Ritz crackers have been everyone’s go-to snack for more than 80 years. These crackers are known to provide the perfect balance of buttery and salty flavors. And because they actually don’t contain any butter, even vegans can enjoy Ritz crackers without any guilt!
Eating Ritz crackers at home can be challenging when you have pets. Some say that Ritz crackers smell like peanut butter and jelly — no wonder pets follow you around whenever you try to eat some. But should you share Ritz crackers with them?
No, you should never feed your dogs with Ritz crackers. These crackers aren’t toxic to canines, but they’re not the healthiest choice for them either. Ritz crackers are bad for your dogs due to:
Unbleached Enriched Flour
Unbleached enriched flour comes from grains that age naturally and has high gluten levels. The process of creating enriched flour includes extracting natural minerals, such as folic acid, vitamin B12, and B1.
Because of the excessive gluten and low nutritional value of unbleached enriched flour, this ingredient can hurt your dogs’ digestive tracts and even cause gastrointestinal issues. Dogs with gluten allergies should also avoid eating Ritz crackers at all times.
Vegetable Oil
Ritz crackers use different kinds of oils. For one, it has soybean oil, which is unhealthy for canines. Soya oil contains more saturated fat than other types of oils, and feeding this to your dog regularly can lead to weight gain and obesity. Ritz crackers also contain olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, and flaxseed oil.
Sugar
Dogs don’t need extra sugar because their regular diets can already meet this requirement. Unfortunately, Ritz crackers contain a lot of sugar, which can eventually affect your dogs’ oral health. Too much sugar can also increase your dogs’ risks of abnormal metabolism, diabetes, obesity, and even pancreatitis.
When your dogs eat too many Ritz crackers in one sitting, chances are, they’ll immediately get sick within minutes. Unlike the human body, dogs can’t easily and properly digest high amounts of sugar, causing severe abdominal pain and discomfort. Your dogs might even vomit or have bloody diarrhea due to the high sugar content of Ritz crackers.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is not naturally edible because it’s made from a lengthy process that’s highly artificial. Corn syrup might even contain mercury, which is poisonous to both humans and pets.
As mentioned earlier, your fur babies don’t need to consume other foods to meet the sugar requirement of their bodies. Corn syrup is extra sugar, making the ingredient harmful and unhealthy for your pets.
Salt
Dogs need sodium to survive, but their kibbles are often enough to meet this requirement. Five Ritz crackers already contain 105 mg of sodium, an amount that already exceeds your dogs’ daily nutritional requirement. Too much sodium in your dogs’ diets can lead to poisoning, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, excessive urination and thirst, and even death.
Long-term, sodium poisoning can increase your dogs’ risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney and liver problems. Senior dogs and puppies are more susceptible to experiencing the short- and long-term health consequences of sodium poisoning.
Leavening
Ritz crackers use leavening additives to expand the size of their dough. Some of the most common examples of leavening additives are baking powder, baking soda, and yeast.
All types of leavening additives are unhealthy for your fur babies. Although they won’t manifest immediate symptoms or reactions, leavening agents can eventually take a toll on your dogs’ health. Giving your dogs Ritz crackers can lead to seizures, spams, and heart problems.
What Should You Do When Your Dogs Ate Ritz Crackers?
If your dogs consumed too many Ritz crackers, wait for 12 hours to see if they manifest any symptoms. Make sure to provide your dogs with water, so they can easily relieve themselves to ease any stomach aches. Within the next 12 hours, your dogs will likely experience:
- Diarrhea
- Increased water intake
- Itching
- Shaking head
- Vomiting
Once you notice any of these symptoms, reach out to your vet immediately. Inform your vet about what happened, how many Ritz crackers your dogs ate, and what symptoms they are experiencing. This information is crucial to help your vet determine the best course of action in treating your dogs.
Do Ritz Crackers Provide Any Health Benefits?
Actually, yes. Ritz crackers contain healthy nutrients, such as iron, calcium, and protein. All of these are necessary for your dogs to stay happy and healthy. But instead of giving your dogs Ritz crackers to meet these nutritional requirements, opt to feed them:
- For iron, red meats, such as beef, fish head, organ meat, and fish meat, are excellent sources for canines. An iron-rich diet can keep your dogs’ blood cells healthy, as well as maintain healthy enzyme functions.
- For calcium, vegetables like broccoli and kale are your best bets. To entice your dogs to eat more veggies, pair them with a few slices of chicken.
- For protein, give your dogs chicken and eggs. Most dogs actually love boiled chicken!
What Crackers Are Safe for Dogs?
You can feed your dogs some rice crackers, as long as they’re made without any garlic, onion, salt, or spices. Cheese crackers that are low in sodium are also great alternatives.
Ask Your Vet
Ritz crackers are not dog-friendly, so avoid giving any to your fur babies. If you want your pets to receive the nutrients present in Ritz crackers, look for healthier and safer alternatives. Just make sure to seek the approval of your vet before changing any aspect of your dogs’ diets!