There are a lot of reasons why many people love sugar cookies. They come in so many options and varieties, perfect on the go, and remind you of your childhood. Sugar cookies are also easy to make as you can buy some ready-made sugar cookie dough and pop it in the oven.
If you have pets at home, there might be instances when your dogs would stare at you whenever you eat sugar cookies. Some would even nudge their paws at you, signaling that they want to eat what you’re eating. But should you offer sugar cookies to your dogs?
Unfortunately, sugar cookies are one of those human foods that shouldn’t be given to dogs. These baked goodies contain harmful ingredients, such as:
Flour
Flour isn’t toxic to dogs, but it’s not healthy for them either. Certain flours, such as all-purpose, white, and plain, don’t have any nutritional value and can only cause health issues, such as bloating and weight gain in dogs.
Sugar
Sugar is unhealthy for dogs because it puts them at risk of several health conditions, namely diabetes, and obesity. Too much sugar in your dogs’ diets can also trigger dental problems, like bad breath, plaque, tartar, and bleeding gums.
Butter
Sugar cookies use unhealthy amounts of butter that release too much fat. As a result, feeding sugar cookies to your dogs can trigger obesity and cardiac diseases.
Chocolate
Some sugar cookies use chocolates to add more flavor and sweetness. And while this ingredient is harmless to humans, it can be very toxic to your dogs.
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, ingredients that your dogs can’t metabolize effectively. Over time, these ingredients will build up in your dogs’ systems and cause poisoning. If your dogs consume more than 0.3 ounces of concentrated chocolate per pound of their body weight, they can die.
Raisins
Aside from chocolates, some sugar cookies also contain raisins. These ingredients are a no-go for canines because they can trigger the development of anuric renal failure. On average, dogs diagnosed with stage 1 anuric renal failure have a survival time of more than 400 days, while those diagnosed with stage 2 range from 200 to 400 days.
Xylitol
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in many human foods, such as sugar-free chewing gums, mints, and other candies. However, this ingredient is ideal for humans, not for your furry friends.
Sugar cookies contain xylitol that can cause several symptoms in dogs, such as vomiting, lethargy, incoordination, seizures, and staggering. Long-term, xylitol poisoning can lower your dogs’ blood sugar levels, cause liver failure, and sudden death in dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Sugar-Free Cookies?
No, you should never feed sugar-free cookies to your dogs because they usually contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that’s highly toxic to dogs. Xylitol can pull water into your dogs’ intestines and ferment the bacteria present in their digestive tracts. As a result, your dogs can experience hypoglycemia (low blood pressure), liver failure, seizures, and even sudden death.
Can Dogs Eat Sugar Cookie Dough?
No, your dogs should never eat sugar cookie dough as it grows larger once ingested and can cause life-threatening abdomen distension among dogs. Sugar cookie dough also encourages the formation of yeast in your dogs’ digestive tracts, causing alcohol poisoning in dogs.
What Should You Do When Your Dogs Ate Sugar Cookies?
Dogs will have different reactions to sugar cookies. If yours don’t exhibit any adverse reactions or symptoms after eating sugar cookies, give them access to clean water and continue feeding them with their normal meals every day. Make sure that the sugar cookies are out of their reach to prevent the ordeal from happening again.
But if your dogs start to show instant reactions, such as vomiting and diarrhea after eating sugar cookies, take them to the vet immediately. Your vet will likely induce vomiting, so your dogs can remove the harmful ingredients of sugar cookies from their bodies.
How Can You Stop Dogs From Eating Sugar Cookies?
Because of the harmful ingredients used in sugar cookies, it’s best not to give any to your furry friends. If you’re having problems achieving this goal (as your dogs are very persuasive in asking you some sugar cookies), consider the following hacks:
Cookie Exchange
Every time you eat or bake sugar cookies around your dogs, give them something a healthier alternative. For example, if you’re eating sugar cookies while watching TV at home, give them a few of their treats or let them play with their bully sticks.
Feed Them Before
If you have plans of eating sugar cookies around your dogs, opt to feed them their meal before. This will keep your dogs full and prevent them from wanting to eat sugar cookies.
Eat Privately
Aside from the whole cookies, your dogs can also nibble on the leftover crumbs of the sugar cookies. Although these are in smaller amounts, these can eventually have adverse effects on your dogs’ health, especially if you always leave a trail of crumbs.
To avoid the situation, eat sugar cookies in a separate room or look for areas away from your dogs. Once you’re done eating, make sure to clean up the floor.
Educate Your Kids
Kids usually love to share their snacks with their pets. Give them sugar cookies, and they’ll likely cut a piece and then give it to the dogs.
Educate your dogs about the dangers of sugar cookies once consumed by dogs and discourage them from sharing any. Make sure to check your kids whenever they’re eating sugar cookies to ensure that they’re following your instructions.
Talk To A Vet
As a responsible pet owner, you should resist the temptation of wanting to feed different human foods to your dogs. Doing this can only do more harm than good.
To ensure your dogs’ health and safety, always consult a vet before feeding any human foods to them. Never think that just because certain human foods are healthy for you, you can immediately share them with your fur babies.