Can Dogs Eat Corn? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

Yes, dogs can eat corn as long as it’s in small amounts. Corn, however, may be off-limits for some dogs, especially if they have an allergy towards it.

What kind of corn can dogs eat?

Dogs can eat most types of plain corn including cooked, canned, and corn kernels without the cob. The key word here is moderation. Human foods like corn shouldn’t be harmful to dogs as long as it’s only given in small quantities.

If you plan to give your dog cooked corns, make sure it’s plain as additives and flavoring can make the corn unsafe to eat. Buttered corns, for example, is not good for dogs because of the high fat content that comes with butter. The safest cooking methods for dogs would include boiling and steaming.

For canned corns, check the product label and make sure they don’t use a lot of unhealthy ingredients like salt. Canned vegetables generally make use of sodium as a preservative.

For regular corn, we would strongly recommend separating the kernels from the cob. Discard the cob as it can pose a major choking or intestinal blockage hazard, especially for puppies and small-sized dogs.

How much corn is safe for dogs?

There isn’t a strict rule. How much corn a dog can safely eat will depend on many factors such as the size of the dog and the dog’s regular dietary plan. As a starting point, we would recommend following the ten percent rule. This means non-dog foods like corn should not account for more than ten percent of a dog’s daily food intake.

In any case, it’s not necessary for corn to be a regular supplement to a dog’s diet. To be on the safe side, we would let a dog no more than a spoonful of plain corn kernels.