You are here probably because you love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. People eat pita bread with various dips in the Middle Eastern region, so why not dogs?
Good news! Dogs can eat pita bread. You must give it in moderation to your dogs. Smart dog owners know all about: ‘Can dogs eat pita bread?’ Some people use wheat flour to prepare pita bread for dogs.
Raw wheat flour can be harmful to dogs. There is a difference between raw wheat flour and pita bread for dogs. So do not worry when someone asks, “Can dogs eat pita bread?”
Pita bread is a good source of vitamins and nutrients for your dogs. You will find Niacin, Magnesium, Selenium, and Iron in your pita bread for dogs.
Can dogs eat pita bread?
Yes, in moderation. Pita bread can be a highly nutritious dog treat. You will find pita bread almost all over the world. While we know that pita bread can be healthy and nutritious for dogs, you should be careful while feeding pita bread to your dog because excess of anything can be unhealthy!
In some cases, pita bread can be harmful to dogs. We are concerned about pita bread for dogs because of its ingredients.
So, is pita bread bad for dogs? Well, pita bread can contain yeast, flour, garlic, and salt. Smart dog owners know that garlic can be toxic to dogs.
Do not worry. Not all types of pita bread contain garlic. You will find garlic in only a few forms of pita bread. Garlic is not the main ingredient of your pita bread. It means that pita bread is safe for dogs.
What is Pita Bread?
Pita bread is a human food that is made using flour, yeast, and salt. People love pita bread and often ask, ‘Can dogs eat pita bread?’ Pita bread is a highly popular Middle Eastern cuisine that has reached the earth’s far corners.
Pita bread is very similar to flatbread, although it is softer than flatbread. Olives, spices, and garlic can be optional ingredients for your pita bread.
When it comes to pita bread for dogs, Homemade pita bread is safe for dogs as long as it does not contain any of these optional ingredients.
Is pita bread bad or good for dogs?
It is a difficult question as it depends on the type and ingredients of your pita bread for dogs. Dogs can safely eat homemade pita bread as long as it does not contain spices, seasonings, and other optional ingredients.
Some forms of pita bread contain garlic. Know that garlic pita bread is not safe for dogs. Excessive salt, spices, artificial flavorings, and preservatives can be hard on your digestive system.
Your pita bread should be free from any of these harmful optional ingredients. You can serve homemade pita bread to your dogs. But the case can be different for the store-bought artificially flavored pita bread.
Another thing to notice is the fact that most people enjoy pita bread with various kinds of dips and sauces. You should give only plain homemade pita bread to your dogs.
Also Read: Shredded Wheat for Dogs!
Just imagine you are sitting alone enjoying your pita bread with your favorite garlic mayonnaise sauce, and your puppy wants a small piece of your pita bread.
The answer is simple: “A little, bite-sized piece of your plain homemade pita bread is good for dogs. Store-bought artificially flavored pita bread can be bad for dogs.”
Is pita bread safe to eat?
Yes, in moderation. We are excited to tell you that plain homemade pita bread does not contain toxic substances for dogs. You should be careful while feeding your dogs store-bought artificially flavored pita bread.
Pita bread is a human food. Dogs can be allergic to some human foods. Pita bread can be harmful to dogs with food allergies. It is always best to consult your vet before introducing any new food to your dog.
Your vet might suggest feeding a little pita bread and then observing your dog for symptoms of food allergies. Your vet can help diagnose food allergies in your dogs.
Smart dog owners know that pita bread contains salt and do not feed their dogs too much salt. So, can dogs eat pita bread? Luckily, the salt content in your plain homemade pita bread is not likely to make your dog sick as long as you have not added too much.
That’s why we say you should not feed your dogs large amounts of pita bread. Keep reading to know about ‘Can dogs eat pita bread?’
Pita Bread Ingredients
As you know, pita bread is very similar to your regular flatbread. The following are common ingredients of the various types of pita bread:
You can use different types of flour to prepare your pita bread. Generally, people use wheat flour to make pita bread. When it comes to wheat flour, know that it carries too many carbohydrates and dietary fiber for dogs.
Carbohydrates and dietary fiber can be good for dogs. But dogs should not have too many carbohydrates and dietary fiber in their dog treat. In other words, pita bread, in excess, can be harmful to your dogs.
