Does your best buddy ever beg you for bread?
Straight to the point: Regularly sharing slices with your canine would introduce too many carbs.
At the very least, keep this type of treat to a minimum. Besides, bread won’t provide your dog with any meaningful nutrition.
As far as actual dangers…
Doughy bread (with yeast) can cause gastric dilatation and can be a very real risk!
Bread Isn’t a Good Choice For Your Dog
Make a long-term habit out of feeding this and you’ll eventually have an overweight furry friend.
While small pieces are okay on occasion, bread is not recommended as a regular dog treat. The plain white variety in particular lacks vitamins and minerals.
Foods with a high Glycemic Index should be restricted for your dog. A loaf of bread, bagels, and anything else made with flour will contain lots of carbohydrates.
Be sure to limit portions. Better yet, don’t feed this food!
Bread Makes Dogs Fat
Let’s go into a bit more detail about why you shouldn’t regularly feed your dog bread.
Being high in sugar, calories and carbs are just a few reasons.
Obviously you want to avoid making your dog sluggish and chubby. Pet obesity is a major problem and only owners are to blame.
Regular exercise (play time) is not enough to offset a dog diet consisting of lots of bread.
This young person knows the deal! Watch this video…
Fermentation And Bloat
Everyone knows bread is mostly filler.
What you may not realize is this food may affect your dog’s digestive system in very concerning ways.
Too much bread could abnormally expand the stomach, which is bad enough, but yeast can also complicate matters.
Do not risk it!
Ethanol poisoning or toxicosis can occur if bread yeast ferments in your dog’s stomach. This condition is called Bloat and it can be quite serious — it could kill your dog!
More Reasons Against
Regularly feeding this filler food will create a bad begging habit. This will not only be unhealthy but also be difficult to reverse.
That’s not all!
Some breads contain raisins and/or nuts which are potentially toxic for dogs — yet another reason why pets should not partake!
Better Quality Breads
Homemade breads are a bit healthier for dogs compared to those with questionable preservatives.
By the same token, whole grain is superior to regular supermarket white bread. Nevertheless, none are a great idea.
It is true that bread is sometimes given to dogs to help ease stomach discomfort or minor constipation. Using it for that reason is A-OK.
Fido’s Dietary Fiber
There are some nutrients in bread (ie. dietary fiber), but that aspect does not outweigh the downsides.
Want to supplement your dog’s diet?
Look to chickpeas, pumpkin or oatmeal.
The Bottom Line
Avoid giving your dog bread on a regular basis.
It lacks nutrition, is high in carbs and yeast is potentially hazardous.
So many dogs have become obese from eating bread too often — it’s too filing!
Depending on this staple food as a routine treat can easily turn into begging and the beginning of bad health.
I’m giving my 16 years old dog a tiny size of bread with her heart medicine everyday. It’s the only thing that works. I cut the slices in 9 pieces, so she’s eating around 4 slices every month. It’s not that bad, right? What do you guys think?
My dogs love toast and butter. How bad is this?
Just exercise your dog to make up for it.
My almost two year old Chihuahua got into a sealed bag of hot dog rolls and ate about half of one. From what I’ve read here, he’ll be fine!
Our dachshunds love stale rolls. They chew on them as if they were bones. They will go at it for a couple of days, if the rolls are rock solid. Of course, these don’t replace kibble. They are an occasional added attraction. Is this a problem?
I gave my 2 month old puppy, named Bella, a lot of bread for a period of around 3 days, 3 times daily. Now she is having loose bowel movements. What to do now? How to get her stool back to normal?
That’s way too much bread for any dog, especially a puppy. Dogs will pretty much eat anything we give them. Puppies should not be getting much in people food or scraps at this stage. Get your dog back on puppy prescribed dog food and stools will return to normal. If they don’t after 3-4 days, go to a vet. It could be another problem. Good luck.
Always take your dog to the vet if anything is different than normal.