 The Short Answer is:
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Cinnamon rolls combine fat and sugar in such high amounts that it would be hard to find any other snack that does the same. Nevertheless I think you can share a bite or two of these rolls with your dog under two conditions. The first thing to remember is don’t do it regularly. Secondly just because your dog can eat a basic cinnamon roll does not mean you can give him the toppings. |
The purpose of this research is to explain “Can Dogs Eat Cinnamon Rolls?“.
As a cinnamon lover there is nothing more decadent naughty or just plain unhealthy than cinnamon rolls.
I find it difficult to keep walking past a stand that sells them when I am out shopping.
Those delicious smells almost make me want to eat them.”
It seems I’m not the only one experiencing this.
In 2020 cinnamon rolls were by far the most popular breakfast pastry in America.
Cinnamon rolls are the favorite food of nearly 68 million Americans.
Aside from my melodrama are cinnamon rolls really food that any dog owner in their right mind would consider feeding to their dog?
What do you think? Lets find out shall we?
Can dogs have cinnamon rolls?
Cinnamon rolls combine fat and sugar in such high amounts that it would be hard to find any other snack that does the same.
Nevertheless I think you can share a bite or two of these rolls with your dog under two conditions.
The first thing to remember is do not do it regularly.
Secondly just because your dog can eat a basic cinnamon roll does not mean you can give him the toppings.
Later I will elaborate on that.
They may be unhealthy treats for your dog but they are not poisonous.
Therefore please share with care.
What are the ingredients in cinnamon rolls?
I’m going to look at the six main ingredients in a popular cinnamon roll.
Here they are:
Enriched wheat flour
Water
Sugar
Palm and soybean oil
Dextrose
Wheat starch
Cinnamon rolls without cinnamon?
Not quite.
Cinnamon is part of the recipe but it is nowhere near the top of the ingredient list since it makes up less than 2% of the total ingredients.
I will briefly discuss each one and how it might affect our dogs.
Enriched wheat flour
The word enriched should not scare you.
In this case the flour used in the recipe has been fortified with vitamins.
Usually with B vitamins and iron.
In a sense flour is a must-have ingredient.
The vitamins and iron would not harm your dog and it is viewed as a bit of a boost.
The main function of these vitamins is to support your dogs metabolism-how efficiently food is converted into energy.
And iron?
Red blood cells transport oxygen around the dogs body because iron helps keep them healthy.
Wouldnot you agree that this is fundamental stuff?
On the list are two types of sugar. I will discuss them in the next section.
I will not be discussing water because I think that would be redundant.
Sugar and dextrose
Approximately 25% of each cinnamon roll consists of sugar or dextrose in the recipe I’m referring to.
Although this is a lot of sugar your dog would not get poisoned by it.
So if your dog eats their way through several cinnamon rolls it may be at risk of sugar poisoning.
The assumption I’m making is that they have had a bite or two.
Although it isnot poisonous cinnamon rolls are very unhealthy especially if they are eaten almost every day.
Adding too much sugar to your dogs diet can add pounds to their waistline and can lead to tooth decay.
Palm and soybean oil
Even though these types of oil are not toxic to your dog oil should not be considered part of a healthy diet.
Wheat starch
In this recipe both the flour and the starch come from wheat.
Many different foods use starch to help with the shape and consistency of the product.
In addition it is neither poisonous nor healthy.
We have covered all the bases as far as a basic cinnamon roll is concerned but part of what makes these rolls irresistible is the variety of toppings that can be applied to them.
I will now examine how dog-friendly the most popular toppings are in the next section…
Are cinnamon roll toppings dog friendly?
You will not be surprised to learn how many toppings are available for the nations favorite pastry.
I chose four of the most popular toppings in my selection below.
Frosting and glazes
Frostings and glazes are made with ingredients such as sugar butter vanilla and milk or cream
Even cream cheese can be substituted for vanilla in some recipes.
Although none of these ingredients are toxic to dogs can you see how the sugar content just skyrockets? As a result how many calories do they add?
In addition I need to clarify what I said about none of the ingredients being toxic.
If you use glazing that contains vanilla essence it contains a great deal of alcohol which is poisonous to dogs.
Although the recipe itself uses a very small amount your dog will not be harmed by it.
Nuts
Nuts are not toxic to dogs but are full of fat which again adds to their calorie count.
However they do not contain any sugar right?
Nuts are good that dogs can sometimes come on or get stuck in their teeth if they are unlucky or overexcited.
Do you know how much fun it is to retrieve something or put something in your dogs mouth?
I plan on topping the bun with a savory topping next.
Bacon
As the cinnamon butts up against the bacons salt this is the classic sweet and salty combo.
In addition to being popular with dog owners research has shown that your dog will also be able to taste the difference.
Although bacon isnot toxic to dogs it is high in fat and salt.
With so many sweet and stodgy ingredients are we starting to feel sick yet?
We’re down to one topping left…
Chocolate
Many of these ingredients have been borderline.
Taking a less tolerant approach I would have said “do not feed this to your dog” as soon as an unhealthy ingredient appeared.
However I think thats unrealistic.
Many of us share our food with our dogs and we know that some of the food we share is unhealthy and naughty.
Chocolate is a completely different kettle of fish.
There is a known poison in this topping that is toxic to dogs so make sure to not share it with your pets.
Dogs are poisoned by all chocolate but dark chocolate is far more dangerous than milk chocolate.
The most popular type of chocolate topping on cinnamon rolls appears to be dark chocolate so it is even more important to not cross the line.
Can dogs eat cinnamon?
In terms of healthy eating guidelines eating cinnamon is a train wreck.
Its ironic that dogs can eat cinnamon in small quantities but cinnamon is in such small quantities in cinnamon buns.
The health benefits of cinnamon have been known for thousands of years.
It is known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. It may also help regulate blood pressure.
It might be a good idea to use this natural remedy to support your dogs health if you enjoy natural remedies.
It is a spice and if you eat or breathe in too much cinnamon your life will be uncomfortable for a few minutes.
The mouth of your dog will be on fire if they eat too much cinnamon and if they accidentally breathe some their eyes will start to water.
In the following section I will explain why cinnamon can be dangerous to dogs and how it is often used in conjunction with other spices in baking.
Can dogs eat nutmeg?
Here the simple answer is “no”.
Nutmeg is poisonous to dogs because it contains a chemical that can seriously harm them.
Myristicin one of the chemicals in nutmeg is a hallucinogen.
Although dogs would need to eat a whole nutmeg seed to begin to hallucinate one can only imagine what this would be like.
Physical systems also include an increased heart rate in addition to the crap they’d be experiencing inside their heads.
Dog-friendly cinnamon rolls
Making cinnamon rolls for your dog is a great idea if you have the time and the passion.
This is the best way to show your dog how much you care for him!
Additionally they are far healthier than shop-bought ones.
You might be interested in watching this video if you found this interesting.
Five ingredients are needed- wholewheat flour baking powder a little salt oil eggs and water.
Five ingredients? Did I say that? What I meant was six.
If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.
