It is best not to feed dogs tangyuan

Today is the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. After today, we can say that the celebrations and activities for the New Year truly come to an end. Chinese people are very particular about food; different festivals always have certain special foods. On the Lantern Festival, we usually eat tangyuan or dumplings/wontons. So, for friends who have dogs at home, they might be tempted to feed their dogs some tangyuan. Before discussing whether to feed them, let’s first talk about whether dogs can eat tangyuan.

First, we know that the method of making tangyuan varies by region, so the fillings are quite diverse, including sesame filling, red bean paste filling, meat filling, osmanthus filling, and so forth. There is a wide variety. But precisely because the fillings are so varied, they increase potential risks. We know many foods that are safe for us can be poisonous to dogs, so we must first understand whether the particular kind of filled tangyuan is suitable for dogs before feeding it to them.

First of all, dogs are carnivorous omnivores, so they eat and like many things. However, many foods in their evolutionary process are foods they have never eaten, so eating them recklessly might cause food poisoning. For example, some tangyuan fillings are special and may contain raisins or other ingredients as additives, and grapes are undoubtedly a chronic poison to dogs, so it is best not to feed dogs tangyuan with such fillings.

Dogs face risk of throat choking when eating tangyuan

Besides these additives, we also need to pay attention to the tangyuan itself. Tangyuan is made from glutinous rice flour, so it is very sticky. If a dog eats it, it may stick to their teeth. Such foods can easily get stuck in the dog's throat, and since dogs usually gulp down food quickly, the risk of choking increases. If truly stuck, this soft food is not easy to remove and can block the dog's airways, potentially causing suffocation.

Furthermore, glutinous rice is not easy to digest and may cause digestive problems. Tangyuan is generally quite sweet, and excessively sweet food is not beneficial for dogs’ health. For dogs with diabetes, this kind of food is especially not allowed to avoid adverse effects.

Sesame-filled tangyuan is also unsuitable for dogs because sesame is too sweet and oily; eating too much might cause irregular bowel movements. The stickiness of tangyuan significantly increases the likelihood of it sticking to dogs’ teeth, and if not cleaned promptly, it can severely affect their dental health.

So based on the above, we can see that feeding dogs tangyuan has many disadvantages. The only possible benefit might be satisfying the dog's craving, so it can almost be said to be all harm and no benefit. Therefore, as pet owners, do not think about sharing everything with dogs. We need to know if a particular food is suitable for dogs to avoid turning our good intentions into bad consequences and later regret.