Whether you hate the condiment, or love spreading it on every single food that you come across, there’s no hiding the fact that mayonnaise is one of the most popular dressings in the United States and even the world. Mayo is a beloved, creamy condiment that is a staple accompaniment to a lot of foods that we humans eat.
Eventually, though, we all come to the point in our lives where we eventually want to share our human food with our friendly canine companions. However, it is very important for us to know if what we’re about to give them is safe or not. The last thing we want is to harm our best friends, which is why we ask ourselves in this article if Dogs Can Eat Mayonnaise.
Can Dogs Eat Mayonnaise?
To plainly state the truth, the answer is yes. Dogs can definitely eat mayonnaise without much of a problem. Of course, this is only taking into account if feeding your puppy mayonnaise is a one-time thing or a very seldom occurrence. As we all know, mayo, along with almost any other given indulgence, is bad when eaten in large quantities over the course of a certain period of time.
Mayo isn’t toxic to them, but that doesn’t mean you can freely give your dog a tub of it any time he begs you for some. Just look at the effects excess mayo has on humans! The results of overindulgence of this condiment aren’t exactly ideal, even more so for your puppy.
If mayonnaise is pretty unhealthy for us, then it is definitely unhealthy for our dogs. They do not know what is best for them, they just eat and consume whatever we give to them most of the time, which is why the responsibility to make sure that we pay the utmost attention in our dog’s diet and overall health falls onto us, the loving dog owners!
Whether you plan on using mayonnaise as an occasional condiment for your puppy’s snack time, or as a regular dressing for his food, one thing is for sure: this is very highly discouraged.
Before we get into the specifics as to why mayonnaise is bad for them, let us first take a look at the contents of mayo in order to better understand why it is actually detrimental to their health.
What’s in Mayo?
First of all, mayonnaise is one of those highly processed condiments that we should definitely limit our intake as it isn’t exactly very nutritious or healthy. Mayo is a creamy, white, rich and thick substance that is technically labelled as a dressing. However, it is more often than not purposed as a condiment.
It is basically a combination of egg yolks, oil and vinegar or lemon juice, with some variants or brands containing different herbs and spices. When we think of mayonnaise, we usually think of it as pure cream white, however it can also come in pale yellow.
The thickness of different kinds of mayo can vary from light and creamy to a more thick kind of paste. Though there are many kinds of mayonnaise made by different commercial brands, they’re all still considered bad for your dog’s health when eaten in copious amounts.
Why is Mayo Bad for Dogs?
There are many reasons as to why mayonnaise shouldn’t be given to them on a regular basis, or even at all really! Mayo is high in fats and calories and could pose a serious threat to your dog’s well-being as it would cause major health problems on the long run. Most (if not all) commercial mayonnaise does not even contain any nutrients or minerals that a normal dog would need to keep him healthy and help him grow.
The high fat content of mayonnaise doesn’t even offer the good kind of fats to our dogs, which means if they eat mayo, they’re basically getting nothing in terms of benefits or nutrition. Some may argue that since mayo comprises of a large percentage of eggs, it would be deemed healthy for them since eggs in general are healthy and nutritious for them.
However, the majority of commercially-made mayonnaises are just so heavily processed and refined that the nutrition that could be gained from those eggs is simply cancelled by all the bad stuff.
A mere blob of mayo contains quite the amount of saturated fat and calories. As we all know, saturated fat is the bad kind of fat, and the excess of it could increase cholesterol levels in them which would help encourage serious heart complications, if not added weight gain or diabetes.
Even if you opt for “fat-free” mayonnaise, it would still prove to be a bad food for your dog! The light or fat-free versions of regular mayonnaise contain a substantial amount of refined sugar that it could cause sudden surges in blood sugar and in turn would contribute to fatal illnesses like diabetes or liver failure.
Conclusion
If there’s anything you should take from this article, is that mayonnaise isn’t a good food choice for them. We must do everything in our power to make sure our dog’s health is in tip-top condition so that they can enjoy life to the fullest. Just try your best to avoid mayo spillages or making the mistake of feeding it to your dog on a daily basis.
So if ever you find yourself in your kitchen whipping up some potato salad or a simple sandwich and spill a tad bit on the kitchen floor, you don’t necessarily have to go into a frenzy trying to prevent your dog from licking it clean (as long as it is a very rare occurrence, of course).
You should, however, always remember that mayonnaise, in general, isn’t suitable for our faithful canine’s consumption. It’s filled with unwanted fat and lacks the much-needed vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that dogs require on a daily basis to have a healthy lifestyle. When it comes to choosing a certain food for your dog, you should most definitely hold the mayo.
