Many of us would love to pamper our pets on our dog’s birthday, so it is not healthy for dogs to eat cake. Instead, to celebrate, it would be better to put a birthday hat on their head and feed them a dog-friendly cake.
The rest of this article will explain why cake is not beneficial to dogs and what alternatives you can find.
Is Cake Bad For Dogs?
Although those photos of dogs eating cake are cute, allowing dogs to eat cake is not suitable for their health.
If you think about it, too much cake has adverse long-term effects on humans, so it will definitely have adverse effects on your dog.
Dogs should not be fed cake made for humans, even if it is homemade. This is because it can contain many different ingredients that can hurt your dogs, such as chocolate, cinnamon, macadamia nuts, almonds, and cashews. All of these have had reported cases of dogs dying, even in minimal quantities.
What Will Happen If A Dog Eats Cake?
If your dog was able to get its mouth on some cake, it might be okay as long as it was a small quantity. That being said, it’s usually better to avoid them getting any to begin with, especially if it is chocolate cake.
The chocolate cake includes methylxanthines, which are toxic to dogs in minimal quantities.
After a dog has consumed cake, there are several symptoms to look out for, including diarrhea, vomiting blood, bloody stool, difficulty passing stool, seizures, difficulty breathing, appetite difficulty, and inability to wake up. If you find that your pet is showing any of these, you should contact your vet immediately.
Benefits To Cake For Your Dog
There are no benefits to feeding your dog cake.
When humans overeat cake, we can feel sick, and it will harm our health in the long run. The same goes for your dog, just on a grander scale.
Dogs are carnivores and should eat meat to get their nutrition. Although many say that they can eat fruits and vegetables, they are not great for their digestive system since they are very different from humans.
As with many human foods, dogs do not benefit from eating cake. Depending on the kind of cake, your dog’s digestive system can take a hit. Additionally, a cake can cause weight gain, heart disease, and other health problems over time.
If you have family celebrations and find that you want your dog included, there are other ways to do it without impacting their health.
The Downside to Cake for Dogs
There are multiple health problems cake can cause for your dog. Let’s take a look at them.
Dental Health
Consuming sugar-healthy items can severely impact your dog’s oral health. Even brushing their teeth daily can lead to bacterial infections, bad breath, cavities, and rotting teeth.
Although these things aren’t the worst, bacterial infections can seep into the bloodstream and spread like wildfire. Over time, the infection can damage the brain, heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Over time, if bad enough, this can also result in death.
Cake Ingredients
Many cake ingredients are bad for dogs. Although some fruit included in a few cakes can be good for them, many aren’t!
Cakes have been known to include chocolate, grapes, coffee, raisins, vanilla extract, candy, nutmeg, and cinnamon, all of which are bad for your dog’s health.
In addition, a cake can include butter, wheat flour, and other ingredients that are not good for dogs. For example, butter has a high-fat content and should not be given to dogs in large portions, and flour can have gluten, which is not suitable for dogs, either.
Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast are leavening agents that can cause severe gastrointestinal problems for your dog, including seizures, heart problems, and spasms. You may not see this happen immediately, so make sure that you take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.
Due to this, it is best to avoid cake when possible.
Sugar
Many things your dog can and should consume contain sugar. However, sugar in excess can be horrible for your dog’s diet since a dog’s body cannot digest sugar well.
Short term, the amount of sugar in a cake will overload their digestive system, which will make them feel nauseous and sick. You may even find that they show signs of this intolerance since it is not uncommon for dogs to vomit or experience diarrhea after eating large amounts of sugar.
In the long run, allowing your dog to eat something with a high sugar content can have horrible effects. It can lead to arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.
This will also have a negative impact on their dental health, as described above.
Sugar-Free Cakes
Although you may think that sugar-free cake is the solution, it’s not! Although it does not have all the added sugars that can be horrible for your dog’s health, the replacement sugar is even worse.
Xylitol, a natural sugar substitute used to replace sugar in many foods, has become popular as a low-calorie alternative. Unfortunately, this is toxic to dogs and can cause serious medical issues even in small amounts.
Xylitol can stimulate insulin release in your dog, which will cause a rapid drop in their blood sugar or hypoglycemia. This will result in your dog lacking coordination, slipping into a coma, suffering from seizures, feeling weak, or in extreme cases, dying.
