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It is no surprise that dogs often copy their owners’ behavior, including food habits. But not all of this imitating is cute and harmless, especially when it comes to food. They are almost ever ready to pick stuff up and put it inside their mouth, more so when it is something from your plate.
You may occasionally bow down to those puppy eyes and toss in crumbs of bread here and there, without a second thought. But is it safe for your furry friend to eat an entire loaf of bread?
Certain relishing ingredients in the bread can make your puppy sick. Read on to find out which kind of bread dogs can eat, which elements to avoid, and what to do in case your dog overeats a whole loaf of bread.
Dog Ate Loaf Of Bread – Is Baked Bread Toxic?
While plain baked (wheat or white) bread on its own is not toxic for dogs, except in case of gluten intolerance or other allergies. It is not necessarily healthy for them and acts as a filler food without much nutritional value.
Moreover, being loaded with carbohydrates may cause significant weight gain and obesity-induced diabetes. However, a well-balanced diet and an active lifestyle can easily make up for occasional bread treats.
Generally, baked bread is considered safe, and big dogs can easily pass it. Still, some dogs can get a very unsettled stomach, become very unconformable and develop gluttony bloat from overeating it.
At times, it may prove useful in helping your dog expel pointed objects or pieces of thread that are dangerous to their health.
A Strict No to Bread Dough
Dogs’ stomachs provide favorable conditions for the dough to rise; warm, moist, and draft-free environment. As per the Merck Veterinary Manual, bread dough is a food hazard for dogs.
As a result, it continues to rise inside their stomach, causing the stomach to stretch and release high ethanol levels into their bloodstream. If your dog has consumed bread dough, call your veterinarian immediately.
Look out for alcohol toxicosis symptoms that include the depressed central nervous system, weakness, lethargy, unsteady gait, hypothermia, seizures, and even coma.
How Much Baked Bread Is Safe For Dogs?
Not only unbaked dough but overconsumption of baked bread can also cause dog bloating, also known as gastric dilatation-volvulus or the mother of all dog emergencies. Because of this, you should limit your pup’s bread intake to an occasional tiny treat.
In case your dog eats an entire loaf, you may need to contact your vet. Whether the bread is safe or toxic for your dog depends more on what goes inside the bread and how much bread goes inside your dog.
Toxic Bread Ingredients
Seemingly harmless-looking, freshly baked bread from the supermarket may sometimes hide ingredients that are toxic for your pup. Even in the tiniest amount, Raisins can be fatal for your dog’s health and must be avoided at all costs.
Garlic is another ingredient that you should look out for, which directly the red blood cells, making them susceptible to anemia, and includes vomiting, weakness, heavy breathing, and even collapses.
Both raisin and garlic consumption call for an immediate visit to the vet. Multigrain bread with nuts and seeds can be appalling for your friend’s gut due to its high-fat content, and the most dangerous of these is macadamia nuts.
An increasingly popular sugar substitute, xylitol, often found in peanut butter and baked goods, is incredibly toxic for your puppy’s health, as it can cause a condition called hypoglycemia, in which the levels of sugar in the blood drop to extremely low.
There are many kinds of bread, depending upon their ingredients, that can be dangerous to dogs. Some of these ingredients like chocolate and raisins are well known to dog parents, while others are less familiar.
It is crucial to scan the ingredients while buying anything that can find its way to their stomach. If your furry friend went one step ahead and ingested the bread wrapper, too, you must call and consult your vet.
It can cause a choking hazard or a blockage in their gastrointestinal apparatus that may require surgery or even result in medical complications arising from infection.
Is Bread Good For Dogs With Upset Stomachs?
You may have heard of the old wives’ tale that feeding bread to your dog can help with an upset stomach. While this may work at times, providing a highly digestible bland diet for dogs with upset stomachs is a better option.
Foods like grated carrots, which are healthier and more effective than bread, can help settle their upset stomach. In case of severe and prolonged symptoms, calling your veterinarian for expert advice is the best.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats An Entire Loaf Of Bread Or More?
While it is safe to assume that a dog owner would never overfeed their furry friends intentionally, dogs are notoriously famous for getting their way around. Whether it’s feasting on an unattended loaf or being treated by over-friendly neighbors, what can you do now that your dog has bitten off more than what he can chew?
While the kind of bread, the size of your dog, presence, or lack of symptoms can play a role in the consequences that this feast has on your pet, you can most of the time handle the situation at home without expensive medical procedures.
But in some cases, a medical examination may be required. Skipping the next meal and light consumption, healthy food could also provide relief after ingesting a large quantity of bread.
Symptoms To Look Out For If Your Dog Overate Bread
After the forbidden feast is consumed, you should always monitor them for some hours or even days. The most apparent reaction to eating bread would be a bloated belly and discomfort. You should report any unusual behavior or symptom to your veterinarian anyhow.
Summing Up
Yes, dogs can eat a little bit of a plain white or brown loaf. It comes loaded with carbs and no nutrients and should thus be consumed in moderation by your pup.
You should take special care to check for toxic ingredients while buying bread for your dog. Homemade bread is preferable over store-bought, as bread from the grocery store usually contains unnecessary preservatives.
In either case, it is best to avoid giving a large amount of bread to your pup. Regardless of the care taken by you, your dog might find and swallow something it shouldn’t.
If you doubt that your dog has eaten something toxic, whether a loaf of bread or a bunch of grapes, call for emergency help right away!