Can your dog eat McDonald’s? Of course, it’s only natural that you’d want to feed your beloved furry friend some of the food from the home of the golden arches, but is it really okay?
Well, let’s get one thing straight: we’re not endorsing giving your dog McDonalds. It goes without saying that there’s not a great deal of nutritional benefit for your dog when he eats McDonalds. You don’t need to ask your vet – it’s basically common sense. You should not be feeding your dog McDonalds every single day.
With that being said, sometimes your dog can be pretty crafty. In these situations, they may stealthily steal a chicken nugget, or they bat those little puppy dog eyes at you and you end up caving. It’s honestly okay – don’t be alarmed if your dog sneaks a bite of your McDonalds. It’s okay for your dog to have a treat every once in a while.
If you want to have the too long, didn’t read, here’s your answer: In general, McDonalds isn’t going to kill your dog if he eats a few bites – in most cases. It’s worth being mindful, however, that it’s certainly not a very healthy meal choice for your dog.
Some McDonalds foods can be toxic to dogs too – like onions, for instance. Not only that but McDonalds meals are riddled with salt and all sorts of different sauces, and these can be quite troublesome for the sensitive stomach of a dog.
Ultimately, McDonalds food can be eaten by dogs but it is better as a treat or when you have no other food options at your disposal. If applicable, it’s also important to remove a few of the toxic ingredients before giving your dog a bite of your meal. If you read on, we’ve listed a few of the ingredients that your dog shouldn’t be eating.
If you simply cannot resist giving your dog a little bit of your McDonalds, there are wrong and right ways of doing it. As such, we’ve written this article to give you some guidance about the ways that McDonalds can be integrated into your dog’s diet in a healthy way.
What McDonalds Items Are Safe For My Dog?
Here we have listed just a few of the foods that are decent for your dog to eat – dog friendly, if you will. We’re also going to summarize the nutritional values of the various items, and if there are any dangers if your dog does end up eating the items in question.
We’ve gone into the number of calories that are in the items, and whether the calories are too high for your dog. In doing so, we’ve taken two key points in mind:
- Your dog shouldn’t be eating much more than around 25 calories for every pound that they weigh on a daily basis.
- Your dog should only be having snacks and treats as about 10% of their daily diet. 90% of their calorie intake should instead come from vet recommended pet food.
If you do find yourself getting McDonalds items for your dog, hopefully this information will help you to make the best possible decision.
We’re also going to discuss the calorie content in relation to two key dog breeds:
- The French Bulldog – weighs 25 pounds and shouldn’t be eating more than 625 calories on a daily basis
- The Labrador – usually weighs around 70 pounds, meaning that it shouldn’t consume more than around 1750 calories every day
You will have to apply the information to your own pet, however, as their recommended calorie intake could vastly differ from the two breeds listed above.
It’s worth pointing out, again, that giving your dog McDonalds items really isn’t the best thing to do if you can avoid it. Everything that we mention in this article is for the sake of your reference, allowing you to make the best decision for your pet.
Should I Give My Dog a McDonalds burger?
If you want to feed your dog a burger from McDonalds, then that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s best to only give them the patty itself though, rather than all of the lettuce, cheese and burger buns included.
It’s worth being mindful of the fact that a McDonalds burger most certainly is not going to give your dog any nutritional benefits. McDonalds burgers are made out of processed meats, and these are riddled with salt which can be bad for your dog.
So, what should you do? If you are planning on having a McDonalds burger and giving some to your dog, get one that doesn’t have any cheese, pickle, sauces and onion in it. You may prefer to just remove the ingredients manually, but it’s important to note that there’s a chance that some remnants of the ingredients could potentially remain in the burger.
Of course, it’s not a certainty that the ingredients are going to harm your dog – other than onions. That doesn’t mean that they’re healthy for your dog’s wellbeing, however, and you may end up with a slightly sick dog since the ingredients could aggravate your dog’s stomach.
So, how does it size up in terms of calories? Well, let’s start with the classic Big Mac. The Big Mac contains 563 calories on its own. That’s a pretty large amount, especially for your little French Bulldog – it’s 90% of his daily calorie intake! It looks slightly less startling for a labrador, as it’s only 32% of a labrador’s recommended calorie intake.
A cheeseburger is slightly less troublesome with 303 calories, whereas a McDonalds hamburger is 250 calories. This is a little better for your dog since the volume of the burger isn’t quite so high, but it’s still a huge amount of calories for a fairly small creature.
Should I Give My Dog Some Of My McDonalds Fries?
If your dog manages to eat a couple of McDonalds fries if you drop them on the floor, fear not – they’re not likely to hurt your dog. It’s okay to some degree for your dog to eat fries in moderation.
Potatoes are very high in carbohydrates, however, and the fries contain a lot of salt. For this reason, it’s a good idea to completely stay away from adding fries into your dog’s diet.
The salt and carbs aren’t the only problem either. There’s also the issue that McDonalds fries are cooked in a way that’s really bad for your dog. McDonalds fries are practically drowned in oil, and they’re really not good for your dog. They’re riddled with saturated and trans fats. These are not the kinds of fats that you want to be putting into your dog’s diet.
Eating a lot of fries most certainly isn’t good for your dog’s diet in the long term. It can upset his stomach in the short term, but in the long run your dog could get obesity, diabetes or pancreatitis if they eat McDonalds fries in high quantities.
What About Chicken Nuggets and Hash Browns?
One of the good things about McDonalds chicken nuggets is that they are very filling for your pooch since they contain protein.
The issue is that you aren’t going to be giving your dog any good nutrition from giving them chicken nuggets. They’re heavily processed, and this is bad for your dog. Potatoes aren’t very good for your dog either, so it’s best to stay away from the hash browns too if you can.
