Not all heroes wear capes; some of them are packed in an enclosed package with a surprising delight inside.
Yes, we refer to biscuits — an all-time favorite to-go for a snack that we can keep in our pockets in times of need.
Biscuits are an excellent alternative to junk foods. However, unlike the latter, this food contains less salt yet sugar that excites its taste.
Because of their ubiquity, biscuits have become part of our daily diet. But does that mean it should be part of your dog’s diet as well?
That’s an excellent inquiry for us to begin. This article will guide you on the basics of biscuits, plus ways to prepare them safely for your dogs.
What are Biscuits?
We know you’re already familiar with this food. But let’s do a quick review:
Biscuits are baked goods that are typically small, flat, and dry. They are often made with flour or cornmeal dough that has been rolled out or shaped in some way before baking.
Achieving the best results for your biscuits requires baking them for around 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes.
Usually, baking powder is used as a leavening agent when making biscuits.
Furthermore, various biscuits are available today, such as the typical buttermilk biscuits, cheese biscuits, and many others.
In this case, we will focus on the common ones that you can give to your dog.
Food family of Biscuits
Biscuits belong to the food family of “bread,” which are baked, leavened foods that contain some flour.
They can be made from different types of cereal grains or roots, such as cornmeal. Other components may also include nuts, legumes, fruits, and seeds, among others.
Most bread shares common ingredients, such as flour, water or milk, salt, and leavening agents (e.g., yeast).
And as per its nutrient value, this family group is the best source of carbohydrates, proteins, and dietary fibers.
There are different biscuits out in the market today. Some are made with whole grains, and some are baked with refined grains.
You can also find different ingredients used to make them, such as whole wheat flour and buttermilk powder.
More importantly, we regard to ask this concern: can dogs eat biscuits?
Can dogs eat Biscuits?
Yes, dogs can eat biscuits, provided that such food contains no harmful components and ingredients to your dog’s health.
When choosing suitable biscuits, it’s best to check the content first or consult with your vet or veterinarian.
Biscuits are friendly for dogs. They are not toxic nor dangerous to them. But the challenge is to pick the perfect type of biscuit suitable and appropriate for your dog’s health condition or needs.
Furthermore, you can mix biscuits with other tasty foods such as cheese cubes to make them more delicious!
Do you want to know more? Let’s go ahead and check the best ways to prepare biscuits for your dogs:
Best Ways to Feed your Dogs with Biscuits
Bake home-made biscuits using 100% human-grade organic nutrients
You can achieve the exact amount of ingredients you want to put into your dog’s food by making homemade biscuits.
You can also mix different ingredients that are good for their health and appetite, such as carrots or celery.
Use biscuits as training treats.
Do you want to hone your dog’s attention skills while keeping an appetitive training? Then you can use biscuits as a training tool!
You may consider giving your dog one or two pieces of biscuits before you leave for work every morning or reward with such food when your dog fulfills a task.
In this way, you will keep your dog occupied and away from doing something not allowed, such as digging the houseplants or ruining your slippers.
Pair biscuits with fruits
Did you know that you can create a healthy and appetitive mixture of biscuits with fruits? Well, it’s true!
You may mix biscuit dough containing real chicken chunks or minced beef together with cranberries.
This is perfect for dogs who are suffering from allergies. Make sure to bake the dough thoroughly before serving them as treats.
Reasons Why Dogs Can Eat Biscuits
Biscuits are not stand-alone snacks. Too, they have significant factors contributing to the improvement of your dog’s health and diet.
Here are some reasons why dogs can eat biscuits:
Biscuits are easy to eat.
What makes biscuits a good treat for dogs is that it’s easy to eat. They can quickly gulp down this food, which you wouldn’t want them to do if their snacks are too big or complex.
This means they may suffer from choking hazards when given treats such as bones and rawhide chews, among other things.
Biscuits are not easily spoiled.
Unlike most home-baked treats, biscuits can last for a long time when stored in an airtight container.
This means you don’t need to worry about spoiling and rotting food while it’s still inside the kitchen counter or pantry cabinet!
You may store them there for up to two weeks without worrying about food going bad.
Biscuits have nutrients and vitamins needed for your dog’s health.
What makes biscuits a good treat is that they’re rich in nutrients and vitamins such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, and Vitamin C.
This means when your dog eats these snacks, you can assure yourself they are eating food that contains all the essential components needed for their diet.
Possible Concerns When Eating Biscuits
Earlier, we talked about how biscuits are beneficial for your dog’s health. Now, it’s time to face early consequences to avoid more significant damage.
