Known for its iconic knot-like shape and salty goodness, pretzels are a guilty pleasure we people snack on when we’re at the mall, a fair, or a ball game.
Unfortunately, they’re a snack best avoided by dogs.
The average pretzel is high in salt, which is potentially toxic to dogs. Some pretzels also contain sugar which, while not as dangerous as salt, can still make your dog ill.
Your dog may be able to eat plain, unsalted pretzels but only in moderation as they’re fattening.
If you’d like to know more about why you shouldn’t feed dogs pretzels, read on!
Pretzels and salt poisoning
Pretzels are loaded with salt, and eating too much salt can poison a dog.
A dog weighing 33 pounds requires only 100 mg of salt daily. A single ounce of pretzels can have more than 350 mg of salt. So if a dog consumes pretzels, they can end up absorbing far more salt than they need per day.
When a dog eats salt, their cells lose water (via a process called osmosis) to even out the blood’s salt levels. This makes your dog thirsty, encouraging them to drink more water.
But if a dog eats great quantities of salt in a short amount of time, the cells lose more water more quickly. The resulting drastic, rapid dehydration affects the muscles, inducing involuntary muscle tremors. It can also destroy brain cells, leading to dizziness, seizures, and other issues. This salt toxicity is extremely dangerous if allowed to go untreated.
A dog that’s ingested excess salt can display the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Reduced appetite
- Incoordination
- Extreme thirst, causing excessing drinking and urination
- Confusion
- Respiratory problems
- Rapid heartbeat
In severe cases, a dog can even experience:
- Muscle tremors
- Seizures
- Fainting
- Coma
- Death
Symptoms generally manifest within several hours of excess salt consumption. If you observe these symptoms after your dog eats pretzels, call a vet for assistance immediately.
Other pretzel problems
Even unsalted pretzels contain components that can adversely impact canine health. For instance, pretzels are usually high in sugar. Some even contain chocolate, which is dangerously toxic to dogs.
Here are the other problems a dog can experience after eating pretzels:
Digestive issues
Because the processed sugar found in human food doesn’t always agree with the canine tummy, a dog that consumes pretzels can end up with digestive concerns such as vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion.
Obesity and associated conditions
All pretzels are rich in bad carbohydrates. Some contain a surplus of sugar. For these reasons, pretzels are highly fattening for dogs. A dog that regularly eats unsalted pretzels can even grow obese.
Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, heatstroke, osteoporosis and joint pain, and other serious issues. To further complicate matters, the discomfort a dog feels whenever they move around discourages exercise, thus preventing the weight loss they need to become healthy.
In short, obesity harms a dog’s quality of life and can even decrease their life expectancy.
Elevated blood sugar levels
Eating food high in sugar raises a dog’s blood sugar levels, which isn’t a big problem if it only happens occasionally.
However, if a dog regularly eats pretzels, those levels stay high. This can result in:
- Dehydration
- Extreme thirst
- Reduced energy
- Depression
- Seizures
- Coma
Extended periods of blood sugar level elevation can even lead to kidney disease, heart disease, pancreatitis, stroke, and possibly diabetes.
Sugar addiction
Dogs find sugar addictive, which means your pooch can develop a pretzel obsession if you feed them too much of this food.
Because a sugar-addicted dog would rather have junk food, they’re inclined to turn their nose up at nutritious food. Their health suffers as a result.
Wheat allergy
10% of all canine allergies are food allergies, and wheat is among the most allergy-provoking ingredients a dog can eat.
What are pretzels typically made of? You guessed it: wheat.
If your dog is allergic to wheat, eating pretzels can induce symptoms such as:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Asthma-like symptoms
- Sneezing
- Inflamed ears
- Itchy skin
- Excessive scratching, licking, and/or chewing of the paws and other body parts
- Rubbing the face on a surface (e.g. the carpet)
- Seizures
Take your dog to the vet if they exhibit the above symptoms after consuming pretzels.
