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Made with flour, water, yeast, and salt, pita is a simple snack originally by the Middle East and Mediterranean cultures that easily assimilates into most meals and party foods. Whether you prefer to use it as a mini pizza crust or eaten whole with hummus and olives, pita bread is a versatile staple that’s now conveniently crafted into a chip.
Pita chips are essentially a crunchy version of pita bread and are often flavored beyond just salt. Traditional pita chips that are merely lightly salted are relatively safe for dogs—although it’s not really considered a healthy snack due to the number of calories and carbs. Pita chips with other seasonings, however, such as garlic or onion, are actually dangerous for dogs. Here’s the scoop on pita chips and whether they’re safe to snack on.
Are Pita Chips Safe for Dogs?
In essence, homemade pita chips are made from pita bread that’s been sliced and cooked with oil at a high temperature. Commercially produced pita chips may go through a different process, though, and almost always contain more ingredients than the core baking ingredients found in homemade breads. For example, preservatives and sugar are in the ingredients list for some prominent brands, which aren’t good for dogs.
Even more concerning, flavored chips may contain toxic seasonings such as onion and garlic. Salt is also toxic to dogs, but only at high levels. Sodium toxicity is a tricky subject in pets because dogs need some salt to live. However, salt poisoning occurs when a dog goes way over their daily limit, and in some cases it can be deadly. We generally recommend avoiding giving your dog extra salty food for this reason.
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Dizziness
If your pet ingested a large amount of pita chips or experiences any of these signs, you should call your vet at once to see what to do next.
In all honesty, though, it would take a lot of pita chips to lead to salt toxicity, unless your dog is already consuming way too much salt in their diet. As long as they don’t contain any harmful seasonings, pita chips should be okay for your dog to snack on occasionally. Just limit them to one or two chips and provide plenty of water.
Are Pita Chips Healthy Snacks?
The old adage, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should” certainly rings true when it comes to treating your dog to a human snack. While plain pita chips may not be necessarily harmful, they’re essentially plant-based carbohydrates which don’t provide much nutritional substance to your omnivorous canine. Dogs predominantly need meat and vegetables. Some fruits and carbohydrates are okay, but pita chips don’t usually pack on the fiber that another carbohydrate might, such as oats.
If you’re looking for a healthy snack option, a whole wheat dog biscuit that’s fortified with vitamins and minerals is probably a safer choice. However, if your dog really craves pita chips, they can eat a few bites without any trouble, as long as the pita chips are plain and don’t contain any harmful seasonings.
Foods that are nutritionally lacking while high in calories can lead to obesity. This is a serious condition that can lead to other secondary illnesses, such as diabetes, and shorten your dog’s average life expectancy alone by 2 years. Keeping your pet on track with a vet-approved, balanced diet and plenty of daily exercise is the key to kicking obesity to the curb.
In Conclusion
Dogs can technically eat pita chips, and some love them. However, if you decide to give them a sample, make sure that the chips don’t contain any harmful seasonings such as garlic powder. Since pita chips are a salty snack that’s mostly empty calories, limit their portion to only one or two depending on your dog’s size. Always provide fresh drinking water as both a necessity and a courtesy when your dog is snacking. Plus, keeping them hydrated reduces their risk of developing salt toxicity from the chips or other sources of sodium. Salt toxicity can be deadly, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the signs and call your vet immediately if you suspect poisoning.
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Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
