We are sure you know that super spicy snack in those deep purple bags. You like them too, don’t you?
We human, are champions when it comes to invent new snacks, especially weird ones, or some with combination of flavors never heard of.
But, what about giving a few to your dog? When he is looking at you with those begging eyes, takis in your hand, should you cave in? is it safe for dogs to eat Takis? Can takis hurt dogs?
If you don’t want to read the techy stuff, go straight to our conclusion
FAQ
What are takis?
Takis are rolled tortilla chips from barcel usa. They first hit the shelves in 1999. They come in 2 sizes, 4oz and 9.9 oz in case you are uber hungry!
What kind of vitamins and nutrients do dogs need?
A dog’s nutritional needs are different than ours, obviously. However, like us, the right amount and combination of vitamins and nutrients are essential to ensure that dogs are healthy.
Vitamins are organic substances that the body needs to grow naturally. Typically, they are required in dog food in minimal amounts, and vitamin deficiencies can cause many health problems.
The most important vitamins that the dog’s body needs are:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B family
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Choline
Whereas for nutrients, they need:
- Calcium and phosphorus
- Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Copper
- Selenium
For more details information on each of those vitamins’ benefit to your dog read this great article by the national academy of science engineering medicine
Nutritional benefit of takis to a dog’s diet?
There are quite a few different takis, different combo, different flavor. To be fair, we didn’t target one in particular. Below is the nutritional summary table for takis available on the nutritionix website.
This table is for 100g of takis (or roughly 3.5oz), so not too far off the small (fun?) size bag.
The figures are simply quite astounding. There is close to no vitamins, but 30g of fat and 10g of salt, 70% being sodium.
Sodium is important for health, of course, however consuming too much can have some serious impact on your health.
In fact, studies show that high sodium consumption may be linked to increased blood pressure. Not a good snack for people with high blood pressure, or cardiovascular problems in general. Something that is on the World Health Organisation’s radar.
Dogs, sadly, are not as good as removing sodium through their body. High sodium level in your dog’s blood can have serious adverse impact on his health, especially if old.
Sadly, other research suggests that increased consumption of sodium-rich foods may be linked to a higher risk of stomach cancer.
The website for veterinary profession, in 2010, published a document indicating dogs only need 0.2g of salt for 1000kcalories.
And of course, there is 30g of fat. We all know that eating fat loaded food isn’t good for us, too much fat can raise cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease advices the NHS
A study of pet food published in 2017, noted that in addition to obesity, dogs’ diet high in fat could also inflame the pancreas, lead to high blood pressure, abnormal heart function and hypertension. Sadly, no exception here for our furry friends.
In additions, takis are loaded with dangerous chemicals, additives and also soy a known allergen for dogs.
Even worse, Takis contain onion powder, and sadly every parts of a onion is lethal to dogs!
Canine hemolitic anemia
Canine hemolytic anemia is caused by the onion powder. Your dog’s red blood cells can start to break down from too much of it. Canine hemolytic anemia is a condition where your dog’s red cells are destroyed quicker than the body can make them. This can lead to several symptoms.
Red blood cells are essential for oxygen transport in your dog’s system. A decrease in red blood cell count will result in a decrease of oxygen in your dog’s blood. After eating onion powder, your dog will likely become sluggish or fatigued. You may notice your dog become confused and have a fever.
You should immediately contact your veterinarian if you suspect that your fur baby may have eaten enough onion powder-containing foods. This is a serious condition that needs professional treatment.
Are there some dog friendly chip alternative ?
Your dog might enjoy the crunchiness of chips, or simply enjoy sharing this food with you.
You can buy alternatives for Takis if you don’t want your dog to eat chips. You should always choose homemade or natural treats for your pet.
These are some healthy snacks for dogs.
- Chips made specifically for dogs
- Produces such as blueberries, bananas, strawberries and bananas
- Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and broccoli
Can dogs eat takis?
No! dogs can’t eat takis.
If you eat takis on a regular basis, in front of your dog, you may give him a few each times. In turn, this will have a very negative impact on his health.
In addition to the alarming information presented above, you should know that dogs don’t have the same sophisticated palate as humans. The taste buds of dogs are only 1700 compared to the 9000 that humans have.
In fact, they can’t even taste the variety of flavors that we can. As a result, dogs don’t get the same “hot” sensation we get with spice.
Feeding spicy food to your dog could lead to Canine pancreatitis. In some cases, pancreatitis can prove fatal. It’s more common in older dogs, but can also be caused by spicy foods in younger dogs.
Takis are FDA approved, as USAtoday reported on may 30, 2020. This doesn’t mean they are safe, obviously.
Takis are a highly processed food, something which is extremely nasty to our health. There have been some reported cases of people having to go to ER because of serious stomach issues after eating too many takis.
Takis do not provide anything beneficial to a dog’s diet and might just make him sick. For dogs with known or even underlying health problems, the impact of eating takis will be even worse.
Seriously, do not give takis to your dog, in addition, you might want to cut down on takis too!
For a healthy and happy dog make sure you feed him with the right products designed for his breed, age group and general activity and don’t substitute his present nutrition with something else altogether.
Ultimately, your dog health and well-being is very important and rushing him to the vet could not only be heart breaking but also extremely expensive.
If you do not have an insurance for your dog, maybe it is worth considering it.
FAQ
1 – can dogs eat takis? No, dogs shouldn’t eat takis. Takis are a highly processed food, full of sugar, salt, fat and others conservatives. They provide nothing to a healthy dogs’ food diet.
2 – can dogs eat hot takis? No, hot takis are even worse for dogs than regular takis.
3 – can dogs eat spicy stuff like takis. No, dogs should eat spicy food, especially highly processed food like takis (spicy cheetos for instance)
4 – can takis kill dogs? If you are only feeding your dog takis, it may lead to extreme health issues which could result in a dog’s death.
5 – are takis bad for dogs? Yes, takis are bad for a dog’s health. They provide nothing to a healthy dog’s diet
