If you occasionally feed your dog from your plate or your pup is sneaky and gets into any food left out for more than two seconds, you’re not alone. Many of our canine companions eat people food every now and then, and a lot of our food is safe for them to consume (though this isn’t the case for all our food). However, even many safe foods aren’t particularly healthy for our dogs.
If your dog has been known to scarf down tortillas left on the counter or you’ve been tempted to feed them a bite of your quesadilla, you’ve likely considered whether it’s safe for dogs to eat this food. The good news is that tortillas aren’t toxic to canines, but they aren’t healthy for them either, and a few minor risks may be involved if a dog consumes one. Here’s what you should know.
Why Can’t Dogs Eat Tortillas?
While dogs should be fine if they sneak a bite of a tortilla, this food isn’t the healthiest for your four-legged friend. Why is that? Primarily because of the amount of calories and salt tortillas contain, and lack of nutritional value. There are a few other reasons tortillas can be risky for pups, too, which we’ll look at below. But even without the other reasons, this food’s salt and calorie content are bad for a canine’s health.
Dangers of Feeding Tortillas to Dogs
Tortillas may not be toxic to canines, but they do contain risks. Before feeding this food to your dog, you should consider these risks.
Calorie Content
Tortillas provide no real nutritional benefits to our pups but do contain a surprisingly large number of calories. If your dog is eating too many tortillas (or other treats) often, those calories can seriously add up over time. Dogs should only get about 10% of their daily calories from treats, so if they’re getting more than that, it can quickly lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, a dog packing on some pounds is nothing to sneeze at as those pounds can lead to health problems, some of which are chronic. So, if you want to feed your dog a bite of a tortilla occasionally, ensure it’s small and that you aren’t giving it to them too often.
Salt Content
Many types of tortillas pack quite a punch when it comes to sodium, too, and an overabundance of salt is a huge no-no for canines. Consuming too much salt can upset a dog’s tummy and even lead to dehydration (especially if they don’t have free access to drinking water).
Tortilla Fillings
You’re likely not sitting around and eating plain tortillas (though if you are, who are we to judge?). Most of the time, though, tortillas come with fillings, such as salsa, avocado, chicken, pork, eggs, and cheese. So, if your dog is eating from your plate, there may be some filling in or on the tortilla, and some of those fillings could be dangerous or unhealthy for your pet. If you want your pet to have some tortilla, always give it to them plain!
Seasonings and Preservatives
Since tortillas are processed food, they also contain additives and preservatives that could be unhealthy or toxic to your dog. The same holds true for if you’re eating seasoned tortillas. Some seasoned tortillas contain dangerous ingredients, like garlic, so if you give your dog a bit of tortilla, ensure it’s a plain one!
Allergies
This final reason to be cautious with tortillas won’t apply to all canines, but, although uncommon, some dogs have an intolerance or food allergy to gluten. That means tortillas could lead to an allergic reaction, causing skin sensitivities, vomiting, or diarrhea. Of course, this only applies to flour tortillas, as corn tortillas are gluten-free.
What Makes a Better Alternative to Tortillas?
Ideally, you should stick to dog food and treats made specifically for canines when feeding your pup. However, if you want them to have a special tortilla treat, you do have a few options.
One uses a corn tortilla, as it is gluten-free. It still won’t be healthy for your pup due to the calories and salt it contains, but it will at least be more suitable if you’re concerned about food allergies.
You could also make your own tortillas. Again, this won’t be healthy for your dog, but homemade tortillas will be healthier than store-bought ones. Because you’re making them, you control everything going into them. That means the tortillas won’t have any additives or preservatives, and you can leave out the salt. You still won’t be able to feed your dog a lot of this option, but it should be a bit safer as an occasional snack.
Finally, if you want your pup to partake in the burrito experience and want to use a tortilla to wrap up dog-friendly ingredients, consider using a dog-friendlier option for the wrapping. Something like a cooked sweet potato would be a much healthier option to wrap up other ingredients with. If you stick to purely dog-friendly ingredients that you know aren’t wholly unhealthy for your dog, they’ll be much better off!
Conclusion
Tortillas won’t cause major harm to a canine, but they certainly aren’t healthy for dogs to consume often. They simply contain too much salt and too many calories, which can lead to adverse health outcomes. Flour tortillas may also cause problems for dogs with gluten allergies and intolerances. You’re better off sticking to dog-specific treats and food for your pup, but if you want to feed them tortillas, there are a few better alternatives you can go with.
Featured Image Credit: Jiri Hera, Shutterstock
