When our dogs give us those puppy dog eyes, it’s hard to resist giving in to their every whim. The dog may beg and whine every time you open a bag of Funyuns, and you may have wondered if it would be so terrible to give him a few.
The truth is that canines shouldn’t eat Funyuns. They have no nutritional value for your dog and are full of unhealthy ingredients. Worse yet, some of the ingredients in Funyuns can be harmful to dogs. Continue reading to find out why Funyuns are bad for dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Funyuns?
Funyuns are not good for dogs to eat because of their high salt and fat content. It’s also not like your dog is getting any real nutrition out of this treat. When given to dogs, Funyuns can cause a wide variety of health problems. Your dog should not come in contact with them.
What Are the Ingredients in Funyuns?
When it comes to canines, Funyuns aren’t exactly the healthiest snack available. If you look at the list of ingredients, you’ll see that there’s no good reason to give these to your dog.
Ingredients
- Yellow corn meal with added vitamins and minerals
- Coconut oil
- Salt
- Corn flour
- Sugar
- Flour made from corn
- Buttermilk
- Maltodextrin
- The granulated form of onion
- Sodium glutamate monohydrate
- Reconstituted Corn Protein Isolate
- Dextrose
- Powdered garlic
- Extracts from natural sources
- Middle Eastern Gum
Are Funyuns Toxic To Dogs?
Dogs shouldn’t eat Funyuns, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe. One or two Funyuns won’t be fatal for your dog. The high levels of sugar and salt, however, may be harmful to their health.
The Funyuns snack is perfectly safe for humans to eat, but our four-legged friends should not.
Ingesting a bag of Funyuns could be dangerous for your dog because of the onion flavoring. If your dog ate just one or two Funyuns chips, it probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference.
When consumed in large quantities, it can be fatal for dogs. The Funyuns are not a good option for a treat for your dog.
Do Funyuns Have Garlic?
Yes. Both the onion and garlic powder found in a large quantity in Funyuns are toxic to dogs. In addition, canine breath becomes offensive after being exposed to onion and garlic powder.
Several canine digestive issues can be brought on by garlic. Thiosulfate, which is present in garlic, is harmful to dogs. Injecting a dog with this substance results in hemolytic anemia.
Additionally, some canines are more susceptible to the effects of garlic than others. It’s likely fine if a dog eats some garlic-laced food by accident.
The garlic in Funyuns has had its toxicity greatly diminished through processing. Yet another reason why you shouldn’t feed your dog Funyuns is that they contain too much salt from the processed garlic used in their production.
But if your dog gets garlic poisoning from eating Funyuns, you should see a vet right away. Thankfully, this is not usually fatal for canines.
What Do Funyuns Smell Like?
The onion flavor in Funyuns is overpowering. They not only look like onions, but they also have an onion-like odor. Despite sharing a common ingredient—fried onion rings—various Funyuns flavors exist.
Funyuns are made primarily from the following:
- Fortified corn meal
- White powdered onions
- Powdered garlic
- Oil
- Salt
Funyuns are toxic to dogs due to the presence of powdered onions and garlic. All forms of onions are dangerous for canines.
Onion toxicity in a healthy adult dog of average size requires the ingestion of about 3.527 ounces of onion, which is roughly one medium-sized onion.
That’s why it takes a lot of Funyuns for a dog to get sick. To make matters worse, dogs may also experience decreased appetite and vomiting.
Sweet and crunchy, that’s how I’d describe Funyuns. Crunchy treats are irresistible to canine paws. If you truly care about your dog, you wouldn’t feed it Funyuns. Better yet, look elsewhere for your dog’s snacking needs.
Why Are Funyuns So Unhealthy for Dogs?
Funyuns aren’t the best treat for your dog, but why exactly are they so bad for him? Not only do Funyuns not provide any nutritional value to dogs, but they also contain ingredients that could be harmful to them. Salt, onion powder, and garlic powder are three of the most common.
Salt
Funyuns aren’t a healthy snack for dogs because they contain far too much salt. In moderation, salt is an important part of your dog’s diet. Salt toxicosis, also known as salt poisoning, can occur if your dog consumes excessive amounts of salty snacks in a short amount of time.
Nausea, diarrhoea, and extreme thirst are all symptoms of salt poisoning. The effects of salt poisoning on your dog will be magnified if you fail to provide him with fresh water once it begins to set in.
An overabundance of salt in the diet is also associated with fatigue, loss of appetite, and clumsiness. Muscle tremors and kidney failure are more severe symptoms that can affect your dog.
You should keep a close eye on how much salt your dog eats because too much can have devastating effects. Salty snacks like Funyuns aren’t necessary for your dog because they don’t provide any nutritional value beyond what he’s already getting from his regular dog food.
Onion and Garlic Powder
Powdered forms of onion and garlic are especially dangerous for canines. When dogs eat too much onions or garlic, it can cause them to throw up or have stomach problems. However, anemia is the most serious effect of onion and garlic toxicity.
Vegetables from this family can harm your dog’s red blood cells by releasing free radicals that can deteriorate their membranes. Destroying your dog’s red blood cells can lead to oxygen deprivation in various organs because they are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body.
Weakness, rapid heartbeat, collapse, and even death can result from this. Due to a lack of red blood cells, your dog may also become anemic.
What Happens If Dogs Eat Funyuns?
Sugar and salt levels rise when dogs eat Funyuns. Furthermore, dogs that eat Funyuns experience stomach discomfort.
