Can Dogs Eat Oreos?

The Short Answer is:

Dogs shouldn’t eat Oreos. They contain chocolate, which is poisonous to dogs. Despite the fact that Oreos don’t contain enough chocolate to cause chocolate poisoning in dogs, you should avoid feeding your pets any food containing even a small amount of toxic ingredients.

In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Oreos?“.

Theres probably an Oreo cookie sitting on the kitchen counter or the dining room table and your dog just ate one. What will happen? Could dogs be poisoned by the chocolate in Oreos? We will examine in detail whether dogs can consume these sweet cookies in this article. First lets get straight to the point.    

Can dogs eat Oreos?

They should not eat Oreos. They contain chocolate which is poisonous to dogs. Despite the fact that Oreos do not contain enough chocolate to cause chocolate poisoning in dogs you should avoid feeding your pets any food containing even a small amount of toxic ingredients. Furthermore Oreos have a high sugar content which can cause diabetes in dogs.

Can dogs have Oreos?

Oreos should not be given to dogs. We need to look at what Oreos are and what their ingredients are in order to understand why dogs should avoid Oreos at all costs.

What are Oreos?

For more than a century Oreos or Oreo cookies have been Americas favorite cookie snack. Despite the fact that Oreos pair well with cold milk many enjoy eating them as they are because they are delicious and crunchy. 

A cookie sandwich made of two chocolate wafers is called an Oreo. In between the wafers there is a white creme filling that is very sweet. 

The two wafers of the Oreo cookies are not always chocolate. Choosing Golden Oreos means you get two vanilla wafers with a classic Oreo white cream filling between them.

What are Oreos made of?

Its important to take a look at the ingredients of Oreos before you feed them to your canine friends. You should do the same with any food you intend to give your pooch. We’ll take a look at Oreos’ ingredients to see if they’re safe for dogs to eat. 

Ingredients in Oreos

• The following ingredients are present in unbleached enriched flour: wheat flour niacin reduced iron thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1) riboflavin (vitamin B2) and folic acid.
• Sugar.
• Canola or palm oil.
• Cocoa (processed with alkali).
• Corn syrup (high fructose).
• Leavening: Baking soda and/or calcium phosphate. 
• Cornstarch.
• Salt.
• Soy lecithin.
• Vanillin – an artificial flavor.
• Chocolate.

Are Oreos bad for dogs?

Oreos are bad for dogs and dog owners should not give them as treats to their canine companions.

Check out the nutritional profile of one Oreo cookie and then look at each of the ingredients in Oreos.

Nutritional Profile of Oreos (1 cookie or 11.3 grams)

Taking a look at the ingredients in Oreos we can see that there are a few ingredients that are harmful to dogs. 

Find out why you should not give your dog Oreos.

Unbleached enriched flour in Oreos is unnecessary in your dog’s diet

Oreos are not healthy for dogs because they are made with unbleached enriched flour. Whole wheat flour is a better choice. 

It is important to ensure that your dogs are not allergic to wheat or gluten products. If they are you should avoid giving them Oreos. 

Instead of using wheat flour you can use amaranth flour if you want to make dog treats. Both amaranth and gluten are not grains. The food is packed with protein and dietary minerals which are extremely beneficial to your dogs health.

Too much sugar in Oreos is harmful to your dog’s health

Sugar is present in 4.7 grams in one Oreo cookie! All that sugar is not good for our canine friends. Our dogs generally do not need sugar found in candies or sweets or human food like Oreos.  

As a result their bodies should naturally receive sugar from the carbohydrates in their dog food. As dogs eat their regular meals the carbohydrates from their food are broken down into glucose or sugar and their bodies use that sugar to function.   

When you give your dog just one Oreo cookie that means they’re overdosing on sugar by 4.7 grams. Thats 4.7 grams too much sugar for your pooch.  

A dogs health can be negatively impacted by excessive sugar consumption. 

As a first step your furry friends may have an upset stomach since too much sugar can disrupt the microorganism balance in their gut which is necessary to digest food. You may see your K9 friends vomit or have bloody and explosive diarrhea as a result. 

In addition dogs also suffer from dental problems like us. Whenever dogs eat sugary food the sugar gets stuck on their teeth. This causes the bacteria in their mouths to produce acids. The acid will then destroy the enamel the outer layer of their teeth. Cavities and tooth decay can result.     

