There are countless different granola flavors out there to choose from and experiment with until you find the one you like. Due to its simple recipe, many people make granola at homes as well. When you eat granola, do you find your pet dog hovering around, hoping to get a bite? Most pet owners have no reservations about sharing their food with their pets. This, however, is careless and wrong. Not everything we eat could be shared with our canine friends. But what about granola? Can you feed granola to your dogs?
Can dogs eat granola? Well, it totally depends on the granola flavor and its ingredients. The ingredients used in granola are the determining factors of whether or not your dog can eat it. Dogs can safely eat whole-grain granola, which might even benefit them from the health’s perspective. However, granola with raisin can be toxic to them. Therefore, as long as you keep an eye on the ingredients, granola is okay for dogs to eat.
Rich in fibers and other nutrients, granola is an ideal food that most of us include in our daily diet. You can consume granola as a breakfast, a meal, and even a snack. While some of you are okay with eating granola as it is, others might like to mix it with honey or peanut butter to mix it up.
What are the health benefits of granola for dogs? Can you make homemade granola for dogs? What about granola bars? Can dogs eat them? If you’re looking for the answers to all these questions, you are in the right place. Read on to find out everything you need to know regarding feeding granola to dogs.
Do dogs like eating granola?
As a pet parent, you must already know that pet dogs want to take a bite of almost everything you eat. Granola is no exception. In fact, with its crunchiness, granola makes a perfect snack for them.
Health benefits of granola for dogs
Take a look at all the nutrients we get from granola.
| Nutrients | Amount |
| Vitamin A | 286 µg |
| Vitamin C | 2.7 mg |
| Iron | 4.04 mg |
| Potassium | 367 mg |
| Calcium | 62 mg |
| Sodium | 185 mg |
| Cholesterol | 1 mg |
| Protein | 0.68 g |
| Sugar | 25.82 g |
| Total Fat | 11.02 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72.40 g |
| Dietary fibers | 6.9 g |
| Calories | 407 kcal |
Serving size: 100 grams
How is granola healthy for your dog? It is healthy because of the presence of these nutrients in it.
Calcium
Calcium is an essential mineral for dogs. It maintains their bone, teeth, and muscle health and improves blood clotting in their bodies.
Potassium
Potassium is essential for a dog’s muscles and plays a vital role in their blood vessel functions. In addition to it, potassium also has a job of regulating the acidity in their body fluids.
Dietary fibers
The functions of dietary fibers in dogs are not much different from ours. Dietary fibers are responsible for maintaining their gastrointestinal system and preventing diseases like colitis, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.
Protein
Protein has three functions in a dog: supporting the immunity system, maintenance, and repair of cells and tissues, and creating antibodies, enzymes, and hormones.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the building blocks of all the other nutrients and are vital for a dog’s health. Dogs also derive energy from these nutrients.
How can granola be harmful to dogs?
While granola has several benefits for dogs, it also contains ingredients that can prove to be harmful to your dog’s health.
Sugar
Dogs have a sweet tooth just like we do. However, the extent of damage sugar can do to a dog’s health is far greater than how it affects us. Although sugar is not outright toxic to dogs, regular sugar intake can lead to diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Sugar is also said to shorten the lifespan of dogs.
Sodium
Sodium tends to make dogs thirsty. Too much of it can lead to dehydration in your pet. Excess sodium intake can also cause sodium ion poisoning, the symptoms of which are vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, high temperature, etc.
Cholesterol
Although cholesterol is not harmful to dogs if they consume it in moderate quantities, too much of it can cause a rare disease called Arteriosclerosis. In this disease, cholesterol is collected in their arteries that can potentially lead to a heart attack.
Fat
Fatty food shouldn’t be made a part of your pet’s regular diet. It leads to weight gain and obesity and makes your dog lethargic.
Calories
Just like fats, too many calories can also lead to weight gain and lethargy. However, dogs are highly active animals and need more calories than we do. Therefore, you should keep it in mind while measuring their calorie consumption.
Other risks
If you use store-bought granola at home, there are other ingredients you should look out for if you want to feed it to your pet.
First and foremost is xylitol; xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol that is used as a sugar replacement in many processed foods. While it does not affect us, it is toxic to dogs.
Other ingredients could be added chemicals and preservatives that might cause harm to your pet friend. These might differ for different granola brands.
Is granola okay to feed puppies?
Granola would make an ideal snack for your little furry friend if it weren’t for its sugar content. If sugar can negatively affect an adult dog’s health, there’s no saying what it could do to a puppy.
Therefore, it is best to wait a few months before exposing them to human foods, including granola. After they are 3-4 months old, you can introduce these to their diet steadily.
Can you feed honey granola to your dog?
Yes, you can. Honey is considered to be safe for the canine breeds when fed in moderation. In fact, it is a healthier alternative to sugar in many cases. With honey in it, granola is not a bad combination for your pet health-wise. However, it is still a sweet treat that is best fed occasionally.
Is it safe to feed your dog peanut butter granola?
Peanut butter is a healthy source of energy for dogs. Thus, granola mixed with peanut butter is not a bad idea. However, different store-bought peanut butter brands contain xylitol as a sweetening agent, which could be lethal to your pet.
If you’re buying it to feed your dog, check the container for any mention of xylitol. Many brands avoid using xylitol; you can buy one of those.
Caution: raisin, nuts, and chocolate granola
Raisin granola is a widely-loved snack. If you’re a lover as well, that’s great. You just need to keep it away from your pet. Raisins cause kidney damage in dogs, so there’s no way you can feed your dog granola with raisins in it. Some dogs have a problem with nuts as well.
If yours doesn’t, you are lucky. But if they do, you have to be careful about it. Chocolates are a threat to dogs due to the presence of methylxanthines.
Are you wondering what the ideal granola flavors for dogs are? The whole grains granola is best for dogs, as it is rich in rolled oats and brown rice.
What about granola bars?
Dogs can eat granola bars occasionally as well. However, you have to be more careful about these than granola because they are more likely to contain something toxic to your dog.
Why would you feed your dog granola bars made for humans when there are multiple dog food brands out there that make granola bars specifically for dogs? The next time you visit your local pet store, make sure you check these out.
Homemade granola for dogs
Do you want to make something that you can share with your pet? Why not make granola? Granola is easy to prepare, needs only a handful of ingredients, and is perfectly healthy for both you and your pet.
You can add more crunch to them for your dog. All you need is rolled oats, 2-3 different kinds of seeds, and some dried fruits (except raisins). Go ahead and give it a try.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is fish healthy for my dog? Fish is rich in vitamin B and omega-three fatty acids, which improve your dog’s immunity, skin health, and blood circulation.
Which rice can I feed my dog? If you are looking from a health perspective, brown rice is more nutritious for your pet. However, if your pet is suffering from diarrhea, white rice is the ideal meal for them.
How much fat does my dog need in a day? Your dog needs about 5.5% of fat in a day on average.
Final takeaway: Can Dogs Eat Granola?
Are you still wondering if dogs can eat granola? Dogs can eat granola as long as all the ingredients added in the snack are safe for their consumption. General ingredients to look out for are raisins, nuts, and chocolate. If you want to feed your pet granola, the plain or whole-grain granola is your best choice. You can also make it at home to feed your dogs.