I love Pesto because it turns a dish into a proper meal. Like, Pesto turns pasta into delicious food for humans. Not every human food is good for dogs.
No matter how tempting it may become, Pesto is not meant for your four-legged friends. Pesto is clearly a bad choice for dogs. Being a dog owner, I do not share Pesto with my dog.
Pesto pasta sauce is not safe for dogs. Do not worry. We have shared detailed information about ‘Can dogs eat pesto?’
Can dogs eat Pesto?
The short answer is: “No.” You should not share Pesto with your doggy. While you may want to share your pasta with your four-legged buddy, Pesto is not safe for your Fido.
I do not feed leftover pasta to my dog. It may contain Pesto for dogs. You should avoid feeding leftover pasta to your dog. You can feed a human pesto but not a dog. Feeding your dog pesto is probably a bad idea.
We like pasta, but I cannot share it with our dogs because it contains a high-fat content along with a high salt content. Pesto pasta is a delicious human food. It is not a good idea to feed fatty foods to your canine buddies. Too much salt can lead to Hypernatremia in dogs.
The high salt content in pesto-containing foods, such as pasta, can potentially lead to symptoms like excessive thirst or dehydration in dogs. Read the article below to know all about ‘Can dogs eat pesto?’
What Is Pesto?
Pesto is a special sauce that contains crushed garlic. Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy. People in Italy use the word “Pestare.” Pestare is an Italian word that means “to crush.” So, traditional Italian Pesto is prepared by crushing ingredients in a mortar and pestle.
Pesto has a rich history. Roman people enjoyed Pesto as much as modern Italians. They prepared Pesto by crushing walnuts, garlic, and other herbs in a mortar and pestle.
What’s so special about Pesto for humans? Well, Pesto comes in various types. You can find European pine nuts-containing pesto in your supermarket.
Some people prepare the Pesto by adding basil leaves to the crushed garlic and olive oil. It is not uncommon for Pesto to contain Pecorino Sardo or Parmigiano-Reggiano. I mean, people add hard cheese to Pesto.
So, what makes Pesto a pesto? Let us list down the common ingredients of Pesto:
Other varieties of Pesto may contain sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, or kale. Now, let us tell you all about ‘Can dogs eat pesto?’
Is Pesto Safe for Dogs?
No, serving pesto-containing foods to your canine buddies is a bad idea. Dogs cannot digest Pesto as humans do. Traditional Pesto contains harmful ingredients for your four-legged friends.
For example, traditional Pesto contains crushed garlic, which is considered toxic to dogs. While your leftover pasta may not contain a high amount of Pesto, it is not safe to feed even a small amount of crushed garlic to your dogs.
Crushed garlic can lead to upset stomachs and even death in dogs. You do not want to harm your dogs by making them eat pesto-containing foods such as pasta.
Pesto recipes can vary, but even modern Pesto can contain some form of nuts. Nuts are not safe for dogs. At the very least, Pesto can cause severe digestion problems in dogs. We advise against feeding Pesto to your dogs.
Why Is Pesto Bad for Dogs?
Pesto contains toxic ingredients for your canine buddies. Traditional Pesto contains crushed garlic, olive oil, basil leaves, and pine nuts. Let us discuss the effect of pesto ingredients on dogs’ health.
Garlic in Pesto is toxic to dogs. Dogs cannot tolerate even traces of garlic in their foods. Garlic toxicity is a serious problem for dogs. Smart dog owners do not think about feeding crushed garlic to their dogs.
Fresh basil leaves can lead to stomach pain and diarrhea in your canine buddies. While fresh basil leaves are considered dangerous for your puppies, a small number of crushed basil leaves can provide some health benefits to your canine buddies.
Hard cheese may not be deemed toxic to dogs, but it usually contains a high fat and salt content for your four-legged friends. Pesto can contain Parmesan cheese. Dogs can suffer from heart problems, obesity, dehydration, and Hypernatremia after having too much fat and salt-rich foods regularly.
Nuts are generally not considered safe for dogs. Crushed pine nuts can provide too much fat and phosphorous to your dogs. Pine nuts can lead to pancreatitis, gastrointestinal upset, urinary tract infection, weight gain, and obesity in dogs. In other words, crushed pine nuts in Pesto can adversely affect your dog’s heart and kidneys.
