Kimchi is popular among Koreans and Japanese. Dogs always beg for a bite no matter what you are eating, right? As a dog owner, you usually share a bit, but you must be ready for the consequences then. What if you are eating kimchi? Do you know everything about kimchi? Is kimchi safe for dogs? Can dogs eat kimchi? The answer to these questions is simple, yes, but there are some considerations that you need to know. Never feed your dog anything that you are not aware of. If eaten in large amounts, it can cause health problems like vomiting, diarrhea, gas, nausea, etc. There are benefits of feeding your dog kimchi but make sure you avoid feeding him kimchi regularly.
What Is Kimchi?
Before discussing whether or not kimchi is safe, let’s know about kimchi. Kimchi is generally spelled like ‘Kimchee,’ and sometimes it is pronounced as ‘Kimuchi’. Kimchee is the Korean word, and it is the common side dish in Korean cuisine. Kimchi is made from fermented vegetables such as cabbage, radishes, and carrots. Along with these vegetables, they add a pinch of spices and seasonings. This results in delicious and immensely healthy food for humans. But, what about the dogs. Are vegetables and spices safe for dogs?
Is Kimchi Safe For Dogs?
To have complete knowledge about this, we need to explore two main aspects of kimchi- vegetables and fermented food. So, let’s explore the vegetables.
Kimchi Nutrients Facts
| Nutrients | Values (150-gram) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 23 |
| Carbs | 4 grams |
| Protein | 2 grams |
| Fat | less than 1 gram |
| Fiber | 2 grams |
| Sodium | 747 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 19% |
| Vitamin C | 22% |
| Vitamin K | 55% |
| Folate | 20% |
| Iron | 21% |
| Niacin | 10% |
| Riboflavin | 24% |
Are Vegetables Safe For Dogs?
Kimchi is typically made from fermented cabbage, but sometimes other fermented veggies are used instead of cabbage. It is important to know about other fermented veggies individually because then only we can get the answer of whether or not dogs can eat kimchi. Other than cabbage, onion and Garlic is more often used in kimchi.
Onion and Garlic are both toxic to dogs. Even a small amount of onion and Garlic can be fatal for dogs. It turns out that ingesting too much onion can damage a dog’s red blood cells, possibly leading to a serious medical issue called anemia. This means that your dog’s red blood cells are being destroyed faster than they can be made, hence leading to poisoning and even death in extreme cases. The same applies to Garlic, so it’s best to avoid both of them.
Is Fermented Food Safe For Dogs?
Yes, dogs can take plenty of fermented food, it is safe for them. When you are busy with your mobile phone, it might be possible that your dog eats an old thrown sandwich out, a snack, and maybe be something else from the garbage. It is not good to think about, but the stomach content of the animals that are being eaten is fermented, so wild dogs can eat plenty of fermented food along with the associated beneficial bacteria.
So, before dogs get domesticated, they already come up with the vegetable roughage and antioxidants from what they have consumed in their prey’s digestive organs. Probiotics are beneficial for dogs, and fermented food is full of probiotics. So, kimchi helps to promote health and build up the immune system.
Also, there are detoxifiers present in the fermented food that flushes out the toxins from your dog’s body. They also contain vitamins such as vitamin C, B complex, and K2, along with enzymes that help in producing the essential amino acids, choline, and acetylcholine.
Another thing is that fermentation leads to the production of lactic acid, which helps in fighting the growth of cancer cells and helps in preventing cancer.
In this way, we got to know that kimchi is beneficial to dogs but at the same time, you need to be careful about onion, Garlic, spices, and other seasonings as all these are toxic to dogs and can cause several health issues.
Conclusion
Kimchi is generally spelled like ‘Kimchee,’ and sometimes it is pronounced as ‘Kimuchi’. Kimchee is the Korean word, and it is the common side dish in Korean cuisine. Kimchi is made from fermented vegetables such as cabbage, radishes, and carrots. Along with these vegetables, they add a pinch of spices and seasonings.
Dogs can eat kimchi but make sure they don’t get habitual of eating it regularly. Other than cabbage, onion and Garlic is more often used in kimchi. Onion and Garlic are both toxic to dogs. Even a small amount of onion and Garlic can be fatal for dogs. If your dog ate a plate full of kimchi, then do not panic. Try to look for the symptoms such as vomiting, stomach upset, dehydration, diarrhea, gas, nausea, abdominal pain, etc. The severity of these symptoms depends on the size and weight of your dog. If you find any of these symptoms, call your vet immediately, and he will instruct you further on how to relieve your dog.
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