Yes, dogs can eat potatoes, but only plain, fully cooked white potato in small amounts. Boiled or baked potato with nothing added is a safe occasional treat. Raw potato, green skin and sprouts contain glycoalkaloids such as solanine and should never be fed. Holiday mashed potatoes, fries and chips are the bigger everyday risk, because butter, cream, salt, garlic, onion and chives turn a harmless vegetable into a problem. Keep potato portions inside your dog’s 10 percent treat budget.
Last updated: November 2025
Can dogs eat potatoes?
Plain cooked potato is safe for most healthy dogs. It is mostly water and starch, with small amounts of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium, and it has almost no fat or salt until someone adds them in the kitchen.
The American Kennel Club says dogs can eat potatoes but that they are best fed in moderation, and that boiled or baked potatoes are the forms to choose. PetMD agrees: plain, cooked potatoes that are boiled, baked or mashed without butter or seasoning are best, while raw potatoes, green parts, fries and heavily seasoned dishes should be avoided.
That leaves three questions every owner should ask before sharing a bite:
- Is it cooked all the way through? Raw and half-cooked potato is hard to digest and can be a choking risk in chunks.
- Is any part of it green or sprouted? Those parts carry the most glycoalkaloids.
- What else is on it? Butter, cream, cheese, salt, garlic and onion cause far more trouble than the potato.
Potato is also not a food your dog needs. A complete and balanced dog food already covers the vitamins and minerals in a spud, so potato belongs in the treat column. This post covers white potatoes only. Sweet potatoes are a different plant with a different nutrient profile, and our guide to whether dogs can eat sweet potatoes covers them in full.
Can dogs eat raw potatoes or green potato skin?
No. Raw potato, green potato and sprouts are the forms to keep away from your dog.
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists Solanum species, including the potato, as plants that contain the glycoalkaloid solanine, which is concentrated in leaves, shoots and unripe berries. Signs it lists in animals include acute hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, weakness, excess salivation, trouble breathing, trembling and progressive paralysis.
The amount matters, and storage changes it. Oregon State University Extension reports that a normal potato kept out of light averages 12 to 20 milligrams of glycoalkaloids per kilogram. A green tuber contains 250 to 280 milligrams per kilogram, and green tuber skin 1,500 to 2,200. That puts green skin roughly 100 times higher than an ordinary potato, by our math. The same report notes that the skin, the eyes, damaged spots and sprouts hold the highest levels.
Green color is a warning sign rather than the toxin itself. Light exposure triggers chlorophyll and glycoalkaloids at the same time, so a potato that has turned green has usually built up more solanine too. Cooking does not reliably fix a green potato. Throw it out rather than trimming it for the dog.
Raw potato has a second problem. PetMD notes that raw potatoes are hard to digest, and large raw or undercooked chunks can cause choking or a gastrointestinal blockage. The AKC adds that cooked potatoes should be soft enough to mash so a dog does not choke on a piece of raw or half-cooked potato.
A small bite of an ordinary, non-green raw potato off the floor is unlikely to be an emergency. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or weakness over the next day and call your vet if any appear.
Can dogs eat mashed potatoes?
Plain mashed potato, yes. Holiday mashed potatoes, usually not.
A bowl of mashed potatoes made for people almost always includes butter and milk or cream, plus salt. Many recipes add garlic, onion or chives. USDA data for home-prepared mashed potatoes made with whole milk and butter show 113 calories, 4.2 grams of fat and 317 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams. One cup is about 237 calories, which is nearly 80 percent of the roughly 300 calories Tufts says an average 10-pound dog needs in a whole day.
Dr. Patricia Kennedy, a veterinarian for more than four decades, put the rule simply for the AKC.
“Cooked potatoes are fine, but not with tons of butter, which can trigger pancreatitis.”
Dr. Patricia Kennedy, Founder and Director, Jefferson Animal Hospital, American Kennel Club (2022)
The seasonings are a separate danger. The ASPCA lists onion, garlic and chives as Allium species that can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage leading to anemia. The Merck Veterinary Manual says garlic is 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion and that concentrated forms such as powders cause most poisonings. Cooking does not make them safe, and signs of anemia often appear several days later.