Only olive oil in Pesto is considered good for dogs. However, you cannot just feed Pesto to your dogs because it contains olive oil. It is not necessary to feed Pesto to dogs. Dogs can have health benefits associated with olive oil through other means.
On the other hand, olive oil or sunflower oil in Pesto can provide too much fat to your dogs. Too many fats are not good for your dog’s health.
Simply put, feeding Pesto to your dogs creates several dog health risks. Your dogs can fall sick or even die after having Pesto in their diet.
Is Pesto life-threatening to dogs?
The short answer is “Yes.” As mentioned above, traditional Pesto contains ingredients that are considered toxic to dogs. People have been preparing Pesto by crushing garlic for centuries. Traces of garlic can be toxic to dogs.
Modern Pesto can contain Macadamia nuts and Walnuts. Both are dangerous for your canine buddy. Dogs can suffer from Ataxia, Hyperthermia, and depression after having Macadamia nuts and Walnuts in their diet.
What Ingredients in Pesto Are Dangerous for Dogs?
Pesto can be prepared by adding or replacing different ingredients to the traditional pesto recipe. Sadly, common ingredients in both traditional and modern pesto recipes are deemed toxic to dogs.
Traditional Pesto contains crushed garlic, while modern Pesto can contain crushed onion. Onion and garlic are allium foods. Garlic poisoning caused by Pesto can lead to Anemia in dogs. Both onions and garlic are deemed toxic to dogs.
Modern Pesto may contain sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes can contain Sulfur Dioxide for dogs. You do not want to feed your foods that contain sun-dried tomatoes to your dogs.
Crushed basil leaves in Pesto can adversely affect digestion in dogs. You do not want your dog to suffer from stomach aches after having crushed basil leaves.
Grated hard cheese used to prepare Pesto can provide too much fat to your dogs. Fatty foods can lead to weight gain and obesity in dogs. Dogs can suffer from heart problems after eating fat-rich foods. In other words, hard cheese in Pesto can lead to problems like weight gain, obesity, and diarrhea in dogs.
The traditional pesto recipe contains pine nuts, while the modern pesto recipe may contain macadamia nuts or walnuts. Anyway, nuts in Pesto can adversely affect your dog’s digestion. Your dogs can have stomach pain, vomiting, or even pancreatitis after having Pesto in dog food.
Traditional Pesto contains olive oil, while modern Pesto may contain some other form of edible oil, such as sunflower oil. Oil in Pesto carries fats for dogs. That’s why you should avoid feeding Pesto to your dogs.
What Ingredients in Pesto Are Good for Dogs?
Unfortunately, all ingredients in Pesto are not considered good for dogs. Basil leaves may provide some health benefits to dogs. But dogs do not need basil leaves in Pesto to remain healthy. On the other hand, basil leaves, in excess, can be harmful to your dog’s digestion.
Traditional Pesto can contain olive oil. Olive oil is considered good for dogs, but adding olive oil to a fat-rich food can become dangerous to dogs. Pesto is a fatty sauce, and olive oil does not make it good for dogs.
What Should I Do If My Dog Ate Pesto?
It is a tricky question. Pesto can be prepared in a traditional way or a modern way. Try to know whether your dog ate traditional Pesto or modern Pesto. Traditional Pesto contains garlic that can cause garlic poisoning in dogs.
Your dog can go through an anemic episode after eating garlic-rich traditional Pesto. You should consult your vet immediately if your dog eats traditional Pesto.
Modern Pesto can contain onion or sundried tomatoes. Some dogs are more prone to onion poisoning after having a small amount of Pesto in their diet. Akita and Shiba Inu should not have even a small amount of modern Pesto in their diet.
Small amounts of Pesto can easily cause diabetes in Boxers. So, you have to immediately consult your nearest veterinarian if your dog eats Pesto without your permission.
Potential risks of feeding Pesto to dogs?
Pesto can potentially lead to the following problems in dogs:
How to identify if my dog ate Pesto?
Check your dog’s mouth, and you may find pieces of pasta or Pesto around his mouth. After eating Pesto, your dog may exhibit garlic, onion, and sun-dried tomato poisoning symptoms.
