Harper Jefcoat
Harper Jefcoat

Can Dogs Eat Bread? Can We Share Our Breakfast Bread?

Read Time

9 min read

can dogs eat bread

On This Page

  • Can Dogs Eat Bread Safely?
  • Is Bread Good For Dogs? What are the Health Benefits?
  • Which Bread Can Harm My Dog?
  • Risks of Feeding Bad Breads to Your Dogs

Bread is a staple in human diets. We eat it every day. For breakfast, we might have toast with jam or peanut butter. In the middle of the day, we might have a sandwich for lunch. Then at dinner time, we may eat bread with soup or stew.

As dog-lovers, we love to share our food with our dogs. When they look at us with their puppy eyes, it makes us ask: can dogs eat bread?

Yes, dogs can eat bread. It is just like for people - they should only have a little bit of it and not too often.

Get information on whether bread is good for dogs or not. You need to know what bread is okay and which ones should not be given.

Let’s begin!

Can Dogs Eat Bread Safely?

Some varieties of bread are okay for dogs, but not all!

Dogs need very little bread. The best kinds of bread are white or brown. Bread with nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, onions, garlic, and dessert bread may be bad for your dog if they have xylitol in them. Always check the ingredients first to see what is in the food you give to your dog so you know it is safe to eat.

Bread is a common food for people in their kitchens. Some dogs love to eat the crust left on the table near the edge. Bread is safe to eat for most dogs, but only if it's plain white or wheat bread.

Can Dogs Eat White Bread?

As long as the bread does not have any toxic ingredients that will hurt your dog, then white bread is safe. Brown bread is a healthier choice, but your dog is not eating enough for this to matter.

What's more important than the type of bread you feed your dog is whether it has toxic ingredients and whether the bread is served plain.

Can Dogs Eat Brown Bread?

Yes, your dog can eat brown bread as long as there are no seeds or other food that may be harmful. Brown bread is healthier for people and the same is true for dogs.

Brown bread has more fiber and fewer carbohydrates than white bread. However, your dog should only eat small amounts of bread, no matter what kind it is.

Can Dogs Eat Toast?

Your dog can eat toast. Toast is the bread that has been cooked again. Dogs do not need to be allergic to it or have anything bad in the bread to not be able to eat it.

Toast is a good treat for dogs because they really enjoy it and will get their tails wagging!

Just like with other treats, you should only give your dog one piece of toast every now and then so that they don't get too much sugar or just too many calories from any kind of treat.

Can Dogs Eat Bread and Butter?

“Can dogs eat bread with peanut butter?”

Butter is not a good food for dogs because it has too much fat and no health benefits. If your dog eats some butter, they will probably be okay. But, combining butter with bread, where both are high-carb diets, can be dangerous, especially for diabetic or overweight dogs. The same is the case with bread and peanut butter.

Can Dogs Eat Bread Crust?

Unless your dog is allergic to wheat and gluten, then it is okay if they eat bread crust. The bread is safe for your dog if it has been well-baked and the crust is the part that is the most well-baked.

How Much Bread Can Dogs Eat?

“Can dogs eat bread every day?”

No, dogs should not eat bread every day. Furthermore, bread should be given to the dogs like any other treat, by following the 10% rule of a dog’s diet. This means none of the dog treats should make up more than 10% of their daily caloric intake.

Is Bread Good For Dogs? What are the Health Benefits?

Bread is a food that people eat for many years. There are no countries without bread in their food. But some people give it to their dog, too! Here is what WE found out about the benefits of bread for dogs.

Bread Can Help Cure an Upset Stomach

“Is Bread Good for Dogs With Upset Stomachs?”

If your dog has an upset stomach, it can eat a little bit of white bread. As the starch inside the bread absorbs some of the gastric acids that irritate their stomach, it will make them feel better for a short time. One-fourth of a toast is enough to help. You should ask your vet how much they should eat though.

Pads the Otherwise Indigestible Foods

Sometimes dogs swallow things that they shouldn't. Bread can help them digest those things. It pads the sharp bits of bone so they can pass through your digestive tract. Get advice from your vet before using bread as a way to help dogs digest things.

Can Cure Constipation

Constipation is when your dog’s bowel doesn't work. Fiber from whole-wheat bread helps it work. It binds water and makes the stool easier to pass when they want to pass stool.

Which Bread Can Harm My Dog?

“What bread can dogs not eat?”

Most bread is not harmful to your dog. But some types of bread have bad ingredients that are harmful to dogs. Let's find out more about those now.

Bread with Harmful or Uncooked Bread Dough

Imagine that you are making white bread at home. Your dog ate some of the dough. You might think the ingredients are ok, but they are not. Most of the ingredients are harmless.

“Can dogs eat bread with yeast?”

But, yeast can be bad for your dog's stomach. This is because their stomach has what is needed to make it work, which is why it would expand in your dog's stomach just as it would if you were sitting it out on your kitchen countertop. This can lead to Bread Dough Toxicosis or bloat in dogs because their stomach has what is needed for this to happen.

Food expands when it is mixed. The stomach has blood vessels that are close to the food. As the food expands, these blood vessels can become stretched or injured which can lead to a lack of oxygen in the stomach. This condition also causes alcohol to be created, which is what we call ethanol toxicosis.

