Can Dogs Eat Gingerbread?
Can Dogs Eat Gingerbread | Can Dogs Have Gingerbread
Gingerbread is among the most popular holiday treats. It's a favorite treat, especially during Christmas time.
As holidays are wonderful occasions to have family gatherings restrictions on eating out are usually discarded. This is the time of year that we all indulge in sweet and spicy food items with reckless and reckless abandon.
So, it's not uncommon to find pet owners offering human food to their furry pet companions with no regard for the possible dangers these food items could pose. Can dogs eat gingerbread?
The easy answer is that dogs shouldn't be eating gingerbread. No matter how much they beg to eat at the dinner table, giving gingerbread to your dog can cause short-term and long-term health problems. Can dogs eat gingerbread - No, you should not give gingerbread to your dog.
What Is Gingerbread Made Of?
As the name suggests, this is a type of bread that is flavored with ginger. It could be also spiced with cinnamon, cloves, or spice nutmeg.
To enhance its flavor Gingerbread is typically sweetened with honey, sugars, or molasses.
Most of the time gingerbread appears as a moist, soft bread. It can, however, be made into something crunchy. Also, can dogs take gingerbread?
In the next section, we will highlight the common risks that bread can pose to your dog. Can Dogs Have Gingerbread - No.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
As a pet owner, you might have thought at some point or another time: Can my dog take gingerbread for breakfast?
Although the most obvious answer is No you must also consider the possible dangers of feeding gingerbread to your dog.
As you may already be aware, gingerbread is high in sugar. Like humans, dogs too suffer the effects of high sugar levels within their blood. Thus, food items like gingerbread can cause overweight, diabetes as well as dental problems.
Is gingerbread bad for dogs - Yes, gingerbread causing below health problems to dogs.
1. Digestive Issues
The high sugar content of gingerbread could cause stomach upsets.
Keep in mind that the dog's digestive tract has healthy bacteria and other microorganisms. These bacteria help in food digestion.
But, excessive sugar can cause an imbalance in these microorganisms and can cause impairment to their functions. This results in nausea, stomach upset vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.
ALSO READ: Can Dogs Eat Chia Seeds? Or What About Cashews?
2. Toxicity
Toxicity is a different risk from the sugars that are excessively present in gingerbread.
It is usually due to the sweeteners that are frequently added to bread. The most prominent examples are the artificial sweetener the xylitol, and chocolate.
Theobromine, a substance found in chocolate can cause toxic levels. Experts frequently recommend this ingredient as diuretic mildly. It also increases the heart rate dilates blood vessels, and eases tension in muscles.
But dogs aren't able to digest this food. Therefore, when you offer chocolate-flavored gingerbreads to your pet it could be fatal.
Common signs include excessive diarrhoea, vomiting, diarrhea, an increase in the heart rate and blood pressure, seizure, and muscle spasms, irritation, and a more intense thirst.
Be aware that the consequences are typically more serious when it comes to semi-sweet and dark chocolate. It's no wonder that chocolate is in the top ten human-made foods that aren't suitable to be eaten by dogs. Since it's a key ingredient in gingerbread, that means the bread isn't suitable for your pet either.
However, xylitol can cause hypoglycemia in dogs. It may also cause liver damage. They are also serious medical conditions that you don't want for your pet.
3. Changes in Metabolism
Another common symptom of excessive sugar is an increase in insulin secretion.
Insufficiency of insulin levels within your dog's body could be another risky scenario that could endanger your pet's life. It can lead to the development of muscle, obesity and slowness.
The excess insulin can also cause the an over-secretion of hormones in the body, which can cause problems with the balance of hormones in dogs more.
Sugar isn't the sole known ingredient in gingerbread, which makes it unsafe for dogs. Other ingredients and toppings can be just as harmful.
In addition, gingerbread has a spice called spice nutmeg. Nutmeg is a component of myristicin.
This chemical can greatly impair your dog's brain's functioning. Symptoms of myristicin exposure can include hallucinations, delusions and dry mouth, nausea and heart palpitations.
The peculiarly high-fat content of gingerbread is associated with pancreatitis and heart disease, overweight as well as other weight-related issues. Even more so, when you consider the majority of them are trans fats.
When Should I Be Worried?
Like many human foods such as gingerbread, it can be dangerous to dogs if eaten in large amounts. So, don't be concerned even if your dog only took just a small bite. Actually it is possible that your pet could benefit from snacking occasionally on gingerbread.
Ginger is a natural source of gingerol, an ingredient that is known for its many therapeutic advantages.
Gingerol can combat nausea, fight the flu and help ease discomfort from indigestion. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties will help fight against a variety of illnesses.
The anti-inflammatory properties are beneficial for dogs who suffer from osteoporosis or joint stiffness.
Many studies have highlighted ginger's ability to ease the stiffness and pain that is associated with osteoporosis. The benefits of ginger are amplified when you blend the herb with sesame oil, cinnamon and Mastic.