As mentioned above, pita bread is made by using yeast. Know that plain yeast is not safe for dogs. Smart dog owners do not feed raw yeast to their dogs. Can dogs eat pita bread? Pita bread is safe for dogs even if you use yeast to prepare pita bread for dogs.
The following are the optional ingredients of pita bread:
Avoid feeding your dogs any pita bread that contains onion and garlic. Dogs can have onion poisoning and garlic poisoning after eating a small portion of onion/garlic-flavored pita bread.
Artificially flavored pita bread can contain xylitol for dogs. Xylitol is toxic to dogs. Always read the labels before getting pita bread for your dogs.
Your pita bread should not contain raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips. Dogs cannot digest all of these optional ingredients and can kill your dog. Dogs can have pancreatitis after eating macadamia nuts-flavored pita bread.
Problematic Pita Bread Ingredients
While it may seem strange, almost all of the common pita bread ingredients are not safe for dogs in their raw form. We say that a small portion of pita bread is healthy and nutritious for your dog.
So, what about the problematic pita bread ingredients? Pet owners know the difference between raw wheat flour and pita bread for dogs.
If you have prepared pita bread by using wheat flour as the main ingredient, it means that you have prepared a lot of carbohydrates and dietary fiber for your dogs.
Flour in pita bread is also a source of vitamins and minerals for your dogs. While raw yeast is not considered safe for dogs, yeast is one of the main ingredients to prepare pita bread.
Smart dog owners know raw yeast is different from plain homemade pita bread for dogs. That’s why they do not tend to feed their dogs large portions of pita bread.
Another troublesome ingredient is ‘Salt.’ Too much salt can cause salt poisoning in dogs. Dogs can suffer from Hypernatremia after eating too many salty foods. Hypernatremia can threaten your dog’s life.
Salt is one of the main ingredients of pita bread. You may ask again, “Can dogs eat pita bread?” We say that pita bread does not contain too much salt for dogs. Still, you should limit the portion size for your dogs.
Dogs Shouldn’t Eat Salt
As mentioned above, too much salt can cause Hypernatremia in dogs. Hypernatremia can be fatal for your dog. Smart dog owners do not feed too many salty foods to their dogs regularly.
Pita bread does not contain too much salt, but you should limit the portion size for your dog. Humans eat pita bread with various dips and sauces. Remember, it is not safe for dogs.
You should be careful while introducing any human food to your dogs. I consulted my vet and asked him about the salt content in pita bread for dogs. Your vet can suggest safe ways to feed pita bread to your dogs.
Garlic Is a No-No for Dogs
Smart dog owners know that garlic is toxic to dogs. You should not feed garlic-flavored pita bread to your dogs. Thiosulfate in garlic-flavored pita bread can potentially kill your dogs.
Understanding Wheat Allergies
Dogs can have wheat allergies. Some dogs can have vomiting, diarrhea, gas, and loose stools after ingesting gluten-rich pita bread. Wheat allergy can create a lot of trouble for your doggo.
Normally, people prepare pita bread by using wheat flour. Dogs having wheat allergies can try to scratch their skin or have skin rash after ingesting a small piece of pita bread.
Your vet can help diagnose wheat allergies in your dogs. You should consult your vet before introducing any human food to your dogs.
Things to consider before feeding pita bread to dogs
- Make sure that your dog is not having food allergies.
- Avoid feeding too much pita bread to your dogs.
- Pita bread, in excess, can harm your dog’s digestion.
- Pita bread, in moderation, can be healthy and nutritious for your dogs.
- Avoid feeding flavored pita bread to your dogs.
- Store-bought pita bread can contain harmful ingredients.
- Read the labels carefully before getting pita bread for your dogs.
- Undercooked pita bread can be harmful to dogs.
Only baked pita bread is safe
Pita bread is considered safe because we always bake it to prepare it for our dogs. You should bake your pita bread properly before serving it to your dogs. Dogs can have gastric dilatation after ingesting uncooked pita bread. Uncooked pita bread can be fatal for your dogs.
Pita bread is high in carbs
As mentioned before, pita bread contains too many carbs. We prepare pita bread by using wheat flour. Wheat flour in pita bread accounts for its high sugar content. Pita bread contains high fiber content due to wheat flour.
You will find sweet pita bread in your local store. Sweet pita bread can be toxic to dogs. Sweet pita bread can lead to kidney failure in dogs.