Weight Gain and Obesity
The cake is loaded with sugar, not only in the cake icing but in the cake itself, too! Because of this, it is not healthy for your dog to eat as it will lead to obesity.
Obesity, in the long run, will lead to other complications for your dog, including diabetes and arthritis.
Gluten
Cake made with a flour mixture often includes gluten. Most pets, both dogs and cats, have difficulty digesting gluten. That being said, eating large portions of it can have adverse side effects on their digestive systems. In addition, too much gluten can be dangerous for your dog to consume.
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What To Do If Your Dog Eats Cake
If you are wondering, “can dogs eat cake?” there is a significant chance that your dog has already gotten their mouth on some. When it comes to what to do if your dog ate cake, it depends on what kind of cake they have eaten and how much.
At worst, the cake is extra calories for your dog. It can trigger indigestion and allergies but should not be horrible for them long-term.
But at worst, the cake can have a negative impact on your dog. If your dog has eaten cake, you should watch out for diarrhea, bloody stool, lack of appetite, and vomiting.
Alternatives to Cake For Your Dog
If you wonder if dogs eat cake and want to find a birthday cake alternative for your dog, there are a couple of different solutions for you.
Rather than give a dog a sweet cake full of cake icing, sugar, flour, and butter, dog owners should consider making their dogs a meat cake. Although it may sound a little strange, dogs will love it, and it will be a healthy food alternative.
Look out for unique cake recipes made with all-natural ingredients for your dog. These will have health benefits since many are made with wonderful ingredients for your dog and will not cause any health issues.
Dogs can eat meat cakes, which most dogs will love. However, avoid feeding your dogs cake and treats considered human food, as they are not suitable for them.
Here is one dog-friendly cake recipe that uses peanut butter and applesauce:
For the cake:
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup applesauce- plain and unsweetened- it is important not to get a variety that includes sugar and cinnamon
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree- make sure it is only pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix. There should be no sugar or cinnamon.
- 1 eggs
For the cake icing:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4th cup natural peanut butter
Instructions for cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Combine flour and baking soda in a large bowl
- Mix together vegetable oil, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and applesauce in a separate large bowl. Once that is combined, mix in the egg.
- Combine both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients
- Pour mixture into an 8 inch round pan, greased well with oil.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cooling on a wire rack before removing from pan.
- Add frosting if desired.
Instructions for icing:
- Mix peanut butter and greek yogurt until well combined. Spread on cake, and store in the fridge
Here is one healthy dog safe cake recipe that uses meat for your dog’s next birthday cake:
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 pound minced chicken breast
- 4 snap peas, minced
- 1/2 cup carrot, minced
- 2 egg whites
For the Tofu Cream:
- 5 ounces of silken tofu
For the Pumpkin Paste:
- 5 boiled pumpkins
- 1/4th cup water
For the Toppings:
- 1 snap pea
- 1 quail egg
- 1/2 tomato
- 1 teaspoon ground chicken, cooked
Instructions for cake:
- Slowly add minced chicken, carrots, peas, and egg whites in a mixing bowl, stir to combine.
- Add circle mold to frying pan, and add chicken mixture. Add some water to the pan to keep chicken from sticking
- Place on medium heat and cook for five minutes on one side, flip, and cook on low heat for 25 minutes. Remove and move to serving plate.
Instructions for Tofu Cream:
- Strain tofu through colander and into a mixing bowl. Set aside
Instructions for Pumpkin Paste:
- Mash cooked pumpkin with water until a paste forms
- Transfer to a pastry bag
Toppings:
Spread silken tofu on chicken cakes, and decorate with pumpkin paste and toppings! Then, let your dog eat it!
Final Thoughts- Can Dogs Eat Cake?
Pet owners should avoid giving their pets cake and treats not meant for dogs, as human food and certain ingredients can be dangerous and toxic for them in large quantities.
It is okay to want to treat your pup to a great birthday treat. If they get their mouths on a bite of cake, it likely will not be an issue in the long term. However, if your dog gets ahold of a large quantity, you may want to call your vet.
Puppies should not be given a sugary cake for any reason.
If your pup consumes chocolate treats or other food that contains toxic ingredients, such as baking powder, you must call your vet right away.
Allowing your dogs to eat cake is not good for their diet. Avoid giving your dog cake by looking up recipes for meat cakes that are safe for dogs.