Dairy adds a smaller issue. The ASPCA notes that pets do not have much lactase, so milk and cream can cause diarrhea.
That is why leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes are a poor choice for the dog bowl. Garlic mashed potatoes or a bowl topped with chives should be treated as an exposure to call about. Our Thanksgiving with pets guide covers the rest of the holiday table, and our list of foods dogs can’t eat explains the other ingredients to keep out of reach.
If you want your dog to share the meal, scoop out a few spoonfuls of plain boiled potato before the butter, milk, salt and seasonings go in.
Can dogs eat french fries and potato chips?
A dropped fry or chip will not poison a healthy dog, but neither is a good treat. Frying adds fat and calories, and both are usually salted.
The table below compares common potato forms using USDA FoodData Central values per 100 grams.
| Potato form (per 100 g) | Calories | Fat | Sodium | For dogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw, flesh and skin | 77 | 0.1 g | 6 mg | Do not feed |
| Boiled, peeled, no salt | 86 | 0.1 g | 5 mg | Best choice |
| Instant mashed, made with whole milk and butter | 97 | 5.1 g | 164 mg | Skip |
| Mashed, home-made with whole milk and butter | 113 | 4.2 g | 317 mg | Skip |
| French fries, fast food | 312 | 14.7 g | 210 mg | Avoid |
| Potato chips, plain, salted | 532 | 34 g | 527 mg | Avoid |
By our math, salted chips carry about 6 times the calories of boiled potato and more than 100 times the sodium. A small fast-food order of fries, which USDA lists at 71 grams, has about 222 calories. That is most of a 10-pound dog’s daily energy in one paper sleeve.
Fat is the concern vets raise most. A 2008 JAVMA study from Texas A&M notes that high-fat diets have been shown experimentally to induce pancreatitis in dogs, and that in some dogs signs of pancreatitis can follow a fatty meal. Flavored chips add their own hazards, since sour cream and onion or garlic varieties use concentrated Allium powders.
Hash browns, tater tots and potato wedges fall into the same group. They are fried, salted and often seasoned, so keep them off the treat list.
Do potatoes in grain-free dog food cause heart disease?
This question comes up because potatoes appear in many grain-free dog foods, and those foods were part of a widely reported investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The short version is that no one has proven potatoes cause heart disease in dogs, but the question has not been fully answered either.
In July 2018, the FDA announced that it was looking into reports of dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, in dogs eating certain pet foods. DCM is a disease of the heart muscle in which the heart enlarges and pumps less effectively. The foods named in many reports were labeled grain-free and contained a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds and potatoes in various forms, such as whole potato, potato flour or potato protein, listed within the first 10 ingredients.
In its June 2019 status report, the FDA said it had received 524 reports of DCM between January 2014 and April 2019, including 515 involving dogs. Those reports covered 560 affected dogs, 119 of which died. When the agency examined the labels of the reported products, more than 90 percent were grain-free and 93 percent contained peas and/or lentils. The FDA said a far smaller proportion contained potatoes. In other words, potatoes were present in some of these diets, but peas and lentils were far more common.
The FDA was careful about what the numbers meant. It said it had not established why certain diets may be associated with DCM in some dogs. It also pointed out that the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there are 77 million pet dogs in the United States, and most dogs have been eating pet food without apparently developing DCM. DCM is already known as an inherited condition in some large and giant breeds, such as the Doberman Pinscher, Great Dane and Irish Wolfhound, and in Cocker Spaniels it has been linked to taurine deficiency. What caught attention was the number of reports in breeds without a known genetic tendency.
In December 2022, the FDA posted that it did not intend to release further public updates until there was meaningful new scientific information to share. The agency explained that adverse event reports can signal a possible issue but, by themselves, do not supply enough data to establish that a product caused an illness. It continues to encourage research by universities, veterinarians and the pet food industry.
So where does that leave a pet owner? A spoonful of plain cooked potato as an occasional treat is a very different thing from a diet in which potato and legume ingredients make up a large share of every meal, day after day. The investigation was about formulated diets, not table treats. Even so, the FDA has consistently advised owners to talk with their veterinarian, who may consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, before changing foods, and to report suspected diet-related heart problems through its Safety Reporting Portal.
