One of the most tasty yet brittle and salted crackers is pretzel. It is so delicious that many people love to include this snack on their weekends. Sometimes, our dogs also find it interesting to eat. But can dogs have pretzels?
Dogs can eat pretzels, but they shouldn’t. If a dog takes one small bite of this snack, he will hardly have any bad reactions. It only turns out bad if they eat it in moderation or more. The salt, sugar, and flavourings present in pretzels can cause many health issues in dogs.
To keep your canine friend on the safe side, keep pretzels away from him. There is more to discuss about this concept.
All About Pretzels
Pretzels are a snack made from yeast bread. Its ingredients include wheat, water, salt, sugar, yeast, and butter. Everyone doesn’t make pretzels the same way. Some people make it large and add more ingredients, like chocolate and dairy products. On the other hand, some people make it small with only primary ingredients. Again, some people make it chewy and soft, and some people make it hard and crispy.
The shape of pretzels is like a twisted knot, and their colour is shiny brown. These are popular snacks in Germany, Europe, France, and many other states.
The reason pretzels look brown is because of the sodium hydroxide. It involves a chemical reaction that darkens the dough.
A medium-sized pretzel has 4 grams of fat, 84 grams of carbs, 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fibre, and some small amounts of B vitamins.
Can Dogs Have Pretzels?
We can see that pretzels contain loads of ingredients, all of which are harmful to them. For example, they have sugar, salt, sodium hydroxide, and many more. If a dog ingests them, he will become weak, have stomach pain, feel restless, and go through other health issues.
As always, dogs need bland foods where there are no flavourings. You may think of offering such pretzels to your canine friend. Maybe he can have them and get no reactions. Yet, you can’t feed them directly. Ask your vet first if a bland pretzel is safe for your dog. It is because dogs’ previous health records are also a deciding factor in what they should eat and what they should not.
Why Are Pretzels Bad For Dogs?
A small amount of pretzels may not harm a dog, especially if he is of a large breed. But having it in the quantity that we humans do can be hazardous for them.
Pretzels have high amounts of sodium, which is not good for dogs. They can have increased blood pressure, restlessness, and dehydration from the sodium content of this snack.
Taking high amounts of pretzels means taking high amounts of sodium. This can be the cause of vomiting, disorientation, and salt poisoning in dogs.
In general, we add spices and flavours to pretzels. Such as garlic powder, onion powder, chocolate, yoghurt, and so on. These ingredients make pretzels unsafe for dogs. For example, chocolate and yoghurt have artificial sweeteners like xylitol. This can upset a dog’s stomach and cause body organ failures if taken in large quantities. Besides, chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which make pretzels extremely toxic for dogs.
Usually, vets restrict dogs from eating foods with added sources and flavours. It is because these ingredients pose health threats to them. Such as vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, abdominal pain, seizures, etc. The more of these ingredients a dog has, the more severe the reactions will be.
Like sodium, pretzels are high in carbohydrates. Meanwhile, dogs rely on protein more than carbs. It means the high amounts of carbs present in pretzels are unnecessary for dogs. When the carbohydrate is stored, it turns into sugar. This can put on weight among dogs, resulting in obesity. Hence, pretzels can be dangerous for diabetic dogs, as they should avoid carbs and sugar.
What To Do If A Dog Eats Pretzels?
Some common symptoms that you will notice in your dog after having pretzels are vomiting diarrhoea, and stomach pain. Besides, the sodium content can increase his blood pressure, making him dehydrated and restless.
First of all, you have to stop panicking after seeing these symptoms. Instead, you have to observe his symptoms. Then call your vet and tell him accordingly what your dog is feeling. He may prescribe you some medications to calm the dog. If that doesn’t work, maybe he has consumed too many pretzels, which is making his situation worse. In that case, your dog needs urgent treatment.
Can Dogs Have Pretzels Sometimes?
We know pretzels include lots of ingredients that can be harmful to mammals. If your dog takes a bite of a pretzel, maybe we won’t get any side effects. The large breeds especially escape the side effects of a small bite. For small breeds, they can get the side effects from a small bite too.
Anyway, if your dog goes baffled seeing a pretzel, you may give him some. But that should require safe preparation. As said before, the ingredients used in pretzels mainly pose harm to dogs. If you can prepare pretzels without any ingredients, this can be safe for dogs.
Don’t think that your dog can have pretzels as much as they want if there is no added ingredient. The carbs are still there, which can increase dogs’ weight. Hence, offer him bland pretzels in small quantities to avoid health risks.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have Pretzels?
How many pretzels can dogs have?
As said earlier, pretzels with no flavour can be somewhat safe for dogs. A small dog can have one thin stick of pretzel, a medium dog can have two thin sticks, and a large dog can have three thin sticks.
Why do dogs like pretzels?
Pretzels have a unique texture, shape, and colour. This attracts mammals to bite. Besides, their juicy texture and flavorful taste make dogs eat them more and more.
Can dogs eat pretzels without salt?
If you are not adding salt to pretzels but other ingredients, these can be harmful to dogs. However, a small bite of an unsalted pretzel will pose no health threats to them.
Are pretzels safe for dogs with peanut butter?
Adding peanut butter to pretzels increases the sodium content, which is not good for our paw friends. If you are offering a stick of bland pretzels to your dog, don’t offer him peanut butter on the same day. Keep it as a treat for another day.
Final Thoughts
Knowing that dogs can have pretzels with exceptions, we may still think, Can dogs have pretzels? The answer is no. Even if dogs don’t get major side effects from small amounts of pretzels, they should avoid them.
The carbs and fats won’t go away even if you add zero ingredients. It means there are some potential risks associated with a bland pretzel too.
Usually, our paw friends make puppy faces when they can’t have something they want to eat. In that case, you may serve him an alternative pretzel, like unflavoured chicken or fish.