Here are possible concerns that may arise after you feed your dogs with biscuits:
Overweight
By giving your dog biscuits excessively, they may get too plump and overweight. This is not good for their health since it will make them susceptible to heart attack or diabetes.
To avoid this from happening, you can limit the number of treats you give per day while ensuring that they are part of a balanced diet with other foods such as vegetables, among others.
Diabetes and blood sugar level problems
Did you know that too much intake of biscuits can result in your dog’s body not producing enough insulin?
This is known as diabetes, which is a common problem among dogs these days. Therefore, you need to watch their weight since being overweight may make them suffer from this condition more heavily than when their weight is average.
Kidney problems
Relative to diabetes, too much intake of biscuits can cause your dog’s kidneys to malfunction. This means their body will slowly start losing its ability to filter out toxins and wastes from the bloodstream due to the lack of production of enough enzymes needed by the kidney for proper function.
Signs your dog is sick from eating Biscuits
You don’t have to avoid the red flags to support your dog’s health as early as now. Do you know the signs? Well, here are some:
Loss of appetite
In most cases, when dogs suffer from digestive problems, they will also have an off-putting appetite.
This is the same with those who are not feeling well due to their recent biscuit snacks. You can take your dog’s temperature to see if they have a fever, which is one of the acute symptoms.
Diarrhea and loose stool
Loose and runny stool may indicate that your dog is suffering from diarrhea. This happens when your dog eats food that has high fiber content, such as biscuits. If these signs persist for more than 24 hours, you need to give them an anti-diarrhea treatment since you must reduce their bowel movement right away.
Dehydration
Due to frequent vomiting, your dog may also suffer from dehydration as a result. If your dog doesn’t have enough water in the body, this may cause your dog to become lazy and tired quickly since it affects how your dog’s kidneys eliminate waste.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating Biscuits?
We know that we care about our dogs that much. So when the signs of sickness occur, you don’t have to invest many emotions, such as panicking and worrying.
It’s time to bring them to their veterinarian, who will make sure they are okay. They can even give you tips on treating your dog’s health issues with biscuits since it may vary depending on the type of biscuit offered and other considerations.
As a dog owner, you have to inform your vet of the times your dog has consumed biscuits, the total number of biscuits they ate, and its ingredients.
This way, the doctor can give you specific medicines to effectively manage your dog’s health issues.
Avoid these similar foods from this family
Candy bars
Like humans, candy can also be sour for dogs, mainly if it contains chocolate or other high-sugar sweets.
This type of food is known to increase the risk of diabetes and tooth decay over time. In addition, you should avoid these types of foods since they can cause your dog to have digestive problems, such as vomiting and nausea.
Chocolate bars
In the same way as candy, chocolate can also be harmful to your dog’s health. It’s even worse since this food is known as a poison for dogs due to its high caffeine and sugar content which we mentioned earlier.
Pretzels and chips
We know that both of these foods are extremely popular in the United States, specifically with children.
But you have to remember that they may cause your dog’s blood sugar level to spike up since it contains high levels of carbohydrates.
This is a big no-no for dogs who already suffer from diabetes and other similar health issues.
How to Make Biscuits Safe To Eat?
We now see that you’re eager to take care of your dog. So, apart from learning concepts as discussed previously, we’re now giving you the application in preparing safe biscuits for your dogs:
Feed moderately
Again, this is the safest way for your dog to eat biscuits. However, since they can cause health problems when consumed in excess, you must limit their food intake by giving them only a moderate amount.
Mix with other treats
You don’t need to keep your dog away from biscuits since it’s terrible for their health. However, you have to make sure that the ingredients are safe and healthy so that biscuits will have the opposite effect on their health rather than causing digestive problems and other issues.
Check the content
When you buy biscuits in grocery stores, consider first checking the content of the product you’re about to buy.
Make sure it doesn’t have any harmful substance like chocolate, known as a poison for dogs. Nevertheless, we highly suggest you ask for your vet’s recommendation on the specific biscuits to feed your dogs.
Key Takeaways
When in dire need of food, biscuits are the ultimate to-go snack that we can keep in our pockets.
The good thing about biscuits is that they are easy to eat, containing less salt than junk foods. In fact, as a member of the bread family, biscuits are baked, which include low-fat ingredients.
To quite an extent, dogs can eat biscuits. But the key is to feed moderately, mix with other treats, and always check the content if possible.
Here, the target concerns that would arise are overweight, kidney problems, and digestive issues. Or worse, your dog may lose its appetite and begin to change its bowel movement.
So, keep in mind that you have to consult your vet for further information when possible concerns arise.
Indeed, not all heroes wear caps; some of them are biscuits; most of them are called “man’s best friends” — our dogs.