Symptoms of this condition include:

  • Extended or bloated stomach
  • Unproductive vomiting
  • Loss of bladder control
  • Lack of coordination
  • Behavior changes
  • Weakness
  • Seizures
  • Coma

If your dog eats bread dough, it is a medical emergency. Symptoms can appear in 30 minutes or 2 hours. The yeast can make the ethanol level in their blood go up and this can be fatal. If your dog ate bread dough, go to the vet right away!

Bread Consisting of Garlic and Onion -

“Can dogs eat garlic bread?”

Garlic bread has a lot of yummy smells that make people want to eat it. Dogs like the smell too, but they cannot eat it because onions and garlic are toxic to them. They would need to eat a lot for the onion and garlic to build up in their body, which is not good for them.

Garlic and onions are plants that contain a substance called n-propyl disulfide. This substance causes oxidative damage to red blood cells, which can lead to an illness called hemolytic anemia. This illness requires emergency vet care right away or it can cause kidney failure or death.

The allium family of vegetables is bad for dogs. And onion and garlic powder or juice are even more toxic because of their high concentration of toxins. So, don't give your dog any bread that has these ingredients in it.

Commercially Prepared Banana Bread

“Can dogs eat banana bread?”

Bananas are healthy for dogs, but the sugars and fats we add to make banana bread tasty are not. These sugars can cause tooth decay, diabetes, and weight gain. If you only offer tiny pieces of banana bread with dog treats, your dog will appreciate it.

Commercially Prepared Raisin Bread

Grapes and raisins are very toxic to dogs. There's no safe amount of grapes or raisins for a dog to eat, but some dogs will get sick from eating just one grape while others will get sick from eating a few. So it is important not to feed your dog bread that has raisins in it because it might be dangerous for them.

Commercially Prepared Bread with Nuts

You can give your dog bread that has peanuts or roasted cashews, but not other nuts. Any kind of nut that contains black walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pecans, or almonds can make the pancreas hurt too much for the dog to get better. This is an emergency and you need to take them to a vet right away.

Commercially Prepared Bread with Chocolate

Your dog can not eat chocolate. It has theobromine, which affects its central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system. If they get it they might need to go to the vet right away.

Commercially Prepared Bread with Artificial Sweeteners

Bread that says it is sugar-free may have a special ingredient called xylitol. It can be in some peanut butter too. This ingredient is very bad for dogs. If they eat just a little bit, they might have low blood sugar, seizures, liver failure, or even die. Any food product with artificial sweeteners can hurt your dog’s health.

Risks of Feeding Bad Breads to Your Dogs

“Can bread make dogs sick?”

The risks of feeding your dog unhealthy quantities or varieties of bread are as follows:

Could have Toxic Ingredients

There are many dangers for dogs. Dogs can eat raisins, which are very bad. They can also eat garlic, which is in some bread. Other ingredients that may be bad for dogs include nuts and seeds that humans like but that dogs do not like the taste of or the way they feel in their bodies.

Xylitol is a sweetener. It is found in sugar-free gum and also in some peanut butter and baked goods. It is not harmful to humans but it can be toxic to dogs.

The Excessive Carbohydrates Can Convert into Sugar in Your Dog’s Body

Bread is a high-carbohydrate food. When people or dogs consume too many carbs, they store them as fat. This is true for domestic dogs as well, but domesticated dogs get regular meals so those carbs build up and cause weight gain instead of just being used as energy.

Dogs that are fed a balanced diet and healthy dog treats should not be given bread as a treat or as a regular part of their diet because it can make them fat.

A dog can be Allergic to Wheat or Gluten

Wheat bread contains gluten. Many parents avoid this for their dogs. Dogs can have wheat allergies or an allergic reaction to gluten, but vets think that it is healthier to give your dog wheat bread than something else. If your dog has an allergy to wheat, you can give them bread made with rice or coconut flour instead.

Can Cause Excessive Weight Gain

White bread can be used to relieve stomach pain or bind to foreign objects in the body. But if your pup eats too much, this could lead to weight gain which can cause obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and joint pain.

Can Lead to Tooth Decay

Bread has sugar in it. Sugar makes teeth stick to the gums and causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is also called "periodontal disease". The decay can happen fast in dogs, so you should brush their teeth every day. Veterinarians say that many dogs have dental disease by age three.

A Final Word of Advice!

Our advice is to not feed your dog bread. Bread can be dangerous for some dogs, while others don't need it. Instead, feed your dog healthy treats like vegetables and cooked lean meat.

You may have a dry piece of toast to settle your stomach, but your dog will not. Your dog has a different stomach than you do. If your dog is sick, give them food that is bland and boiled chicken breast or rice.

The best thing to do is always ask the vet first before giving them any home remedies.

If you or a loved one are in need of an emotional support animal letter, don't wait any longer.

Get the help that you need now by contacting us. We can provide fast and reliable assistance to get you the ESA letter that you need.

Contact us today for more information!

Harper Jefcoat

WRITTEN BY

Harper Jefcoat

Harper Jefcoat is a dedicated pet enthusiast and esteemed author at RealESALetter.com. With a profound passion for animals, Harper combines extensive knowledge and personal experience to provide insightful and informative content. Specializing in canine behavior and wellness, he strives to empower pet owners with the tools and understanding they need to nurture and care for their furry friends effectively. Harper’s writings reflect his commitment to enhancing the lives of pets and their owners, making him a trusted voice in the pet community.

legally complaint

DO YOU NEED A LEGALLY COMPLIANT ESA LETTER IN HAND WITHIN 24 HOURS?

Apply Now

Share this Article