A lot of people love eating honey nut cheerios. This sweet breakfast cereal is a favorite among many adults and children, which is why households have a few boxes stored at home. Just add your choice of milk to a bowl of honey nut cheerios, and you’re ready to enjoy a filling meal!
If you’re a pet owner, the idea of sharing honey nut cheerios with your dogs might already cross your mind — but does taking this route benefit your dogs? Are honey nut cheerios safe and healthy for your furry friends?
The quick answer to the question in this article is: yes, you can feed honey nut cheerios to your dogs. As long as given in moderation and not used as a replacement to their kibbles, your dogs can enjoy the following health benefits from honey nut cheerios:
Fiber
Fiber is essential in keeping your dogs’ digestive tract healthy. Fiber softens the stool of your dogs, prevents the overgrowth of bad bacteria in their intestines, and helps their colon recover from injuries.
One human serving of honey nut cheerios contains about 4 grams of fiber and 1 gram of soluble fiber. If your dogs’ diets lack fiber, feeding them this cereal is a great way to ensure that they meet their daily fiber requirement.
Calcium
Honey nut cheerios also contain calcium that can support healthy bone and teeth maintenance in dogs. Calcium also keeps their heart strong and their nervous systems healthy. Adding calcium-enriched foods (like honey nut cheerios) into your dogs’ diets will also lessen their risk of developing arthritis when they age.
Folic Acid
Honey nut cheerios have folic acid that’s essential in the normal metabolic functions of your dogs, namely red blood cell production and DNA synthesis. When your dogs don’t get enough folic acid from their diets, they’re more irritable and at higher risk of developing depression.
Magnesium
Similar to humans, your dogs also need magnesium in their diets. This mineral is involved with energy production at the cellular level and facilitates the transfer of energy in your dogs’ bodies. Magnesium also helps normal muscle and nerve function, keeps the heartbeat steady, and supports a healthy immune system in dogs.
Iron
Honey nut cheerios have iron which is essential in keeping your dogs’ health. Iron carries oxygen in the red blood cells in your dogs’ bodies, so their cells can produce energy. Iron also helps your dogs absorb more vitamins and nutrients from their foods.
What Are The Potential Hazards Of Giving Your Dogs Too Much Honey Nut Cheerios?
In general, honey nut cheerios are safe and healthy for your dogs. However, feeding them too much of the cereal in one sitting can trigger the following:
Urinary Issues
Excessive amounts of whole grains and cereals in your dogs’ diets can put them at risk of urinary issues, namely infection of the prostate, urinary tract infections, and kidney problems caused by urinary crystal formation. These health conditions will make your dog unable to hold their urine and cause them to become lethargic.
Obesity and Diabetes
Honey nut cheerios use starch, sugar, and oils. When consumed in large amounts, these ingredients aren’t healthy for a canine diet. On the contrary, these ingredients can lead to excessive weight gain, obesity, and diabetes.
Are All Cheerios Safe For Your Dogs?
No, not all cheerios are safe for canines. Just because honey nut cheerios are safe and healthy for dogs doesn’t mean that you should immediately feed them cheerios in different flavors.
As a pet owner, you should never feed your dogs whole grain and multigrain cheerios, frosted cheerios, and chocolate cheerios, as these contain harmful ingredients. Chocolate cheerios, for example, are derived from real chocolate, an ingredient highly toxic to dogs.
Feeding your dogs any of the mentioned flavors can lead to excessive thirst, diarrhea, vomiting, and hyperactivity. When consumed in large amounts, these flavors can cause sudden death.
What Other Cheerio Flavors Can Your Dogs Eat?
Aside from honey nut cheerios, you can also feed them banana nut and apple cinnamon-flavored cheerios. Just make sure to control the amount given to your dogs, and never use these to replace their kibbles or regular meals.
Should You Give Your Dogs Honey Nut Cheerios With Milk?
No, you should never offer honey nut cheerios with milk to your dogs. Most dogs are lactose intolerant, and pairing honey nut cheerios with milk can cause stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. In extreme cases, giving milk to your dogs might even cause dehydration.
Can Dogs Eat Honey Nut Cheerios Every Day?
No, you should never feed honey nut cheerios to your dogs every day. When giving human foods to your fur babies, moderation is key. Keep in mind that their bodies are different from yours and cannot tolerate large amounts of breakfast cereals.
Ideally, you should only feed your dogs no more than ¼ cup of honey nut cheerios once a week. This breakfast cereal should be given as occasional snacks or treats during training and never as a substitute for their regular meals.
When Should You Take Your Dogs To The Vet?
After feeding honey nut cheerios to your dogs for the first time, assess if they’re showing symptoms. Ideally, you should visit the vet the moment they exhibit the following:
- Diarrhea
- Front paw licking
- Inflammation around the ears and mouth
- Rashes or redness in the skin
- Sneezing
If your dogs show any of these symptoms, it shows that their bodies weren’t able to tolerate honey nut cheerios. Once this happens, stop feeding your dogs the breakfast cereal.
Talk To A Vet First
Although honey nut cheerios are safe and healthy for your dogs, it’s best to consult a vet before adding the cereal into their diets. Abruptly changing your dogs’ diets can make them very ill and prevent them from enjoying the health benefits of honey nut cheerios.
Keep your dogs safe as you incorporate honey nut cheerios into their diets by consulting a vet. This is especially important if your dogs have existing medical conditions or are highly sensitive.