Want to give your dog a taco? Doing so may seem harmless, but you may want to reconsider that.
This famous food is typically a concoction of questionable ingredients and especially so canines.
Not only do tacos contain spices for seasoning, they are also highly processed.
Take all the factors into account and you’ll find that Mexican cuisine is generally a bad idea for your dog.
Such zesty meals can easily cause digestive troubles.
Do Not Feed Your Dog Tacos
Play it safe even though there is likely no toxicity.
Spices, as well as the multitude of ingredients, make this type of food a bad idea.
Whip up some tacos at home if you really want to share. Give your dog ingredients that you have control over.
Taco Bell, for example, is a no-no.
Make no mistake about it:
Spices in taco meat tend to be too strong for a pet’s palate. And, besides, you want to prevent a situation where your dog begins to beg for delicious tacos. This goes for tortillas as well.
Keeping it simple is the way to go!
Go Against The Grain
Some owners will tell you it’s fine to give your dog crunchy tacos. These are often the same folks that give their pets just about anything.
If it doesn’t kill a canine, they deem it OK!
But you have to plan for your dog’s longevity (not just short-term results). What they eat actually matters!
Too Many Ingredients
Tacos are not terrible.
But recipes with lots of ingredients will increase the likelihood that a dog will have an adverse reaction.
Think about indigestion, diarrhea and vomiting before sharing.
For example:
It might be upsetting if there’s sour cream and/or cheese on the taco. Dogs and dairy typically don’t mix. You could be in store for explosive gas later on.
Tacos have lettuce and tomato, but the corn and/or flour need to be scrutinized too.
Meat (But Not Tacos)
Careful if the meat in the taco is heavily seasoned!
Dogs typically don’t respond well to such festive or fancy foods (whether it’s meat or grains or vegetables).
The fact is most animals cannot really handle spices.
Doubtful Digestion
The digestive system of a dog also isn’t accustomed to handling so many different ingredients in one go.
Tacos may as well be from another planet!
Our furry friends need simple protein-packed meals. It’s what they’d be eating if they were left to hunt and eat in the wild.
An Ideal Daily Diet
Most domesticated hounds will thrive on a consistent diet of a well-formulated dog food.
By contrast, tacos certainly won’t deliver the right nutrients for optimal health.
In fact, they could easily get sick (tummy ache).
The Bottom Line
Avoid getting into the habit of feeding your dog tacos.
Obviously many of the ingredients are processed.
And while a small amount of your taco won’t cause harm, we still cannot sign off on sharing. At the very least, be selective if you do give a taste.
Taco meat is the least worst part for dogs, at least compared to sour cream, cheese toppings or the crunchy shell.
Taco meat is terrible for dogs. There are 2 components that make it dangerous – grease and onions! Taco meat tends to be extremely greasy which can lead to pancreatitis in dogs, as well as other digestive issues. And the seasoning contains onions, typically in the form of onion powder, which is highly toxic even in small amounts.
Even in bigger dogs, the onion toxicity builds up over their lifetime. At some point, they may suddenly become seriously ill because the onion toxicity has passed a certain threshold. Do not let your dog have onions in any form. Even chicken broth has onions.