Not Safe for Dogs
Medium dog serving: never
Key warning: all chicken nuggets — fast food and commercial varieties
Can Dogs Eat Chicken Nuggets? No — Garlic Powder and Extreme Fat
This food is NOT safe for dogs. Keep it away from your pet.
Chicken nuggets are not safe for dogs. They contain high sodium breading with garlic and onion powder and are deep fried in fat. The combination of extreme fat seasoning and processed ingredients makes all chicken nuggets unsuitable.
Search another food
Warning Signs & Symptoms
Garlic and onion powder in breading: hemolytic anemia. Extreme fat from frying: pancreatitis. High sodium: digestive upset. Regular feeding: obesity from high fat and calorie content.
If Your Dog Ate This
Call vet or ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 if significant amount consumed.
What to Avoid
all chicken nuggets — fast food and commercial varieties
Preparation & Serving
Check for garlic and onion powder. Call vet if significant amount consumed by small dog.
Did you know?
The chicken nugget was invented in the 1950s by Robert Baker a Cornell University food scientist who developed a method to reshape chicken parts into uniform pieces held together with binders. McDonald's introduced the McNugget in 1983 following a deal with suppliers to create a mass-market version. Each McNugget contains approximately 14 different ingredients including garlic powder and onion powder — the exact seasonings that cause hemolytic anemia in dogs.
Portions & nutrition
- Serving (small dog)
- never
- Serving (medium dog)
- never
- Serving (large dog)
- never
- Calories (per 100g)
- 296
- Safe frequency
- Never
Source
What You Need to Know
Commercial chicken nuggets including fast food varieties contain garlic powder and onion powder in the breading making them toxic from an Allium perspective in addition to the extreme fat and sodium concerns. Homemade chicken nuggets without Allium seasonings are still too high in fat from frying to be appropriate. Plain boiled or baked chicken without breading is always the correct alternative.
Not sure what to do next? Read our emergency guide What to Do If Your Dog Eats Something Toxic
Want to know what other dangers are hiding in your home?
Take the 60-second kitchen safety quiz to find out your dog's risk score.
Take the safety quizIf Your Dog Ate This — Act Now
- Dog Food Toxicity CalculatorCheck severity based on your dog's weight
- Emergency GuideWhat to do in the next 60 minutes
- Dog Poisoning SymptomsKnow what to watch for
- Dog Poisoning TreatmentWhat vets actually do
- Emergency Vet CostHow much will treatment cost?
- Best Pet InsuranceBe prepared before the next emergency
Stay in the loop
Get new food safety guides, vet tips, and alerts delivered to your inbox.