Content
- Is giving bread to dogs bad?
- Dog bread: what types?
- Homemade Dog Food Recipe
- Dog Bread Recipe (Oatmeal and Banana)
There is a widely held belief that "bread is bad for dogs," is this true? Being made from a base of flour and water with added yeast, bread is a high-carbohydrate food. And although it is not one of the prohibited foods for dogs, we must point out that excessive consumption of carbohydrates can be harmful to your dogs' health.
Can a dog eat bread? In this article by PeritoAnimal, we are going to talk about the recommendations and precautions to take before offering bread to the furry ones, to provide them with a balanced diet that takes into account their nutritional needs.
Is giving bread to dogs bad?
the dogs are omnivorous animals who can maintain a varied diet to benefit from the properties of different types of food. However, their nutritional requirements are based on the consumption of high quality proteins, good fats, vitamins and minerals. The other components (such as carbohydrates) can be present in the food, but always in a moderate way. Therefore, although your dog can eat bread, this food should not be the mainstay of the diet. Remember that the predominant nutrient in your pet's nutrition should be proteins, not carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are mostly turned into sugar at the end of the digestive process. Therefore, a high intake of carbohydrates often raises blood glucose, making our dog more prone to a diagnosis of canine diabetes. Also, if you incorporate a lot of carbohydrate sources in your diet, your dog can gain weight quickly, and you should keep in mind that dog obesity is a risk factor for many diseases.
On the other hand, you should consider that bread, like pasta and rice, are sources of energy for the body. When consumed in moderation, they can help maintain a balanced metabolism and please your furry palate. However, you should have some clear recommendations on how to introduce this food into your dog's diet. Therefore, in the section below we will give some tips to offer bread to your dog without making it difficult to digest or pose any health risk.
Dog bread: what types?
If you're wondering if a dog can eat bread and what kind of bread is healthier, you should know what the homemade breads, without preservatives, dyes or other industrial additives. Commercial breads (both those we buy freshly baked in the bakery and industrialized ones) often contain considerable amounts of salt and refined sugar, two ingredients that are harmful to the health of dogs. In addition, some types of bread also contain dairy products (milk, yogurt, butter) and eggs, foods that can cause allergic reactions in furry.
If you are excited to prepare homemade bread for your pet, we recommend choosing the wholemeal flours or of cereals, like oats, rice, barley and flaxseed, as they are easier to digest than traditional wheat flour. You should also avoid adding biological yeast (ordinary yeast) or chemical (powdered yeast) to the dough. But if you want to try something different and healthy, you can use brewer's yeast, which offers many health benefits for dogs.
Last (but not least) you must not add salt or sugar to the bread you bake for your best friend. If you want to prepare a sweet recipe, you can use pure honey to sweeten it, since this food brings several benefits to dogs. And if you're making a salty recipe, you can incorporate other things in place of salt for flavor. Saffron, for example, has several properties and can be added to almost any type of recipe, always in moderate doses.
Below we'll give you a super simple recipe for a nutritious and suitable bread for puppies, using natural ingredients that contribute to improving your best friend's health.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe
If you want to incorporate new homemade recipes into your dog's diet and let him enjoy a food as exquisite as bread, we propose a homemade bread without preservatives, which combines the beneficial properties of three ingredients: the oats, bananas and cinnamon. You will find that it is not necessary to use eggs, milk or wheat flour to facilitate digestion and prevent food allergies in your dog.
On the one hand, oats offer a high fiber content, facilitating intestinal transit, improving digestion, relieving stomach pain and preventing constipation. Bananas are among the recommended fruits for dogs because they are rich not only in fiber but also in vitamins and minerals, which are essential to strengthen the dog's immune system and improve physical endurance. Finally, we highlight the digestive, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties of cinnamon (not to mention its incredible flavor!).
Dog Bread Recipe (Oatmeal and Banana)
For this recipe, you will need the Ingredients below:
- 3 ripe bananas;
- 1 cup of water;
- ½ cup of olive oil;
- 2 cups finely flaked organic oatmeal (you can also use organic oatmeal);
- 1 tablespoon of pure honey;
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon;
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Step by step how to prepare homemade oat and banana bread for your dog:
- First, peel the bananas and cut them into slices of medium thickness;
- In a blender or food processor, add the banana slices, water, honey, cinnamon and olive oil.Grind all ingredients into a smooth paste.
- Finally, add the organic oats and baking soda, mixing the dough with the help of a spatula or spoon.
- Then place the preparation on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 180ºC.
- To make sure the bread is well baked, you can insert a knife into the middle of the dough to make sure it's not damp.
- Before serving the dog, let the bread reach room temperature.
After all, a dog can eat bread and a good tip is to be offered as an occasional treat to please your best friend and vary your eating routine a bit. However, we reaffirm the importance of offering a complete and balanced nutrition to animals, as well as the risks of exaggerating the incorporation of carbohydrates in their food.
If you want to read more articles similar to Can a dog eat bread?, we recommend that you enter our Home Diets section.