Pita bread might contain harmful ingredients
As mentioned above, optional pita bread ingredients can harm your dogs. You should not get garlic and onion-flavored pita bread for your dogs. Store-bought flavored pita bread can be harmful to your dog’s health. Read the labels carefully before getting pita bread for your dogs.
How to Safely Portion Pita Bread for Dogs?
You should ensure that your pita bread is free from harmful/toxic substances such as onion, garlic, and xylitol. Once you know that your pita bread is safe for your dogs, you can go on portioning the pita bread for your dogs.
Your vet can help you determine the suitable portion size for your dog. Vets usually take into account your dog’s breed, weight, and size to recommend a suitable portion size.
Generally, we suggest giving one or two bite-sized pieces to their dogs. A single bite-sized piece of pita bread can be healthy and nutritious for your dogs.
Serve it as a snack only!
Pita bread can never replace your regular dog food. Pita bread does not provide balanced nutrients to your dogs. It may contain high carb and fiber content for dogs. That’s why we say you should portion pita bread as a dog treat.
We know a dog treat should not be more than 10% of your dog’s diet. You should not serve pita bread to your dogs daily. Although dogs are fine eating the same thing daily, it can adversely affect your dog’s digestion.
You should immediately consult your nearest vet when your dog has an adverse reaction after ingesting too much pita bread.
Keep portions small
No matter what one says, you should not feed too much pita bread to your dogs. We know that plain homemade pita bread is safe for dogs, but you have to limit the portion size for your dog. Otherwise, your dog may have an adverse reaction after eating pita bread in excess.
Watch for adverse reactions!
Food allergies can be a red flag for some dogs. Your dog may have a gluten allergy. Vets can help you diagnose food allergies in dogs.
What happened if dogs eat bread?
Dogs having wheat allergies cannot tolerate bread. Bread, too, can be made from wheat flour, water, and salt. There is a slight difference between bread and pita bread for dogs. Dogs with wheat allergies can have an adverse reaction after eating bread.
Does Bread Cause Obesity?
Bread is made using wheat flour. Wheat flour carries high carb and fiber content for dogs. So, eating too much bread can lead to obesity and obesity-related problems in dogs.
Feeding too much bread to your dogs can worsen the existing problems in dogs. For example, bread is not good for dogs having diabetes and high blood pressure. Bread can help spike your dog’s blood sugar levels.
Why Is Obesity Bad for Dogs?
Obesity can lead to diabetes and blood pressure problems in dogs. Obesity can be a serious problem for dogs having arthritis. Obesity can increase your dog’s joint pain. Do not worry. We have discussed all obesity-related problems in detail.
Inflammation
Obesity means too much fat on your dog’s body. Fats worsen inflammation in dogs. Inflammation in dogs can be associated with different dog health problems. What we know for sure is the fact that fats worsen these problems.
Joint Strain
Obesity can worsen joint strain in dogs. Dogs having osteoarthritis should not have too many sugar-rich foods.
Back Pain
If your dog is suffering from intervertebral disc disease, you should not serve foods having high sugar content to your dogs.
Heart Disease
Obesity increases the risk of heart disease in dogs. You should not feed sugar-rich foods to your overweight dogs.
Lung Problems
Obesity increases the risk of respiratory problems in dogs. Dogs can also have Tracheal Collapse due to obesity.
What bread can dogs not eat?
Dogs cannot eat all those pieces of bread that contain onion, garlic, xylitol, chocolate, nuts, and raisins. All of these things are toxic to dogs. Garlic-flavored pita bread can be toxic to dogs. That’s why we say you should not feed artificially flavored pita bread to your dogs.
What bread can dogs eat?
Dogs can eat plain homemade pita bread. Remember, only baked pita bread is good for dogs. You should control the pita bread portion size for your dog.
Conclusion | Can dogs eat pita bread?
Can dogs eat pita bread? Pita bread is a fantastic dog treat. However, you cannot feed too much pita bread to your dogs. Pita bread, in excess, can harm your dog’s digestion. Dogs having food allergies (for example, wheat allergy) should not eat pita bread.
You should consult your vet before introducing any human food to your dogs. We always prefer plain homemade pita bread over store-bought artificially flavored pita bread for dogs. You should consult your vet if your dogs have an adverse reaction after ingesting pita bread.
But we do not want to provide sugary foods to diabetic and overweight dogs. That’s why we suggest you limit the portion size and the sugar content in pita bread for dogs.