We love to have milk tea, bubble tea, and tapioca pudding to beat the heat during summers. And if you are sitting with your dog, he looks at your food so desperately, you might want to share it with him. But have you ever thought – Can Dogs Eat Tapioca?
You must know the answer to that question before feeding your dog anything that has tapioca in it. What if it is harmful to your dog? While tapioca is more or less safe for your dog, there are different varieties of it that might be dangerous.
Let’s take a look in detail at whether you should include tapioca in your dog’s diet or not.
Can Dogs Eat Tapioca?
Dogs can eat Tapioca but it might lack the nutrients that your dog needs.
Extracted from the cassava plant, Tapioca is a starch used all across South America. What is surprising is that it is the staple food of many people from tropical regions.
However, it is only rich in carbohydrates. Dogs need carbohydrates to maintain their glycogen stores and tapioca is a good source for it. But, other essential nutrients like proteins, minerals, and vitamins are present in very low quantities in Tapioca.
Tapioca is gluten-free and is considered a good alternative to grain-based starch for your dog. Sometimes, dogs have adverse reactions from eating grain or wheat-based starch but tapioca will pose no such problem. It also has some essential nutrients that your dog needs but not all.
Your dog is probably already consuming tapioca as it is used as a filler in many dog foods!
Can Dogs Eat Tapioca Pudding?
Tapioca is good for your dog but when it comes to tapioca pudding you might want to pull back a bit.
Tapioca pudding contains tapioca, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Now out of these only tapioca starch is the ingredient that will not cause any harm to your dog. Let us see why the other ingredients are a red flag for your dog.
As a pet parent, you must be aware that there is a high chance that your four-legged friend is lactose intolerant. Consuming milk can lead to many impacts like vomiting, diarrhea, bloated tummy, or a lack of appetite in your dog.
While it is possible that your dog might not be lactose intolerant, it is best to stay on the safer side and not feed him milk. Read up more about why or how milk is not good for dogs here.
Now coming to sugar, tapioca starch already has a good amount of sugar which is enough for your dog. The excess amount used to make the pudding can be on the harmful side. If consumed too much, your dog may develop diabetes in the long run.
If not paid attention, vanilla extract can be something very dangerous to your dog. It is so because it contains alcohol which dogs cannot break down. And if fed in large amounts, it can even kill your dog! You can use an alcohol-free vanilla extract and it won’t cause any problems for your dog.
Now that we have looked at each ingredient, you know why Tapioca pudding can be harmful to your dog. But you can give it to him in very moderate amounts like a tablespoon just to pacify his curiosity.
Can Dogs Eat Tapioca Flour?
Tapioca flour is widely used in dog foods and as an alternative for dogs who are allergic to wheat flour since it is gluten-free. And it has no harmful effects on dogs. So it is okay for your dog to eat tapioca flour.
Tapioca also has dietary fibre and minerals like calcium, manganese, and iron that are essential for your doggo.
Because of its carbohydrate content, tapioca flour is a healthy source of weight gain and can be included in your dog’s diet. Tapioca flour has 30.4 mg of calcium and 135 grams of carbohydrates in one cup.
On average, an active dog should have 20% carbohydrate in his diet and an adult dog must get 1.24 mg calcium per 1000 kcal.
However, don’t make tapioca flour your four-legged friend’s primary food. Serve it to him in moderate quantities only. And always first check if your dog is allergic to tapioca or not.
Also read: 30 Worst Foods For Dogs Every Dog Owners Should Know
Can Dogs Eat Tapioca Chips?
Where tapioca does not have any harmful effects on your dog, tapioca chips might just be dangerous for them.
Tapioca chips may have high amounts of fat and salt in them which is not recommended for your dogs. So it is best to keep tapioca chips away from him.
Can Dogs Have Boba?
Boba refers to two things. First, cassava starch pearls and second, bubble tea. Boba is accustomed to human tastes and needs and does not have any significant nutritional value for your dog. So, even though dogs can have boba, it is not recommended at all.
Bubble tea has boba which is tapioca pearls which can be hazardous if consumed without chewing as it can choke your dog and you must keep in mind that dogs tend to swallow food without chewing it.
Boba pearls as well as the whole drink has a lot of sugar and calories that can lead to obesity or diabetes in your dog if fed too much. So it is best to not let your dog drink boba. If you give him a little to taste, he might want more and then you will have to deal with an angry dog.
Are Tapioca Pearls Bad For Dogs?
Tapioca pearls contain a high amount of sugar and carbohydrate. The sugar and carbohydrate content is around 28 grams in 220 grams of tapioca pearls. Since sugar and carbohydrates are not good for your dog, an excess quantity of tapioca pearls can be bad for your dog.
