Who wouldn’t love to have rye bread sandwiches snacks, especially if they come up with tons of healthy nutrients and offer good taste as well? But so many of you wonder about your little pooches, as dogs having pleading eyes always ask you to share some every time you try enjoying your snack-time. So, can dogs eat rye bread?
Yes, dogs can eat rye bread, and it is totally safe. In fact, Rye bread can offer your pooch tons of micronutrients as it’s better than the regular plain bread we eat. However, at the same time, offering too much and adding additional ingredients to the bread can lead to a number of serious health concerns.
In this post, we will find out some exceptional cases where rye bread tends to become something really toxic to little pooches. Furthermore, I will discuss different variants of rye bread, their comparison with each other, and a list of different seeded rye bread, each having details either about their good effects or about their bad effects on our little Fidos. But before I jump into all that, let’s figure out in-depth whether or not our furry buddy can consume rye bread safely.
Is Rye Bread Safe For Dogs?
Rye bread is totally safe for our furry buddies. You can surely offer them once in a while as a treat.
Rye bread is made from rye flour and is darker in color than the plain regular bread we eat. The taste is also a bit stronger or bitterer. In other words, rye bread has an earthy flavor or tastes like soil.
Other than all this, rye bread is also a bit more nutritional than the plain one. It contains B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, and pantothenic acid in tiny amounts. Most of all, the fiber it contains is really good for our pooch’s digestive system.
Still, there are so many exceptions that we need to keep in mind before letting our Fido eat half a loaf of rye bread. I have listed and discussed all the major concerns down below.
Obesity
Rye bread, although, is a healthy treat for furry buddies, it doesn’t offer a complete nutrition package. This is why it cannot be replaced with their daily kibbles that completely fulfill the nutrient requirements of their body.
In other words, rye bread offers nutrients to our pooches only when offered in moderation. Other than that, it’s not nutritional enough to be a part of their diet.
In fact, letting your Fido eat big loaves of rye bread can lead to weight gain and obesity. Rye bread also contains a high amount of carbs which will affect your pooch’s digestive system when offered on a regular basis.
Here’s a pro tip. Ideally, one should offer the furry buddy only one to two slices of rye bread occasionally. This will not only fulfill their satisfaction but also keep them free of obesity and other health issues.
Alcohol Poisoning
If you are the one who bakes food regularly and loves trying new recipes at home, then this one’s for you. Keep reading and take precautions!
Rye bread dough not baked properly can be a toxic thing for your little one. Consuming such bread can lead to problems like vomiting, pain, bloating, or GDV in our furry buddies. Symptoms of these cases can be nausea, drooling, fast breathing, and restlessness.
Sometimes, the condition can be even fatal, too, as eating unbaked bread can also lead to serious alcohol poisoning in pooches.
We all know raw dough needs an accurate, warm temperature to turn into a properly backed food. If it doesn’t get that warm temperature, it will not rise properly. The bread, hence, will remain an unbaked piece of dough.
The Fido on consuming such unbaked pieces can face severe illness. This is because the bread, after consumption, rises within the stomach, eventually producing and leaving ethanol into the body.
This condition can lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and also the body temperature of your canine. The symptoms here can be vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, loss of body control, and confusion.
Here’s a pro tip. If you are still a beginner baker, avoid letting your furry friend consume your trial recipes. Instead, get baked foodstuff for your buddy from renowned bakeries.
Allergy
Allergy is another exceptional case that you must be aware of before introducing your Fido to rye bread. Your pooch can be allergic to wheat, gluten, or grain as a whole. Although rye bread contains less gluten than the regular one, it’s still best to avoid it if your pooch is allergic to it.
The symptoms of allergy you can notice here can be a dull coat, itchy paws, ear infections, diarrhea, and weight loss.
Toxic Ingredients
Now, coming to the bigger picture, I want to say that this is the mistake most of us tend to make!
All of us love adding additional toppings to our tasty snack foods. But those toppings are really harmful to our little ones and can pose serious health risks as well.
So, anytime you think about offering your Fido a snack food, avoid adding the below-listed toxic ingredients to it.
Nuts
Almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts can be harmful to your canine. On the other hand, macadamia nuts are known to be extremely harmful. Some nuts, however, can be safe for your furry friend, but it’s best to avoid nuts when offering food to dogs.