In addition excessive sugar consumption can lead to weight gain in dogs. Sugar contains no nutritional value other than to increase your dogs calories. This is why sugar is known as empty calories.

Consuming too much sugar can cause your pet to become obese which can lead to health issues such as joint problems heart disease lethargy and breathing difficulties. Approximately one in four dogs are obese according to Banfield Pet Hospital. 

The metabolism of your dog is disrupted by eating too much sugar. Changes in the dogs metabolism affect the levels of hormones in his body. Due to this your pup may start to store fat lose muscle tone and become weak.

Finally your canine companions will develop diabetes type II and may even develop pancreatitis. 

High fructose corn syrup in Oreos is sugar that dogs don’t need

We can see that dogs do not need sugar in their daily diet and owners should not feed sugar to their dogs. Oreos are harmful to four-legged friends because high fructose corn syrup is also sugar.

Palm and canola oil in Oreos is not the best type of oil for dogs

Both palm and canola oils are used by Oreos. Be cautious of commercial foods that contain palm oil such as Oreos. Even though palm oil in its pure form is fine for dog consumption it can often be contaminated with other toxins as well as fuel waste and in solid form this oil can be toxic to dogs. 

While canola oil isnot toxic to dogs its not the healthiest oil to use on them. In addition canola oil contains no natural fats. 

Dogs should use the following oils: 

• Olive oil.
• Fish oil.
• Flaxseed oil.
• Sunflower oil.
• Coconut oil.

Cocoa processed with alkali in Oreos isn’t as healthy as regular cocoa powder

Cocoa powder and chocolate should not be given to dogs. Its best not to give your canine pals Oreos since they contain cocoa.  

Others argue that Oreos do not contain enough chocolate or cocoa to make them dangerous for our pets. You should still err on the side of caution and avoid feeding your pooch any food containing cocoa or chocolate. 

Alkali is used to process the cocoa in Oreos. Due to this some of the good chemical substances found in regular cocoa powder have been removed making cocoa processed with alkali unhealthy and another reason why you should avoid feeding your dog Oreos.

It is best to stick to regular cocoa powder since it contains a chemical substance that provides cardiovascular health benefits. Avoid cocoa that is processed with alkali which does not provide any health benefits.

Chocolate in Oreos is extremely toxic to dogs

Oreos contain chocolate so its best not to feed them to your furry family members. However do Oreos contain real chocolate? Chocolate is present in Oreos as well as a significant amount of cocoa which is the main ingredient for making chocolate.  

There is hardly enough chocolate in Oreos to cause harm to dogs but if you want to avoid a massive vet bill or the headache that comes with your dog getting chocolate poisoning you should simply keep chocolate away from your pooch.  

We strongly recommend that you do not give your four-legged friends food that contains chocolate – even if it contains a very small amount. 

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine that is dangerous to dogs. While we have no problem digesting theobromine our furry friends do not. Dogs have difficulty digesting theobromine. 

If your dog eats too many Oreos or too much chocolate it may experience the following symptoms of chocolate poisoning.  

• Diarrhea that is bloody loose or explosive.
• Vomiting. 
• Excessive thirst leads to frequent urination. 
• Restlessness.
• Panting or heavy breathing.
• Muscle spasms. 
• Increase heart rate.
• Seizure (in severe cases).  
• Death (in severe cases).

Is it possible for dogs to die if they eat Oreos? Yes dogs can die if they eat Oreos. If you suspect your pooch has eaten chocolate it can be deadly and it may result in death. 

Immediately contact your vet if your pooch consumes any chocolate-containing food and take him to the veterinary hospital as soon as possible.

Do Oreos have chocolate?

Indeed Oreos contain chocolate as we can see. Cocoa processed with alkali and chocolate both makeup Oreos. 

So are Oreos chocolate?

The classic Oreo does contain chocolate. Do Oreo cookies contain chocolate? Oreo cookies are made with chocolate wafers making them chocolate cookies. 

If you choose other Oreos varieties such as Golden Oreos those do not contain chocolate.  

How much chocolate is in an Oreo?

If you wonder “How much chocolate does an Oreo cookie have?” Heres what you need to know: 

• A single Oreo cookie contains 2.4 mg/oz of theobromine. 