Dogs can have an allergic reaction after eating any human food. Vets can help diagnose garlic, onion, and tomato poisoning.
You should consult your vet if your dog exhibits the following symptoms:
It is best to avoid Pesto for dogs. You cannot feed pesto chicken to your dogs. You should immediately consult your vet in case your dog eats Pesto without your permission.
How to Prepare Dog-Friendly Pesto?
Pesto for dogs or dog-safe Pesto does not mean preparing traditional Pesto for dogs. You can prepare any dog-safe puree as a pesto for dogs.
You can prepare dog-friendly Pesto at your home. Just remember that Romans used traditional mortar and pestle to prepare the Pesto. You can use modern machines to prepare dog-friendly Pesto.
Your homemade Pesto should not contain garlic, onion, sun-dried tomato sauce, and nuts in any form. You can use dog-safe herbs to prepare the Pesto. You can add a little olive oil to your homemade dog-safe Pesto.
However, too much olive oil is not good for your puppy. So you should control the amount of olive oil you add to your puree for dogs. I do not let my dogs eat Pesto.
Best Alternatives for Pesto
You can replace Pesto with plain yogurt or Greek yogurt for dogs. Greek yogurt provides healthy nutrients to your dogs. Unlike Pesto, Greek yogurt does not contain toxic substances for your dogs.
You can replace Pesto with applesauce for dogs. Applesauce contains water, apples, and honey. It is a nutrient-rich sauce for your doggy.
Peanut butter can replace pesto sauce for dogs. Dogs love peanut butter, and it provides several health benefits to your Fido
How to identify if my dog ate Pesto?
Check your dog’s mouth, and you may find pieces of pasta or Pesto around his mouth. After eating Pesto, your dog may exhibit garlic, onion, and sun-dried tomato poisoning symptoms.
Dogs can have an allergic reaction after eating any human food. Vets can help diagnose garlic, onion, and tomato poisoning.
You should consult your vet if your dog exhibits the following symptoms:
It is best to avoid Pesto for dogs. You cannot feed pesto chicken to your dogs. You should immediately consult your vet in case your dog eats Pesto without your permission.
How to Prepare Dog-Friendly Pesto?
Pesto for dogs or dog-safe Pesto does not mean preparing traditional Pesto for dogs. You can prepare any dog-safe puree as a pesto for dogs.
You can prepare dog-friendly Pesto at your home. Just remember that Romans used traditional mortar and pestle to prepare the Pesto. You can use modern machines to prepare dog-friendly Pesto.
Your homemade Pesto should not contain garlic, onion, sun-dried tomato sauce, and nuts in any form. You can use dog-safe herbs to prepare the Pesto. You can add a little olive oil to your homemade dog-safe Pesto.
However, too much olive oil is not good for your puppy. So you should control the amount of olive oil you add to your puree for dogs. I do not let my dogs eat Pesto.
Best Alternatives for Pesto
You can replace Pesto with plain yogurt or Greek yogurt for dogs. Greek yogurt provides healthy nutrients to your dogs. Unlike Pesto, Greek yogurt does not contain toxic substances for your dogs.
You can replace Pesto with applesauce for dogs. Applesauce contains water, apples, and honey. It is a nutrient-rich sauce for your doggy.
Peanut butter can replace pesto sauce for dogs. Dogs love peanut butter, and it provides several health benefits to your Fido.
Final Thought | Can Dogs Eat Pesto?
Can dogs eat Pesto sauce? Is Pesto ok for dogs?
Unfortunately, Pesto is not meant for dogs. People have been preparing Pesto for centuries. Pesto makes your food delicious. But traditional Pesto contains several harmful ingredients for your dogs.
Even though the modern food processor has replaced mortar and pestle, modern pesto recipes are as much dangerous as traditional Pesto. Your dog can suffer from a lot of pain after having Pesto in his diet. Feeding Pesto to your dogs is a bad idea.
You can replace Pesto with other dog-friendly foods. Some people prepare dog-safe Pesto at home. However, we do not recommend preparing Pesto for dogs. Even if you want to prepare Pesto for dogs, it cannot be a puree but not a pesto.
