 The Short Answer is: |
Corn Pops are safe to eat by dogs, of course. Corn Pops contain so much sugar that you should limit the number of them that you share with your dog at the breakfast table. However, they do not contain any ingredients that will poison your dog. |
In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Corn Pops?“.
As far back as 1950 Kellogg launched Corn Pops as a breakfast cereal.
While Corn Pops were known by many different names back then and are still known by many different names today this cereal has gone by many different names over the years.
Sugar Pops and Sugar Corn Pops are included.
In 2006 Kelloggs rebranded them as Pops but had to change them back to Corn Pops after sales fell due to the rebranding.
In the next section I’ll begin to consider their suitability as dog food after looking into the history of this cereal.
The first thing I’m going to do is look at the ingredients.
What are the ingredients in Corn Pops?
They are made up of three main ingredients: milled corn sugar and corn syrup.
There are five ingredients that appear in much smaller amounts.
The following are their names:
Color: annatto extract salt vegetable oil mixed tocopherols.
By smaller quantities I mean that none of these ingredients make up more than 2% of the total.
In addition Corn Pops are fortified with a long list of vitamins and minerals.
In the meantime I’ll dig into this list a bit later.
In the meantime I’d like to take a closer look at the ingredients.
Milled Corn
Simply put milled corn is corn that has been ground into flour.
Your dog would not suffer any harm from corn.
Since it contains about 20% carbohydrate you need to keep that in mind but it is low in fat otherwise.
Sugar and Corn Syrup
It is much more unhealthy to consume Corn Pops with the other two ingredients.
On the plus side your dog would not be poisoned by them.
The two types of sugar are essentially the same so I have grouped them together.
Sugar makes up 77% of the sugar in corn syrup which is made from the starch of corn.
Sugar is high in calories so anything with a lot of sugar will have plenty of calories.
Sugar is also unhealthy for our dogs due to its effect on their teeth in addition to its high calories.
Their teeth will decay faster if they consume a high sugar diet.
On the next page I will discuss some of the “smaller” ingredients you’ll find in a pack of Corn Pops.
Is your dog going to be healthier with these?
Salt
The first thing we need is salt.
Accordingly the answer to the question of whether these ingredients will be any healthier seems to be “no”!
Similarly to humans if a dogs diet contains too much salt it could result in high blood pressure.
Additionally dogs can suffer from salt poisoning if they ingest an excessive amount of salt in a short period of time.
For example a dog might drink a lot of seawater while swimming in the sea if he were left unattended in the Corn Pop warehouse for a few days!
In practice salt poisoning only happens if a dog does not have fresh water to drink.
To be honest this cereal contains a very small amount of salt. We have already mentioned that.
Thus salt poisoning can be crossed off your list of things to worry about.
Vegetable Oil
It is not toxic to your dog to consume vegetable oil.
Even though excessive amounts of vegetable oil may cause vomiting diarrhea or even pancreatitis the amount of oil used to make Corn pop is very small.
Most of its effect will be to add a few more calories to the mouthful of Corn Pops they are chewing!
Additionally our final two ingredients are foods that you may not have heard of before.
Mixed Tocopherols
Compounds containing vitamin E are known as mixed tocopherols.
Although the science is a bit more complicated than that if you see mixed tocopherols on a food package that just means that it contains vitamin E.
Dogs are not toxic to vitamin E of course.
As well as helping to maintain their heart and liver it boosts their immune system.
A good quality commercial dog food will contain some vitamin E so most dogs will not need additional vitamin E.
In addition avocados and spinach have naturally high levels of vitamin E.
Annatto Extract Colour
This ingredient is used to add color to these delicious cereals.
Whenever it is added to food it gives it a dark orange or red color.
An achiote tree provides the coloring.
For over two centuries various foods have been flavored with it in Europe.
This extract is also responsible for the color of Graham crackers and goldfish crackers in America!
Neither humans nor dogs can be poisoned by anatto.
Wheat Starch
Wheat starch is our final real ingredient.
It is just the starch that is extracted from the wheat during processing.
The starch is added to foods to thicken the mixture and to provide texture- pretty important when it comes to food with such a unique shape as Corn Pops.
Anyone who owns a dog who is gluten intolerant will be concerned about anything that contains wheat.
Due to the small amount of wheat starch used in this recipe it is unlikely to affect even the most sensitive dogs.
Now that I have looked at all of the ingredients in Corn Pops I would like to discuss the vitamins that are added to each packet and how these might affect your dog.
Added or fortified vitamins
The addition of vitamins and minerals to foods dates back to the 1920s in America – although it did not take off until the 1980s.
As many people as possible were encouraged to consume enough vitamins because these vitamins could protect them from becoming ill.
Adding vitamins to cereals is one of the most common fortification methods.
When it comes to Corn Pops most of the added vitamins are B vitamins- B1 B2 B3 B6 and B12.
I mentioned earlier that your dog probably would not need this tiny boost of B vitamins since good quality dog food whether it is wet or dry is already fortified.
There is a good balance of vitamins and minerals in dog food that experts believe are necessary for healthy and active dogs.
You do not have to worry.
It would not harm your dog if it eats a breakfast cereal fortified with vitamins and minerals.
After examining all of the ingredients that go into making Corn pop we can answer the billion-dollar question.
Can dogs eat Corn Pops?
Corn Pops are safe to eat by dogs of course.
Corn Pops contain so much sugar that you should limit the number of them that you share with your dog at the breakfast table.
However they do not contain any ingredients that will poison your dog.
It is possible that your dogs stomach (and your floors) may suffer a bit of diarrhea if you leave them alone with the whole packet.
Any unfortunate event of that nature should resolve itself within a day.
Amanda (Author)
With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.
Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)
Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.
