Bread is one of the easiest and readily available foods that you have at home. It is one of the oldest prepared foods and enjoyed across cultures for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Breads can be plain or prepared for special occasions. It can be as simple as whole wheat bread or contains ham, cheese, and fruits. Thus, like most human food, even something as harmless as bread should be checked for safety before sharing it with canines. Pet parents are often left to wonder, can dogs eat bread?
The answer to this thoughtful question depends on a few crucial factors. Bread is a staple in every home. It is always available, and it is prepared in various ways to sate hunger. For instance, it is easy enough to make a sandwich that you may share with your doggie any time of the day. But while it is safe for dogs, some products have high-calorie and high-sugar content.
It means that feeding them a piece or slice of toast often make them put on weight and affect their overall health and nutrition. Ideally, bread may be shared sparingly as a treat. Feeding your pet a lot of bread is not healthy and it should not be a regular part of your dog's diet.
There are other healthier options that you may share with your pets to stick to a well-balanced and complete dog's diet. And instead, go for a dog food that will give them B-vitamins, energy, and insoluble fibers from dog-friendly sources. But if you cannot stop yourself from sharing bread with your fur babies, here are thoughts to remember before giving them a piece of toast.
What Types of Bread Can Dogs Eat?
Plain bread varieties are inherently safe to share with your canine buddies. However, there are several things to remember when feeding them to your pets. Flavored bread is often full of harmful ingredients that can be harmful to your dog. Watch out for onions, raisins, nuts, seeds or cheese.
Raisin bread, onion and garlic bread, and banana bread are some flavored varieties that contain toxic ingredients. For instance, raisins may lead to kidney failure and be potentially fatal for some canines. Also, onion and garlic may cause damage to your pet's red blood cells. Additionally, banana bread also contains ingredients like chocolate chips, which is also toxic to dogs. Another common question raised by pet owners is can dogs eat cheese with white bread? Cheese is included in the list of foods that are not safe for dogs. So, best to avoid products that have cheese on them too.
Moreover, always check the quality of the bread before giving it to your pet. If you feel that food with molds are harmful to humans, then it is also detrimental to your dog's health. Stale bread may have molds and should no longer be served to either humans or canines. Molds poses toxicity risks for your pet.
The best choice of bread to share with them is whole wheat and rye bread. Whole grain wheat bread is free from any harmful ingredients that could cause problems with your pet's health. Likewise, it also contains ample amounts of dietary fiber to help with their digestion.
If you love baking, you may find recipes for making bread for dogs. Homemade varieties have whole grains and contain less salt and sugar in the dough. Making your bread will ensure that it does not have anything harmful for canines and are filled with ingredients that are beneficial for their health.
How Much Bread Can A Dog Eat?
To be on the safe side and ensure that bread does not upset your pet's digestion, give them a few bits occasionally as a treat, but not as regular dog food. Bread should not be used as an alternative meal or source of nutrition for dogs. Giving them too much bread to eat may lead to an upset stomach and bloating. Bloat is a dangerous and often fatal condition in canines of any age.
Moderation is the key to keep in mind when sharing bits and pieces of bread with your pet. If your pooch is not allergic to any of the ingredients used in this food, you may give them a few pieces occasionally.
In Addition, most bread does not offer additional nutritional value and will not help fortify your pet's diet. Remember that canines are carnivorous, and they can do without any human foods, including bread. But homemade bread made from whole grains has dietary fibers, magnesium, protein, iron and omega-3 fatty acid, which are beneficial for pets.
If your pet is on a balanced diet and regular exercise, occasionally feeding some tasty treats will be a safe amount for them.
What Happens When a Dog Eats Bread?
A few pieces of white bread are harmless for some dogs. But some may experience distended abdomen and feel discomfort after eating large amounts of bread. Watch out for signs of Gluttony Bloat due to overeating. In some cases, pets will need medication to induce vomiting.