Also, dogs tend to swallow things before chewing and tapioca pearls are one thing that should never be swallowed directly. If done so, it might lead to choking and suffocation or cause intestinal blockage ultimately leading to constipation in your dog.
Always use a proper dog bowl to reduce the risks of choking in your dear dog.
Can Dogs Eat Cassava Starch?
It is okay to feed your dog cassava starch but not in its raw form. You can give some cassava flour to your dog however it is not recommended.
Cassava does not have any significant nutrients in it and is often used as a filler for dog food. And a large amount of cassava will do more harm than good to your dog.
If you take 100 gm of cassava, you will get 191 calories which contain 82% carbs, 14% fat, and only 3% protein. Thus, even from a nutritional point of view, cassava starch is not recommended.
Is Cassava Toxic To Dogs?
If eaten in its raw form, cassava can be toxic to dogs. And not just dogs, humans as well.
When raw, cassava contains cyanogenic glycosides in it and if this cassava is consumed, it can lead to the formation of cyanide in your dog’s body. Some symptoms of cyanide poisoning can be vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation, and heavy breathing.
If consumed in extremely small amounts, you don’t need to worry much about your dog. But make sure it does not take in much of cassava, especially in its raw form.
Well-processed or peeled and then extensively boiled cassava can be consumed by dogs. Also, make sure you use the sweet variety of cassava rather than the bitter one because the latter contains more amount of cyanide.
Is Boiled Cassava Good For Dogs?
If properly cooked or boiled, cassava can be eaten by dogs.
Boiling cassava reduces the amount of cyanide in it which removes the harmful element of raw cassava or cassava starch.
Still, cassava is not much recommended for your dog since it is low on the scale of nutritional values.
Is Cooked Cassava Good For Dogs?
Cooking cassava reduces the level of cyanide in cassava which makes it fairly safe for consumption in dogs.
Cooking cassava is enough to remove all toxicity from small cassava roots.
Other ways that can be used to reduce the level of cyanide in cassava are soaking, peeling, or adding more protein content into cassava.
Can Dogs Eat Honey?
Honey has natural sugar and some medicinal properties, so it is safe for your dog to eat honey but only in small quantities.
Since honey has high sugar content, it is best not to feed your dog too much honey as it can lead to obesity or diabetes.
But small quantities can be used for sweetening some food items. You can even use a small quantity of honey instead of sugar in the homemade dishes that you make for your dog.
Honey is always a better option than using artificial sweeteners like xylitol which can be very dangerous for your dog. You can try K9 Honey for Dogs as honey supplement for your dogs.
Is Sweet Potato Good For Dogs?
Sweet potato contains high dietary fibres, vitamins like B6, C, and A and is also low in fat and because of this, sweet potato is healthy for dogs and it is most likely that your dog will like the flavour of it.
But always remember to boil, steam, or bake the sweet potato before feeding it to your dog, or else raw sweet potato can upset your pet friend’s stomach or even cause intestinal blockages.
Is Potato Good For Dogs?
Dog foods generally have potatoes as the source of protein and starch. But they are always well processed to meet the needs of dogs.
Raw potatoes have solanine that can be dangerous for your dog because its ingestion in large amounts can cause gastrointestinal diseases like vomiting, diarrhea, and even weakness and lethargy.
So always cook the potato before feeding it to your dog but do not add any butter or seasoning.
Diabetic dogs should never be fed potatoes and products like potato chips or french fries should also be kept away from dogs because of the high content of fat and salt in them.
Can Dogs Have Potato Starch?
Potato starch has become a popular and important binding agent in dogs due to the need to move away from grain-based binding agents like corn starch. So dogs can consume potato starch.
But unlike whole potatoes, potato starch does not have much to offer. It is pure starch and contains very low nutritional values.
Is Mashed Potato OK For Dogs?
Pure mashed potato is safe for dogs but pre-made mashed potato or different varieties of it contain many ingredients that can be harmful to dogs.
Onions, garlic, chives, and salt are some such ingredients that can be bad for your dog.
Read up more about what kinds of potatoes are safe or not safe for your dog here.
Conclusion: Can Dogs Eat Tapioca?
Now that you know the answer to “Can Dogs Eat Tapioca”, it is up to you to decide if you want to feed it to him or not.
However, always keep in mind the quantity of whatever you give your dog because excess of anything can be hazardous for your canine companion.
In case of any side effects or symptoms, contact your vet immediately. It is also recommended to consult your vet before adding anything new to your dog’s diet.
