dog eating snack

Can Dogs Eat Quavers?

As owners, we need to be careful about what we’re feeding to our dogs. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Our dog is rarely so quiet as when he’s trying to sneak food from somewhere. We’ve learned to be careful about the types of snacks we leave out.  We don’t feed him crisps, but that doesn’t mean he’s never tried to eat them. We’ve found that we have to be vigilant when we’ve got party food. Visitors (and especially children!) love sharing savoury snacks with him.

We all want to treat our pets, but we should pay attention to what they’re eating. So, can dogs eat Quavers?

What are the Ingredients in a Packet of Quavers?

Quavers are cheese flavoured curls made by Walkers.  They have a texture that’s more similar to prawn cracks than to regular potato crisps. They’re lighter, too. These are the ingredients:

Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Cheese Flavour [Whey Powder (from Milk), Flavouring (contains Milk), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5’Ribonucleotide), Milk Powder, Cheese Powder (from Milk), Potassium Chloride, Garlic Powder, Acid (Lactic Acid), Colour (Paprika Extract)], Rice Flour, Soya Flour, Salt, Yeast, Onion Powder (Malt Flour from Barley), Pepper, Wheatflour (contains Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (Annatto Norbixin)

Nothing jumps out as an immediate danger.  There’s nothing that’s toxic.  This will be a relief to anyone reading this whose dog has snaffled an entire packet. What’s more, Quavers tend to come in smaller packets. They weigh less. Even the Grab Bags aren’t as heavy as other types of crisps. But it’s not all good news. What concerns us is the salt and fat content.

As always, this does not constitute veterinarian advice. We’ve researched this article but we aren’t veterinary professionals. Seek professional advice if you have any concerns about the health of your dog and the food they’re eating.

Can Dogs Eat Quavers?

Not really.

Remember that we’re bigger than dogs. Our bodies need to consume more calories and fat. The average human female requires around 2000 calories per day. One bag of Quavers has 86 calories in it. It’s not such a big deal. But a 10-pound dog is only allowed between 200 and 275 calories. One bag of Quavers is almost half the recommended daily intake.

Some people will give their dogs the odd single Quaver as a treat. That’s not going to cause any problems but too many calories can create chronic health conditions in dogs including diabetes and obesity.  Health problems can not only affect the quality of your dog’s lift but shorten it, too. You may also find yourself with more regularly veterinary bills, too.

It’s easy to give our dogs too many calories but weight gain in pets is becoming a serious problem. It can lead to long-term health problems that will not only affect the quality of your dog’s life but can also shorten it, too. Overweight pets are at higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The salt in crisps isn’t good either.

There is 0.34g of fat in a 16g bag. According to Tails.com, the magic number for salt is somewhere between 0.25g per 100g and 1.5g per 100g.  Although this will depend on the size of your dog, as you can see, 0.34g is already within this range. Cuteness.com breaks this down further by saying that a dog weighing in at 33-pounds should consume no more than 100mg of salt per day. That means that a packet of quavers accounts for around a third of that dog’s recommended intake.

If you’re in doubt about how much salt to feed your dog, speak to your veterinarian who’ll be able to advise you based on your dog’s weight. Smaller dogs may be especially at risk.

One packet of Quavers is unlikely to give your dog salt poisoning, but there are other ways they could be topping up their salt intake without you knowing: eating a stock cube, licking a salt lap, eating rock or table salt and even running into the sea and swallowing seawater. Don’t forget that there’s sodium in their dog food, too.

Excessive thirst and frequent urination are common signs that a dog has had too much salt. You may notice your dog drinking a lot more water. This is the dog’s body trying to get rid of the excess. Make sure the dog has access to clean water. 

Salt poisoning is when a dog has had too much salt. This is a serious condition. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions, rapid breathing, and trembling, although there are many other additional symptoms ranging in severity. Phone your veterinarian immediately if you suspect salt poisoning. We’d advise you do it even if you only have a slight suspicion. It’s better to be safe than sorry.  Your dog may have eaten salt that you’re not aware of.

Once we start giving our pets food from our plates or our snack bags, we may a rod for our own back.  It can encourage begging. You may find it becomes impossible to ignore. As this Welsh couple found out when they started letting their greyhound eat Quavers.

We want to treat our pets because we love them.  But we should be careful about projecting our own likes onto our dogs.  There are plenty of other options for rewarding dogs and they don’t have to undermine their long-term health. Mashed vegetables might not get us excited but to some dogs, that’s the jackpot! You could also try slicing up a canary melon or adding some strawberry leaves to plain Greek yoghurt.

We wouldn’t recommend feeding your dogs Quavers, but if you do give your pet the odd one or two (crisps – not packets!), then it’s not the end of the world.  Just don’t be surprised if they get a taste for them. There are far better ways of rewarding your dog.

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