Moreover, if your pet has allergies to the white bread's ingredients, you should contact your veterinarian for the proper management of potential risks.
Additionally, some pet parents worry about their pets eating cheese or bread with peanut butter. Even if you have wheat bread, but it is prepared with cheese and other spreads, it might not be safe for dogs.
In case your pet ate unbaked bread dough, you have to contact your veterinarian immediately. The yeast rising from the dough can cause gas problems in most dogs, and it is dangerous for them. Bread dough is also one of the many food hazards for dogs. Yeast from the dough may cause a release of toxic levels of ethanol in your pet's bloodstreams. The pressure from the rising dough may cause bloating, and in severe cases, it may rapture their stomach. More so, alcohol toxicosis may also happen and lead to a depressed, nervous system, seizures, and weakness in canines.
Also, if your pet ate bread include the wrapper, contact your veterinarian immediately. If the wrapper is made of paper, your doggie may just pass it out soon. But for plastic materials, it may cause choking and blockage in your dog's digestive tract.
Read AlsoWhy Do Dogs Like Bread So Much?
Dogs tend to chow down every human food offered to them. Thus, it is not surprising if they like bread and want to eat as much of it as possible. Although they can munch on a few small pieces without any safety concern, dogs should not be eating large quantities of bread often. In most cases, your pet only wants bread because you are eating it.
Once you share some bits with your pooch, they will instantly show whether they like it or not. They will eagerly finish every morsel and may even beg for more if they want the taste. You will notice how they'd lick their lips, drool, bark, whine or cry for more pieces of your chewy snack. Despite all their efforts at showing you how much they like bread, controlling portions and the amount of what you give them will still be up to you.
Can Bread Give Dogs Diarrhea?
Generally, plain bread are harmless, and you can share it with your canine buddies as an occasional treat. However, not all types of bread are safe for your pooch. Most food that you buy from the grocery stores contain toxic ingredients that are harmful to dogs. Some pet parents ask, can dog eat cheese or raw bread dough? The risk of having digestive issues are higher when your pet consumes food that are harmful to them.
Likewise, feeding them too much bread can cause an upset stomach in canines. A meal made with lots of bread pieces can lead to several health concerns. It is best to avoid giving your pooches raisin bread because raisins are toxic for dogs. It is fatal in severe cases.
Likewise, garlic bread may delight your dog's palette, but garlic is best avoided and never shared with your fur babies. Bread dough may cause serious health risks, including vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness, collapse, excessive sleep, bladder issues, loose stool, and diarrhea.
Can Bread Help Dogs with an Upset Stomach?
Some people use white bread to ease their upset stomachs. And there are pet parents that feed this meal to their dogs in hopes of relieving their digestive issues too. Feeding them a piece of bread will help canine with a mild upset stomach. Bread acts like a sponge and traps whatever it is that is irritating their tummies and takes it off the gastrointestinal tract to prevent further troubles.
However, most veterinarians would recommend that you give your pooch a bland diet made of rice and boiled chicken in case of an upset stomach. Likewise, bread is not a cure-all, and it is still best to go straight to your veterinary clinic in case of profuse diarrhea, lethargic and vomits more than a couple of times.
Conclusion
The question can dog eat bread has bothered many pet parents and spurred most to check whether it is a safe food or not to share with their babies. Generally, plain bread is harmless, and you can share it with your pooches in small amounts. However, it is not good to feed them full meals out of it regularly.
Dogs can do without bread in their diet, and it does not give additional nutritional value for them. Most pet parents are inclined to share tasty scraps and bits of bread with their dogs. But some types of food contain ingredients that are toxic to dogs.
Thus, it is essential to read the list of ingredients first before sharing a piece with your fur baby. Avoid products that have raisins, nuts, chocolate, and cheese as they may cause various health risks. Ideally, if you love baking, you should make healthy homemade dog bread with whole wheat grain and less sugar.