Gluten intolerance
The protein gluten is a major component of wheat, and it just so happens some dogs can’t tolerate gluten. If you have such a dog, the frequent consumption of pretzels can make their coat lose its luster; riddle their skin with rashes, bumps, or dry flakes; or even cause abnormal, unhealthy weight loss.
Ask your vet for advice on how to help a gluten-intolerant dog. Your pooch will likely be made to go on a gluten-free diet.
Other potential dangers
Remember what we said earlier about how some pretzels contain chocolate? It’s true: some pretzels contain deadly canine poisons such as chocolate and onion. If your pet consumes such pretzels, bring them to the vet immediately for emergency treatment.
Other pretzels contain garlic, mustard, almonds, or seeds, which can all make your dog ill or even kill them.
Ingredients such as cheese, cinnamon, and butter may not be toxic to dogs, but they can cause digestive issues and more serious problems such as diabetes and heart disease if eaten regularly.
FAQs about pretzels for dogs
Here are more commonly asked questions about pretzels for dogs.
My dog ate a pretzel. What do I do?
If your dog ate a few tiny bites, don’t worry too much (though we still recommend contacting a vet to guarantee your pet’s safety). Give your dog lots of water to slake their thirst and monitor them for symptoms. Keep your dog’s size in mind; a few bites for an average-sized dog may be one bite too many for a small dog.
Let’s face it, though: dogs rarely eat just a few tiny bites of a treat. If your dog consumes more than their required daily salt intake, give them lots of water and bring them to the vet. Depending on how serious their salt toxicity is, they’ll be hospitalized for two or more days for treatment and observation.
Those in North America can also call the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 or Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.
Can dogs eat salt-free pretzels?
Yes, but there’s little point in feeding dogs such pretzels. Unsalted pretzels aren’t toxic, but they’re still high in unhealthy sugar and bad carbs. They’re also low in nutrients your dog needs to stay healthy. If you must feed your dog salt-free pretzels, do so occasionally, only. Better yet, feed them healthier treats such as carrots or blueberries.
Can dogs eat hard pretzels?
Only if they don’t have salt and other toxic ingredients. However, your dog is still better off not eating hard pretzels due to how unhealthy they are even without poisonous substances.
Can dogs eat soft pretzels?
If they lack salt and other toxic components, then they can be eaten occasionally. We still don’t recommend feeding dogs soft pretzels, however. Like other types of pretzels, the soft varieties aren’t healthy for dogs.
Can dogs eat pretzel sticks?
It’s not a good idea to feed dogs pretzel sticks as they’re loaded with salt and other potentially harmful components.
Can dogs eat pretzel chips?
Pretzel chips are extremely salty, so no. What’s bad about chips is that because they’re so thin, they can encourage overeating. A dog could end up eating too many chips and absorbing a life-threatening amount of salt.
Can dogs eat white fudge pretzels?
No. White fudge pretzels are high in sugar, which can wreak havoc on your dog’s stomach and make them gain weight. The dairy such pretzels contain can also bring suffering to lactose-intolerant dogs.
Can dogs eat yogurt-covered pretzels?
Yogurt-covered pretzels have even more sugar than white fudge pretzels. They contain dairy, too. Don’t give your dog yogurt-covered pretzels.
Is there any type of pretzel a dog can safely eat?
There are so many pretzel varieties that listing them all down will make this article overly long.
To help you decide whether or not your dog can eat a type of pretzel, keep the following things in mind:
- Excess salt is potentially lethal, so never feed dogs pretzels containing salt.
- Ingredients like chocolate, garlic, onions, almonds, seeds, mustard, etc. are also dangerous.
- Wheat and dairy can cause allergies.
- Ingredients like cinnamon, butter, cheese, etc. can make a dog ill if eaten in abundance.
- Unsalted, plain pretzels can be eaten occasionally and in small amounts only, as they contain sugar and carbs, which can cause serious problems if consumed in abundance.
Conclusion
Don’t feed your dog pretzels. This snack is too salty and can cause potentially lethal salt poisoning in canines. Even the unsalted variety is packed with unhealthy components that can make a dog ill.
If your dog gets sick after eating pretzels, don’t hesitate to call a vet for help. Your quick actions can save their life.