Are Cooking Oils Safe for Dogs to Eat?

When you have a dog as a pet it is important to know what types of foods are healthy for its diet, and which food products can have a negative impact on the dog's health. Giving your dog food that it is unable to digest can cause stomach problems and allergic reactions. If you are considering giving your dog table food, or human food, you should know whether cooking oils used to prepare the foods are safe for dog consumption.

  1. Safe Cooking Oils

    • Some types of cooking oils are perfectly safe for dogs to consume. Olive oil and flax seed oil are two such cooking oils that are safe for dogs. In fact, regular doses of olive or flax seed oil helps with the conditioning and moisturizing of dogs' coats and skin. If you cook with these oils, you can feel confident about feeding your dog the food that is prepared.

    Oils to Use With Caution

    • When you feed dogs human foods made with cooking oils you have to be careful about food allergies or intolerance reactions. Vegetable oils, for instance, can contain soybean and corn products, which some dogs are allergic to. Peanut oils can give some dogs stomachaches, and so can butter, if you are substituting butter with your cooking oil. Cooked fats, such as grease from bacon, are unhealthy and contain a lot of sodium, so these products should be avoided.

    Warning Signs

    • If you aren't sure how well your dog will tolerate cooking oils, only give it a little bit of the food at a time. Look for the warning signs that will indicate how well your dog is digesting the oils. If your dog needs to eliminate or comes down with a cause of loose stools or diarrhea, it can be assumed that the cooking oil -- or the food itself -- did not agree with your dog. Either way, you should steer clear from feeding it again to your dog. If your dog has no unusual reaction from the food prepared in cooking oil, then you can try serving it to your dog again.

    Moderation

    • It is okay to feed dogs cooking oils in moderation, but cooking oils contain fat and are highly caloric, so too much of them can lead to canine health issues. Liver conditions can form due to a dog that consumes too much fatty acids. It is always recommended to check with your dog's veterinarian to determine how much cooking oil is safe for your dog to consume. Your vet will have suggestions for exact amounts of cooking oils and frequency.