If your dog eats a grain-free food with potatoes high on the ingredient list, it is reasonable to raise it at your next checkup, especially for a breed prone to heart disease or a dog with a murmur, fatigue or coughing. Your vet can listen to the heart and decide whether screening makes sense. Our comparison of grain-free vs grain-inclusive dog food walks through the evidence on both sides and the questions to ask when you choose a food.
Can diabetic dogs eat potatoes?
Usually not as a casual treat, and only with your veterinarian’s approval.
Potatoes are starchy. USDA lists 17.5 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams of raw potato, and 15.3 grams of that is starch, which the body breaks down into glucose. For a dog with diabetes, the goal is a steady, predictable blood sugar pattern that matches the timing and dose of insulin.
VCA Animal Hospitals explains that diets for diabetic dogs favor complex carbohydrates and fiber, which slow digestion and absorption, and avoid simple sugars that cause a quick glucose peak. VCA also stresses consistency: most diabetic dogs eat two meals about 12 hours apart, and any additional foods or treats a dog receives will likely affect glucose levels.
If your vet does approve the occasional treat, it should be a small, measured amount of plain boiled potato given at the same time each day so it can be counted in the plan. Low-starch options such as green beans are often easier to fit in. Our guide to diabetes in dogs covers signs, treatment and daily routines in more depth.
The same logic applies to dogs that need to lose weight. Potato is not toxic, but it is calorie-dense compared with many vegetables, and extra calories add up fast for a small dog.
How much potato can a dog eat?
Use the 10 percent rule. Tufts University veterinary nutritionists recommend that treats and table food make up less than 10 percent of a dog’s daily calories, with the rest coming from a complete and balanced food.
Tufts gives these reference points: a 10-pound dog averages about 300 calories a day, a less active 25-pound dog about 400, a fairly active 25-pound dog about 600, and an average 75-pound dog about 1,400. Here is how that treat budget converts into potato, using the USDA calorie figures above.
| Dog | Daily calories (Tufts) | 10% treat budget | Plain boiled potato that uses the whole budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb dog | about 300 | 30 calories | about 35 g (a scant 1/4 cup) |
| 25 lb dog, less active | about 400 | 40 calories | about 47 g |
| 25 lb dog, active | about 600 | 60 calories | about 70 g (just under 1/2 cup) |
| 75 lb dog | about 1,400 | 140 calories | about 163 g (roughly 1 medium potato) |
These are our calculations from the Tufts and USDA figures. They are ceilings for a day with no other treats, not targets. If your dog also gets a dental chew or training treats, potato fills only what is left. Start with a teaspoon or two the first time and watch for loose stool or gas.
For the bigger picture, our dog feeding chart by weight shows how a treat budget fits into total daily food.
Holiday weekend? Put your dog’s food rules on their tag
Guests, open doors and leftovers make the long weekend busy. Anyone who finds your dog can tap a Shiloh’s House Smart Tag with any modern phone, no app needed, to call or text you and read notes like “diabetic, no table food.”
Can dogs eat potato skins or instant mashed potatoes?
A little cooked skin is usually fine. Loaded skins and boxed mashed potatoes are not.
Dr. Kennedy told the AKC that potato skins are okay if they are not green. PetMD adds that a little cooked peel probably will not cause problems, but too much can be hard to digest and lead to stomach upset. Because Oregon State notes that glycoalkaloids collect in and just under the skin, peeling is the simplest choice when you cook potato for your dog.
Restaurant-style potato skins are another matter. They are fried or baked crisp and loaded with cheese, bacon, sour cream and often chives or green onion, so they combine fat, salt and Allium in one bite.
Instant mashed potatoes start as dried flakes, and the box directions usually call for milk, butter and salt. USDA lists flakes prepared with whole milk and butter at 97 calories, 5.1 grams of fat and 164 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams. Some flavored versions also include garlic, onion or cheese powders, so read the label before your dog gets near the pot.
Canned potatoes and frozen potato products often contain added salt or seasoning, too. If a potato product has more than potato and water on the label, assume it is people food.
