Are Sweet Potato Peelings Poisonous to a Dog?

Most pups enjoy a nibble of a tasty cooked sweet potato and these root vegetables are a healthy snack for pups. In fact, many pet food manufacturers include sweet potatoes in their dog food formulations. While the sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) is considered mildly toxic to our canine companions, the sweet potatoes and their skins are not.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the sweet potato vine contains LSD as its main toxin, which can cause hallucinations and diarrhea in our canine companions. Fortunately, the roots of this plant, namely the sweet potatoes themselves and their skins, are safe for your pup to consume. The Humane Society of the United States recommends dehydrating sweet potatoes with the skins attached to make some yummy jerky treats for Fido. If there is mold on the skins, it could harm your pup. Either scrub it away or remove the skins.

Before feeding sweet potatoes with or without their peels attached to your pooch, cook or dehydrate them. Raw sweet potatoes and peels contain trypsin inhibitors, which reduce your pup's ability to digest proteins, according to the Feedipedia website. Cooking or dehydrating the sweet potatoes and their peels with heat will get rid of these trypsin inhibitors, making them safe for Fido to eat.