Sharing our delicious and savory cream of mushroom soup with our dog is a great thought, but can dogs eat cream of mushroom soup? Here’s what you should know about this choice.
Cream of mushroom soup is not a good choice for dogs to eat. It has high salt, sugar, and fat content, none of which is good for your dog’s nutritional profile. The cream of mushroom soup has a cream base, a lactose-containing product that can cause indigestion and diarrhea.
Is cream of mushroom soup good for dogs?
As you might be able to guess from the introduction above, sharing this particular soup with your dog is not a good idea. As explained, the main concerns come from:
- Salt
- Sugar
- Fat
- Lactose content
Salt
As with any processed product, there is the high salt content. Dogs are naturally sensitive to salt, so their diets are low in sodium. The “human approved” salt content is already high for dogs, and the excessive salt content in soup is even more than that. So, the sheer amount of salt could be enough to send your dog into a toxic reaction.
Sugar
There is also a lot of sugar content in the cream of mushroom soup. For humans, it wouldn’t cause much harm. For dogs, though, the amount would be high enough that it could “set the stage” for conditions like obesity and even diabetes.
While one swallow of soup wouldn’t be enough to do that, it doesn’t take much to put those habits in place. Particularly because dogs get sugar from other sources.
Fat
Mushrooms have good fat in them (omega-3), which is great for joint and heart health. However, the processing of the soup and the fat from the cream content are bad fat. This can cause obesity and other chronic health conditions. Much the same as the sugar, the soup’s fat content is just one source of fat, and dogs will get “bad” fat from plenty of other sources.
Lactose content
This is the one that has a bit of debate amongst experts! Some believe that only certain dogs are lactose intolerant. Others believe that all dogs are lactose intolerant, albeit in different severities. Regardless, there is a lot of lactose in the cream used for the cream of mushroom soup.
The sheer amount of rich cream can be enough to trigger stomach and digestion discomfort for your dog’s sensitive stomach. If your dog is lactose intolerant on top of having a sensitive stomach (compared to humans), then this would be especially troubling!
When you combine all of those things, your poor dog’s stomach and digestive tract are going to be loaded down from this soup! This is what makes it so bad for dogs. And that doesn’t even consider potentially dangerous ingredients like seasonings and flavorings.
Toxic ingredients in cream of mushroom soup for dogs
As far as toxic ingredients themselves, this will depend greatly on what kind of soup you buy and whether or not you add anything to that soup itself. The potentially dangerous additional ingredients to worry about for a toxic reaction include:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Xylitol
Most regular cream of mushroom soups doesn’t naturally contain these products. Humans can add onion and garlic manually while coking it for their own tastes. Or, certain specific types of this soup may have those seasonings of flavorings in their stock. You can check for those on the ingredients label.
Onion and garlic are both dangerous and toxic for dogs. Since the powders and seasonings used in soup stock are concentrated, this is even more likely than not. The “small” (for us) amounts of those products could be enough to trigger a poison reaction in your dog.
If you consider giving your dog this kind of soup, make sure you check the ingredients first!
As far as xylitol is concerned, this is typically in soups advertised as “low sugar.” It takes a large amount of this artificial sweetener to cause a problem in humans.
However, it takes a very, very small amount to cause a fatal reaction in dogs. Xylitol is considered toxic and fatal to dogs, so if the soup contains xylitol, you will need to get him to an emergency vet as soon as you can.
My dog ate cream of mushroom soup – should I worry?
Since dogs don’t ask us for some soup, you might be here because your dog ate it without your permission, and now you’re concerned. It happens, and every pet parent has had that moment! Here are some consideration points to keep in mind when determining how worried you should be:
- The soup’s ingredients
- The amount of soup eaten
- Your dog’s sensitivity level
As mentioned above, certain ingredients are simpy bad, whereas others are downright dangerous. Check the ingredients first, and if you see anything on the dangerous list, you’ll want to call your vet and get them in for an emergency vet appointment just to be on the safe side.
The amount of soup eaten will also factor in. A slurp or spoonful will be much safer than an entire bowl or pot full of it. While those dangerous ingredients will still often require a vet visit, you can choose to monitor at home by watching for symptoms (more on that next).
A dog with a sensitive stomach will struggle more than a traditional dog, especially when you factor in that lactose intolerance angle. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you should consider a quick vet check-up!
When calling your vet, be sure to ask for advice on what you can do at home if they recommend simply monitoring at home. Some will recommend a bland diet, for instance. Some will also offer additional symptoms to watch for to help you spot a problem brewing.
Symptoms to look for if your dog ate cream of mushroom soup
So, from simply bad to downright dangerous, the symptoms to look for that our dog is having a poison reaction include:
- Excessive panting
- A fast heart rate
- Shivering/trembling
- Lack of appetite
- Excessive thirst
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
The more severe these are, the larger the concern. It’s recommended to ring your dog to the vet whenever you see any of these symptoms. While it could be as simple as indigestion, you don’t want to take the chance that it could be something potentially fatal like sodium poisoning.
Can dogs eat Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup?
This particular brand of soup is as classic as it gets! All things considered, this is likely to be as safe as it gets. You often won’t find any dangerous ingredients in this particular type of cream of mushroom soup.
However, it’s still not a good idea to feed it to your dog since it is still an unhealthy treat to give due to the sugar, salt, fat, and lactose content.
No matter how you look at it, cream of mushroom soup is not a good idea for your dog to eat since the risks far outweigh any potential temporary benefits!
Why do people say that mushrooms are good for dogs?
Some will tell you that mushrooms are loaded with health benefits for dogs. You are correct if you are feeding your dog mushrooms in their whole form. They can help with bone development and prevent infections and improve kidney and liver function, amongst other things.
The difference between the health benefits of the mushroom and the potential risks in the cream of mushroom soup that we’ve discussed is, of course, the soup. Processing the mushrooms in this strips the nutrition and adds risk in its place.
In general
Sharing cream of mushroom soup with your dog is not a good idea. It has a lot of salt, sugar, and fat in it. This can impact your dog’s health. The lactose content in the cream of the soup base can cause serious indigestion and a lot of discomfort.
Lastly, some will add seasonings like garlic and onion or even xylitol to the soup. These can all be toxic to your dog. Know the signs and symptoms to watch for.
While you might want to give your begging dog a lick or two of the soup, it’s safer to give them one of their vet-approved treats instead! Your dog won’t mind, and it’ll save you from a lot of stress and potential expense at the vet!