To add insult to injury, the onion flavoring used to make Funyuns is extremely dangerous for dogs. Funyuns can send your dog to the vet because they contain garlic and onion.
When dogs eat Funyuns, they often experience the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Loss of Appetite
- Weakness
- Pale gums
- Diarrhea
The high sodium content of Funyuns will also make your dog thirsty. In this case, make sure your dog has plenty of water to drink.
What Are Funyuns Made Out Of?
Cornmeal is the primary ingredient in a Funyun. It looks and tastes like fried onion rings because of its construction and form. These crunchy treats get their flavor from a combination of salt and onions.
The process of making Funyuns involves an extrusion method. The primary ingredient, cornmeal, becomes a paste when combined with water.
The paste-like substance is then kneaded and heated to a specific temperature by the extrusion machine. Afterwards, the paste-like substance is shaped into onion rings and fried.
Are Funyuns Vegan?
No. Since they contain cheese, Funyuns are not suitable for vegans. It’s made with cheese, buttermilk powder, and skim milk.
Funyuns, in both their original and Flamin’ Hot varieties, use dairy in their recipes. Milk is fine for dogs in moderation, but the benefits are outweighed by the dangers posed by the garlic and onions it contains.
Never give your dog any kind of treat or snack that contains onions or garlic. The ubiquity of excellent alternatives to Funyuns is undeniable.
Are Onion Ring Chips Bad For Dogs?
Yes. The same goes for powdered, diced, or fried onion ring chips; all three are harmful to dogs. It doesn’t matter what form an onion takes, it will kill a dog.
Dogs can become anemic if they eat Funyuns, which are onion ring chips containing N-propyl disulfide.
How Unhealthy Are Funyuns?
You can expect your dog to consume 840 calories, 1.3 ounces of potassium, 1.6 grams of sodium, and 4 ounces of carbohydrates from a single bag of Funyuns.
The aforementioned data makes it abundantly clear that feeding your dog Funyuns is not a good idea. Infectious diseases of various kinds can be spread, putting your dog at risk. Below are just a few illustrations:
Hypertension
Ingesting Funyuns on a regular basis will raise your dog’s blood pressure and put it at risk for hypertension. Sodium content of Funyuns is 1.6 grams. Dogs are more likely to develop hypertension if their sodium intake is too high.
Due to the high salt content, dogs that eat Funyuns quickly become severely dehydrated. If your dog eats a bag of Funyuns by accident, flush its system with water.
Heart Disease
Trans-fat rich foods are known to increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. There are fatty ingredients in Funyuns that can be harmful to your dog’s heart.
Inability to exercise, excessive panting, and unusual slumber may all point to heart disease in your dog. Additionally, canines with heart disease become fatigued after just a short stroll down the street.
Kidney Disease
Consistently feeding your dog Funyuns increases the likelihood that it will develop kidney disease. The monosodium glutamate (MSG) in Funyuns is toxic to the body’s vital organs if consumed in large quantities.
Increased or decreased water consumption, blood in the urine, and sudden weight loss are all symptoms of kidney disease in your dog.
Dehydration
Canines who consume Funyuns frequently experience dehydration. This is due to the high sodium content in Funyuns, which causes the body to lose water.
Providing your dog with an adequate amount of water to drink may be all that’s needed to treat mild dehydration.
How Do Vets Treat Onion Toxicity?
Depending on how recently your dog ingested onions, your veterinarian may induce vomiting as a treatment for onion toxicity.
In addition, your vet will provide your dog with comforting care. Activated charcoal is commonly prescribed by veterinarians to remove toxins from your dog’s system.
Powdered onions are an ingredient in Funyuns. Some or all of the above symptoms may manifest in your dog if it ingests a large quantity of Funyuns by accident.
The effects of onion poisoning can be devastating. The quicker your dog recovers from poisoning, the sooner you can take it to the emergency room. As a positive note, with proper medical attention, canines can make full recoveries from onion poisoning.
Dogs are extremely sensitive to onions, so it’s important to never give them anything containing onions, like Funyuns.
Signs That Your Dog Has Eaten Too Many Funyuns
It can be difficult to tell how many Funyuns your dog has eaten if he sneaked some while you weren’t looking. Some of the symptoms your dog might experience include:
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- lack of appetite
- Pale gums
It’s possible your dog will show additional signs, but these are some of the most reliable ones. Get in touch with your veterinarian right away if you have any concerns about your dog’s health.
What to Do if Your Dog Has Eaten Funyuns
Chances are low that your dog would get sick from eating a single Funyun.
Still, you should talk to your vet about what happened. Keep an eye out for any unusual behavior from your puppy. Take your dog to the vet immediately if any of these symptoms appear.
If your dog has eaten an entire bag (or six bags) of Funyuns, you should seek immediate veterinary attention.
Your dog’s risk of experiencing problems like salt poisoning and other negative effects increases as it consumes more food in a shorter amount of time. It depends on a variety of things, including your dog’s size, age, and health.
Health Concerns Your Dog May Face if They Eat A Large Amount of Funyuns
As we’ve already established, giving your dog too many Funyuns at once can cause serious, immediate health problems. But there are also long-term health risks associated with giving your dog Funyuns as a staple dog food.
Over time, anemia can develop as a result of a cumulative effect caused by eating large amounts of onions and garlic. Unnecessary snacking can lead to weight gain, which is a problem in and of itself.
Conclusion
There should be no drawbacks to sharing in order for it to be considered caring. The health risks of feeding your dog a salty snack like Funyuns are greater than the benefits. Because of this, you should probably keep these treats in a place where your dog can’t get to them.