Of course, you may not take issue with giving your dog hash browns and chicken nuggets from McDonalds every once in a while. If that sounds accurate, you should take a moment to think about the different ways that these foods are cooked.
First you have the battered bread crumbs coating the outside of the food. Then those hash browns and chicken nuggets are dunked in a vat full of oil in a fryer. Does that really sound like something that is going to be nutritious for your dog? The obvious answer is no.
What sort of implication could these foods have on your dog’s health? Well, the batter coating the outside of those chicken nuggets could result in blocked arteries for your dog. This will mean that they’ll have higher cholesterol, and unfortunately it could make it difficult for them to digest, swallow and chew things.
If you still wish to let your dog eat McDonalds chicken nuggets, then it’s best to peel the batter off it first. This way your dog will only have the chicken meat, which is fine for your dog to eat.
Now, it’ll probably be more trouble than it’s worth to do this with a hash brown, so it’s best to eat your hash brown yourself rather than giving it to your pooch. Not to mention that hash browns can sometimes contain onion, which is toxic for your dog.
What about the calories? Well, one 6 piece serving of chicken nuggets contains 287 calories. This is a whopping 46% of a French bulldog’s daily calorie intake. Hash browns are slightly lower with 136 calories, but this can still make a huge dent in your dog’s daily calorie intake.
Should My Dog Eat McDonalds Ice Cream?
You can find a few different kinds of ice cream at McDonalds. With that in mind, we’re just going to be covering the main kind today – the McFlurry. We’re not going to be considering the sauces and toppings here either, so you should keep in mind that those are going to add extra calories too.
It’s usually okay for dogs to eat ice cream in small doses. In fact, it’s a well loved treat for many dogs. With that being said, it’s often best to avoid giving your dog any of your McFlurry, whether it’s plain or not.
Why is that? Well, to start with ice cream comes with a bunch of milk and sugar which aren’t the best things for your dog. For starters, sugar is just bad for your dog, and many dogs will have a negative reaction to dairy. Some dogs will have gas and diarrhea from eating ice cream, much like you would get with a person who’s lactose intolerant.
If you still want to let your dog have some of your McFlurry, it’s better to give them a tiny amount then observe how they’re going to react. It’s still not a very good idea to give your dog McFlurry though.
One thing that’s very important to note is that your dog cannot, under any circumstances, be encouraged to eat chocolate. You’ve probably heard this before, but chocolate can be poisonous for your pet.
They may end up vomiting and becoming dehydrated. It can have a more serious reaction in other dogs. If your dog does eat chocolate in small quantities then there’s likely no need to worry, but if you are concerned you can speak to a vet for advice.
If your dog happens to eat a lot of dairy, there’s a chance that they could vomit, have diarrhea and they may start stinking up your house a little! For this reason, it’s best to avoid giving your dog ice cream, especially if you’re in a small space!
The McFlurry contains 223 calories, which equates to around 36% of a French Bulldog’s daily calorie intake.
Can I Give My Dog a McChicken Sandwich?
The McChicken Sandwich is said to consist of 100% chicken breast. You may think that this means it’s totally safe for your dog, but that’s a common misconception. If you’re giving your dog a McChicken, you should still ensure that you get rid of the sauces and the bun.
Even without the bun and sauce, it’s still not a particularly good idea to feed one of these to your dog. These burgers have battered coatings that have been cooked in the fryer. This is certainly not a good choice for your dog – you can see what we mentioned about the nuggets above for more information.
If you intend to give your dog a McChicken, it’s best to remove the batter. This will be significantly better for your dog – in some respects, a peeled McChicken is probably the best choice on the entire menu for your dog.
The McChicken Sandwich has 357 calories – this is 57% of a French Bulldog’s daily calorie intake.
What About the Fillet-O-Fish?
Thankfully, your dog can eat fish – it’s actually a good choice for your dog’s balanced diet. It’s not a good idea for that fish to be covered in salt, oil or any batter. This means that in theory, the Fillet-O-Fish isn’t a good choice for your dog.
If you still wish to feed it to your dog, you can simply peel the batter off as you would do with a McChicken. It may not be the best idea to give your dog one of these burgers though since there’s a chance that there could still be fish bones inside. These are very bad since they can block your dog’s inside.
This burger contains around 379 calories, which is roughly 61% of a French Bulldog’s daily calorie intake.
Is There Anything My Dog Can Eat From McDonalds that will be okay?
Unfortunately, McDonalds food items often tend to contain onion and other ingredients that are harmful for dogs. With this in mind, you should take your dog to a vet if you suspect that your dog has eaten any onion. They can then make an assessment to ensure that your dog is still totally fine.
It’s also bad for your dog to eat sugar free ketchup, and this is because it contains something called xylitol. This is toxic, so it should be avoided at all costs. This ingredient can sometimes be present in McDonalds meals.
Stay away from any mayonnaise, salts, seasonings, oils and sesame seeds if you’re planning on giving your dog some of your McDonalds meal.
In general, it’s often best to avoid giving things on the McDonalds menu to your dog. It’s okay in small doses, but it shouldn’t be given to your dog on a regular basis.
What Will Happen If My Dog Eats McDonalds?
It ultimately depends on what exactly your dog has eaten. Most of the time your dog will be fine, but it’s often best not to take any chances.
It’s usually best to give your dog their vet recommended pet food instead of giving them your McDonalds. You need to be especially careful if your dog has heart conditions or diabetes.
Conclusion
So, that’s everything that you needed to know about whether dogs can eat McDonalds. It’s possible to give your dog McDonalds, just be cautious when doing so.
It’s okay as a quick treat, but it should most certainly not be given as part of your dog’s daily diet. It’s better to give them pet food instead.