Oreos do contain caffeine so yes they do. After consuming 450 mg of methylxanthine per pound a healthy 50-pound dog may start to show symptoms. 

What is the caffeine content in Oreos and how much caffeine is there? Caffeine is also present in Oreo cookies at .85 mg/oz.

Too much salt consumption can cause sodium poisoning in dogs

The sodium content of one Oreo cookie is 45 mg. Our furry friends consider this a lot of salt even though it does not seem like much to us. For every 100 grams of food our furry friends should only get about 0.25 to 1.5 grams of salt.  

Sodium-ion poisoning may result from excessive sodium consumption. The following signs may be present: 

• Frequent urination is a sign of extreme thirst. 
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Loss of appetite. 
• Lack of coordination.
• Confusion.
• Convulsions.
• Muscle tremors.
• Body weakness.
• Muscle weakness.
• Lethargy. 
• Seizures (in severe cases).
• Coma (in severe cases). 
• Death (in severe cases).

Vanillin in Oreos is an artificial flavor that is not healthy for dogs

Oreos use a flavoring called vanillin for their artificial vanilla flavor. vanillin is a chemical compound found in vanilla bean extract. In sweet foods such as Oreos and other sweet cookies its used as a flavoring agent. 

Oreos however contain synthetic vanillin which means that it has been synthesized. The majority of vanillin used in foods today does not come from vanilla beans. 

Thus you should avoid feeding your dog Oreos if they contain vanillin an artificial flavor. 

Are Oreos safe for dogs?

It is not safe for dogs to eat Oreos. In light of the ingredients its best to keep Oreos away from our canine friends.

Are Oreos poisonous to dogs?

It is true that Oreos are poisonous to dogs. Oreos are made from chocolate cocoa that has been alkalized and vanillin which is artificially flavored. Furthermore Oreos are high in sodium sugar and carbohydrates all of which are harmful to our canine friends. 

Therefore dogs should not be allowed near Oreos. 

There is no such thing as a dog that is exactly the same. There are dogs that react negatively to the taste of one Oreo cookie while there are dogs that do not react at all.

Can dogs eat Golden Oreos?

Golden Oreos should not be eaten by dogs. The golden Oreo is also known as the vanilla Oreo or the white Oreo. No matter what name you call them they are not healthy for our canine friends. 

Do Golden Oreos contain chocolate? Is there chocolate in Golden Oreos?” No Golden Oreos do not contain chocolate.  

Golden Oreos contain the following ingredients: 

• Enriched unbleached flour: wheat flour niacin reduced iron thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1) riboflavin (vitamin B2) folic acid.
• Sugar.
• Canola and/or palm oil.
• High fructose corn syrup.
• Salt.
• Baking soda.
• Soy lecithin.
• Artificial flavor.
• Natural flavor. 

Golden Oreos are much safer for dogs to eat than the regular classic Oreos but its still a good idea to avoid giving them Golden Oreos.

My dog ate an Oreo what do I do?

Your dog should be fine after eating one Oreo cookie. You should contact your veterinarian right away if your pet consumes large quantities of Oreos. In the case of severe cases eating more than one Oreo cookie can cause your dog to have an upset stomach or develop chocolate toxicity.

Too many Oreo cookies can cause dogs to develop painful health problems such as pancreatitis due to their high sugar fat and carb content.  

Can dogs eat Oreo ice cream?

Oreo ice cream should not be eaten by dogs. In our article we have established that dogs should not eat Oreos. No matter what flavor ice cream you choose dogs should not eat it either. It is a sweet treat that is not healthy for our furry friends. 

Therefore dogs should not eat ice cream either. It is possible for dogs to become obese and diabetic from ice creams high sugar content. Dairy products such as ice cream can cause symptoms such as vomiting diarrhea and upset stomach in dogs who are lactose intolerant.

So can dogs eat Oreos?

I hope this article helped answer your question on whether dogs can eat Oreo cookies. In lieu of Oreos you can give your canine friends a variety of healthy dog snacks and treats. 

Oreos should not be given to pets as these sweet cookies contain ingredients that are harmful if not toxic to dogs such as cocoa processed with alkali and chocolate. 

Additionally Oreo cookies are high in sugar fats salt and carbohydrates. Even if your furry pooch begs you with sad puppy eyes try not to share Oreos with him.

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.