Holiday guests may not know your dog’s rules. In the free Lohji app (App Store or Google Play), you can add medical notes, behavioral notes and up to 3 contacts to your dog’s free safety profile, and make a Thanksgiving sticker starring your pet while you are at it.
What should I do if my dog ate potatoes?
Start by working out which kind of potato it was and how much is gone.
- A bite of plain cooked potato. No action needed for a healthy dog. Count it in the day’s treats.
- Mashed potatoes with butter and cream. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea or belly pain over the next day or two, and call your vet if they appear, especially for small dogs or dogs with a pancreatitis history.
- Anything with garlic, onion or chives. Call your vet or a poison line the same day, even if your dog seems fine, because signs of anemia can take days to show.
- Green or sprouted potatoes, peelings or potato plants. Call your vet or a poison line right away with your dog’s weight and an estimate of the amount.
- A bag of chips or a large order of fries. Call your vet for advice, and keep fresh water available.
Dr. Kennedy told the AKC to find a veterinarian immediately if a pet is vomiting, has diarrhea, shows lethargy or has muscle weakness after eating green potato. Do not try to make your dog vomit unless a veterinarian tells you to.
Our step-by-step guide for when a dog ate something it shouldn’t covers what to have ready when you call.
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs eat cooked potatoes every day?
A small amount of plain boiled or baked potato can fit into a healthy dog’s day if it stays within the 10 percent treat budget. Potato is starchy and not needed in a complete diet, so most vets suggest it as an occasional treat rather than a daily habit. Dogs with diabetes, weight problems or prescription diets need their veterinarian’s approval first.
Are raw potatoes toxic to dogs?
Raw potatoes should not be fed. They contain glycoalkaloids such as solanine, they are hard to digest and chunks can cause choking or blockage. Green or sprouted potatoes carry the highest levels. A small bite of ordinary raw potato is rarely an emergency, but call your vet if vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or weakness follows.
Can dogs eat leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes?
It is best not to share them. Holiday mashed potatoes usually contain butter, cream and salt, and many recipes add garlic, onion or chives, which can damage red blood cells. USDA data show one cup of home-made mashed potatoes with milk and butter has about 237 calories. Set aside plain boiled potato for your dog before you season the pot.
What happens if a dog eats a green potato?
Green potatoes have much higher glycoalkaloid levels. Oregon State University Extension reports green tubers at 250 to 280 milligrams per kilogram, compared with 12 to 20 in a normal potato. Signs can include vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and lethargy. Call your veterinarian or a pet poison helpline with your dog’s weight and the amount eaten.
Can dogs eat french fries?
A single dropped fry will not poison a healthy dog, but fries are a poor treat. USDA lists fast-food fries at 312 calories, 14.7 grams of fat and 210 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams. That fat load can upset the stomach, and rich foods are linked to pancreatitis. Seasoned fries may also contain garlic or onion powder.
Is potato in dog food bad for dogs?
Not necessarily. Potatoes appear in many complete and balanced foods. The FDA investigated reports of heart disease in dogs eating diets high in peas, lentils and potatoes but has not established a cause, and said a far smaller share of reported foods contained potatoes. Talk to your vet if your dog eats a grain-free, potato-heavy food.
Sources
- American Kennel Club, Can Dogs Eat Potatoes? (2022)
- PetMD, Can Dogs Eat Potatoes? Benefits, Risks, and Feeding Tips (2023)
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Poisonous Range Plants of Temperate North America (n.d.)
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Garlic and Onion (Allium spp) Toxicosis in Animals (2024)
- ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets (n.d.)
- U.S. FDA, FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (2022)
- Oregon State University Extension, Glycoalkaloids in Potato Tubers (2023)
- JAVMA, Associations Between Dietary Factors and Pancreatitis in Dogs, Lem et al. (2008)
- Tufts Petfoodology, Treat Options for Dogs and Cats Without Unbalancing Their Diet (2021)
- Tufts Petfoodology, The Most Popular Holiday Foods That Your Pet Should Avoid (2023)
- VCA Animal Hospitals, Nutrition and Pancreatic Disease in Dogs (n.d.)
- USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy data via DataNutri, Potatoes, Mashed, Home-Prepared, Whole Milk and Butter Added (2019)
