Nothing beats the comfort of having crackers with evening tea. You take out your favorite condiments and make the perfect Ritz cracker sandwiches. All seems well until you realize that your dog has been patiently waiting for his turn to devour this tasty snack. This cute moment makes you ask yourself, can dogs eat Ritz crackers?
Can dogs eat Ritz crackers?
No, dogs should avoid eating Ritz crackers. The ingredients in Ritz crackers like sugars, carbs, and gluten makes them incredibly unhealthy for dogs. Unlike many other human foods, these crackers are not recommended, even in small quantities.
Ritz crackers are not directly toxic for dogs, but it’s not a healthy choice either. You may be tempted to feed these crackers to your dog as treats, but the risk is really not worth it. It would do more harm to your dog than any good.
Ingredients of Ritz crackers
Following are the primary ingredients in Ritz crackers. We will break down each ingredient later on how they negatively affect a dog’s health.
- Unbleached enriched flour
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Salt
- Leavening (baking soda and calcium phosphate)
- Corn syrup
- Soy lecithin
- Malted barley flour
- Natural flavors
Nutritional facts of Ritz crackers
Before we start investigating the effects of Ritz crackers on dogs, it is important to know what a single cracker and what 1 serving contains:
| 1 cracker | 5 crackers (1 serving) | |
| Calories | 16 cal | 80 cal |
| Total Fat | 0.9 g | 4.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.2 g | 1 g |
| Sodium | 21 mg | 105 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 2 g | 10 g |
| Sugar | 0.2 g | 1 g |
| Protein | 0.1 g | 1 g |
| Calcium | 4 mg | 20 mg |
| Iron | 0 mg | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 3 mg | 13 mg |
What makes Ritz crackers bad for dogs?
At a glance, Ritz crackers seem ordinary enough. You’d think of them as a way to treat your dogs. But wait till we break down each ingredient present in Ritz crackers so you’ll know what they can potentially do to your puppy’s health
Unbleached enriched flour
Unbleached flour is significantly different from regular all-purpose flour. It comes from the grains that age naturally. This kind of flour has high gluten levels. Enriched flour is the one that has been processed artificially to extract natural minerals like riboflavin (vitamin B12), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1) and folic acid.
The high amounts of gluten and the unnatural way of adding “natural” minerals are nothing but harmful for dogs. It messes up their digestive tracts and may cause gastrointestinal issues. Dogs with a gluten allergy should avoid eating these crackers at all times.
Keep in mind that only whole-wheat flour, coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour, buckwheat flour and brown rice flour are safe for dogs to consume.
Vegetable oil
Ritz crackers contain an amalgam of different vegetable oils. It also includes soybean oil, which is not healthy for dogs. Some dogs even have a soy allergy. It is important to note that only a handful of oils are safe for dogs, including:
- Sunflower oil
- Flaxseed oil
- Fish oil
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
Sugar
Dogs don’t need extra sugar for their bodies. They already get the required amounts of sugar from their regular diets. Ritz crackers are loaded with sugar. An overdose of sugar adversely affects your dog’s teeth. It may also cause obesity, diabetes, abnormal metabolism, and even pancreatitis.
If your dog has eaten too many of these Ritz crackers, the chances are that they’ll immediately get sick. Sugars are hard for dogs to digest, and they get tummy aches right after. If you notice your dog is throwing up or having bloody diarrhea, you need to call your vet as soon as possible for a check-up.
High fructose corn syrup
Corn syrup is not a natural edible – it is made after a lengthy process that is totally artificial. It might even contain some mercury which is poisonous to all living beings. As mentioned earlier, dogs don’t need extra sugar. Corn syrup is nothing but extra sugar, which is not healthy for your dog.
Salt
Five crackers of Ritz contain 105mg of sodium. It may seem very little, but it exceeds the amount of sodium a dog can have in a day. Salty foods are usually kept far from dogs because sodium poisoning is real, and it can lead to severe consequences.
Sodium poisoning in dogs may cause high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney and liver problems, and other issues. Senior dogs are more likely to get affected by excessive consumption of salt. Vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea are some of the earlier symptoms of sodium poisoning.
Leavening
Leavening agents are the additives that expand a dough by releasing some gases. The agents react with a liquid, and our dough rises to almost double its original size through some chemical reactions. Yeast, baking soda, and baking powder are some of the most common examples of leavening.
Leavenings are not healthy for dogs. They may not show immediate reactions; consuming too much food with leavening agents will cost you your dog’s precious health. Your dog can get seizures, heart problems, and even spasms. These problems take time to surface. That is why you should avoid giving anything to your dog that has leavening agents.
Malted barley flour
Barley flour itself is not as harmful to your dogs as the malted version. It contains more gluten than what’s required for your dog. Apart from the hazards of gluten allergy, malted barley also contains a chemical called tannin.
Tannin can cause serious health problems like kidney damage, ulcers in the digestive tract, seizures and an upset stomach. This happens because once digested, tannin is converted into tannic acid, which is toxic for dogs.
Can Ritz crackers be healthy for dogs?
Ritz crackers do contain healthy nutrients like protein, calcium and iron. These nutrients are essential for a dog’s health. Your dog can eat Ritz crackers while you keep thinking they’re getting healthy ingredients. We’re sorry to break it to you; there are much healthier ways to feed your dogs.
- Dogs can eat chicken and eggs to fulfill their protein requirements. In fact, dogs love boiled chicken.
- For calcium, vegetables like Brussel sprouts, kale and broccoli are excellent alternatives. They are loaded with calcium. You can even pair them with chicken. Ricotta cheese is another healthy alternative for calcium.
- Iron is another essential mineral that dogs require. It helps with keeping blood cells normal and also with enzyme functions. Red meat like beef and organ meat, fish head and fish meat are an incredible source of iron. Give your dog a healthy meal of red meat at least a week so that they maintain their iron levels.
Related FAQs to crackers and dogs!
What happens if a dog eats Ritz crackers?
A couple of Ritz crackers won’t immediately harm your dog, but this should not become a regular treat for them. Dogs with gluten or soy allergy can get sick immediately after eating Ritz crackers.
Are Ritz crackers toxic?
A recent study shows that glyphosate is directly linked with cancer. Glyphosate is an ingredients found in Ritz crackers, thus it can be toxic for dogs.
Do dogs like Ritz crackers?
Since Ritz crackers are buttery, crunchy salty and sweet, your dog may like eating them. But, this does not mean that you should feed Ritz crackers to your dog.
What crackers are safe for dogs?
Rice crackers that are made without salt, spices or garlic and onion are safe for dogs to eat. Dogs can also eat cheese crackers that have low sodium.
Final verdict on dogs eating Ritz crackers!
Your dog will eat anything you feed them. Unless they don’t like the taste of something, they won’t say no to anything.
But as a responsible pet owner, it is your job only to feed healthy food to your pet friend.
Ritz crackers are not fit for your dog. You may feel lazy to use Ritz crackers as dog treats, but you should keep in mind the long-term health problems they’ll cause your dog.
Instead, make some crackers at home to ensure better taste and no worries about health.
