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Crackers, being bite-sized, seem like a decent treat for a pet dog.
Would you like to share some with your furry friend?
Here’s the deal:
Giving your dog 1 or 2 isn’t the end of the world, but feeding crackers is generally a bad habit to get into. Any type of junk food isn’t optimal.
Strictly Limit Your Dog’s Cracker Consumption
While not exactly dangerous, giving too many and too often will eventually lead to obesity and poor health.
Crackers should not be fed to your dog — at least not regularly! They aren’t a great reward no matter how convenient!
Some Sodium Concerns
Most crackers contain a lot of added salt for taste.
They are higher in sodium than many other foods. For your dog, the sodium is certainly excessive.
Remember, those nutritional guidelines you see printed on the box are calculated for us, not dogs. The fact is small animals cannot handle as much sodium as a typical human can!
Rest assured, if you are feeding a good dog food, your buddy is getting their sodium needs met.
Adding more to the mix, in combination with the high fat content of this wheat-based food, is not smart.
If anything, you’ll just make them thirsty and they will end up drinking more water.
While it may be fun to toss a cracker as a treat once in a while, it’s definitely not the best choice. Make it a dog treat instead.
Ideas For Dog Treats
Instead of crackers, quality dog treats have attributes which contribute to good health. Just the same, you’ll see them light up when you start to open a box or the bag of healthy treats.
They will also be equally satisfied because they’ll be getting something out of the ordinary. The extra vitamins and nutrients means you’ll never go back to using crackers.
Better yet, choose one that helps freshen their breath or scrapes the gunk off their teeth!
Crackers Are All Wrong
Canines are a result of thousands of years of evolution. Only recently have they started sharing homes with humans…
Where all the crackers are kept!
Nature never meant for them to consume such things. It’s not doing them any good to wolf this type of snack down.
On the other hand, providing a rare cracker on occasion isn’t going to necessarily harm them either.
You’ll have to set your own policy regarding this treat. Just don’t forget the behavioral aspect (a big part of good dog ownership).
The Bottom Line
It really is best to save those crackers for yourself.
Sharing certain human foods, even table scraps, with your dog is normal. However, crackers are a poor choice!
I have been giving my 2 year old Minature Schnauzer 2 water biscuits each night as a bedtime treat. I recently noticed she is putting on weight (although I exercise her every day). Would these biscuits be the problem?
I gave my dog a small handful of crackers. Will he be okay?
Yes, for sure. Don’t worry.
I give my little Dachshund a tiny little unsalted soft cheese two times a day. I wrap his pills in it. It’s the only way he gets his pills down, but now I see cheese is not good for dogs.
You could probably put the pills in a banana because dogs can eat bananas.