dogs can eat vegetables to balance the body's nutrition, but also because eating too much meat, results in the bad stool or bad breath. Usually, very smelly poop dogs may have digestive problems, the owner can feed some probiotics or good digestive dog food.