Garlic And Onion
Garlic and onion are really harmful to Fidos. This is because they damage red blood cells, which consequently leads to health problems like anemia. Garlic and onion can also cause diarrhea in your pooch.
Xylitol
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener and is used in many food products. Xylitol can lower dogs’ blood sugar, can affect their liver, and can be fatal too. It can be extremely harmful, so never include such ingredients in any snack food that you are going to serve to your furry buddy. Keep the treat fresh and plain!
Grapes And Raisins
Dogs should not have grapes or raisins added to their treats as this ingredient can lead to kidney-related issues.
Chocolate
Our most favorite topping, chocolate, is, unfortunately, harmful to our little furry companions. This is because their body cannot break down the theobromine chemical found in chocolate. Other than that, it also contains a high amount of sugar which is definitely a no-no for the overall health of our little canines.
Can Dogs Eat Rye Bread With Seeds?
Yes, dogs can eat seeded rye bread. However, they can consume selective seeds only as seeds are usually toxic to them.
We all use seeds to top baked foods, to add in salads, and also consume them as a snack themselves as well. This is because seeds are rich in nutrients like fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and healthy fats. They also improve the overall taste of our snack food.
This is, however, different in the case of dogs. Among the many seeds we commonly use while baking, dogs can only consume caraway seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds.
On the other hand, macadamia seeds (nuts) and poppy seeds are completely toxic to dogs. Persimmon seeds are also known to be harmful to them.
Non-Toxic Seeds
Here I have discussed a little about each of the above-mentioned seeds down below. Pick up the one you find perfect for your furry buddy!
Caraway Seeds
Caraway seeds are good for muscle health and the digestive system. You can add them to other dog foods as well.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds support kidney functions, reduce chances of arthritis, and lower blood pressure as well.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds promote healthy skin.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds can be helpful if your pooch needs to lose weight. It also helps to regulate the blood sugar of your pooch’s body.
Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are also declared safe for dogs.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds can help your canine if it is fighting against any parasite as these seeds contain the amino acid Cucurbitin.
Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are extremely beneficial for your Fido’s health. It’s full of protein and other nutrients. It also contains omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to the ratio of 3:1, which makes this ingredient super nutritional.
Harmful Seeds
Let’s take a look at the seeds that are known to be harmful to dogs.
Persimmon Seeds
Persimmon seeds are harmful to canines. It can cause blockage inside the small intestine and can consequently lead to many digestive problems.
Poppy Seeds
Poppy seeds contain two alkaloids, namely, codeine and morphine. These alkaloids can damage Fido’s central nervous system.
Macadamia Seeds (Nuts)
Macadamia nuts are found to be poisonous to dogs. Even a little amount can lead to lethargy, lack of coordination, weakness, and tremors.
Here’s a pro tip. Even though there are so many seeds known to be safe and beneficial for your furry buddy, you will still need to keep things in moderation. Another topping you can add safely onto your Fido’s rye bread loaf is cinnamon.
In addition, peanut butter is safe for Fidos unless they do not contain xylitol, salt, and high sodium.
Can Dogs Have Rye Pumpernickel Bread?
Yes, dogs can eat rye pumpernickel bread as long as there is no additional stuff added and the pooch is free of allergy issues.
But wait! What is rye pumpernickel bread? Unlike rye bread, pumpernickel rye bread is made with whole-grain rye flour that is coarsely grained rather than being grained finely. It is darker in color as it takes a long time to get baked.
Pumpernickel bread can be a bit harder to digest as compared to plain rye bread. However, it is totally safe for your Fido.
There are actually a lot more different types of rye bread. I have listed all of them and their composition down below to make you understand which one out of them is safe for your buddy.
- Light rye bread – made with white rye flour that doesn’t include germ and barn inside
- Dark rye bread – made with whole-grain rye or by adding cocoa powder to the white rye flour
- Marbled rye bread – made by combining light rye bread dough with dark rye bread dough
Out of these, although rye bread made with whole rye grain is completely safe for your Fido, choose the one that is easy to digest, i.e., light rye bread or the regular one.
Finally, do remember! Rye bread is not a part of your Fido’s diet as it doesn’t meet all of their nutritional needs. Hence, do not get out of the track of “moderation” and let your canine companion eat these loaves as a treat, occasionally only.
