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Can Dogs Eat Oatmeal With Brown Sugar?

A healthy breakfast choice that offers us, humans, an abundance of nutritional value, oatmeal is a staple found in most homes. But, can a dog eat it and can a dog eat oatmeal with brown sugar? The answer is yes and no! Dogs are perfectly fine eating some plain oats, however, a dog should never be given brown sugar. Here are some things that you need to know before considering giving your dog oatmeal with brown sugar.

There’s a lot to love about oatmeal, as this popular breakfast food is made from hulled oat grains, and can be found in a number of varieties, including milled, rolled, and steel-cut. Health-wise, it offers a nutritious boost to any diet, with lots of protein content along with a high dose of dietary fiber. Oatmeal also has lots of vitamin A, iron, calcium, vitamin B-6, and magnesium, the fact that it’s delicious is just another benefit.

Is Oatmeal Healthy For Dogs?

The good news is that all the things that make oatmeal healthy for humans also make it healthy for dogs, but with a few caveats.

The main reason why oatmeal is a healthy option for dogs is that it’s relatively bland on its own, but only by its self along with water. Oatmeal that doesn’t have added milk, sugar, or other rich oatmeal toppings will give your dog a wholesome snack or meal topper that provides them will all the vitamins and nutrients mentioned above without any additives that you have to worry about. Giving your dog some bland oatmeal can also be a good way of sneaking more water into your dog’s diet, particularly if you add extra warm (not hot) water to the oatmeal after it’s been cooked.

Caution!

Because oatmeal has high fiber content, it’s often recommended as a way to sneak a bit of extra fiber into the diet of dogs who suffer from any gastrointestinal or bowel problems, however, if your dog has a sensitive stomach, it’s best to check with your vet before adding any “human” foods to them.

Preparing Oatmeal For Your Dog

The secret to making sure that oatmeal is a healthy snack for your dog is to ensure you choose the right variety and that it’s cooked properly. Follow these guidelines to help avoid any issues:

Cook it: Rather than feeding your dog raw oats, cook the oatmeal before giving it to your dog.
Whole grains are better: Always serve your dog oatmeal that’s made from whole grain oats, as processed grains offer fewer health benefits, and could upset your dog’s stomach.
Stick to the basics: If you’re giving your dog pre-packaged oatmeal, then check the list of ingredients first, as some pre-packaged oatmeal varieties may contain added sugar or other flavorings.
Keep portions small: Plain, cooked oatmeal contains around 150 calories per cup, and while that may not sound like a lot, keep in mind that dogs require significantly fewer calories than we do, for example, a 25-pound dog, should only be eating about 550 calories per day to maintain their weight. So, if you want to give your dog oatmeal, one to two spoonful’s is usually more than enough.

Oatmeal shouldn’t be a replacement: Even though oatmeal has some good benefits for dogs, it’s still missing many of the nutrients necessary for a well-rounded canine diet. It should only be used as a snack or meal topper.

Why Brown Sugar Shouldn’t Be Fed To Dogs

Whether it’s white or brown sugar, the main component of sugar is sucrose. The only difference between white and brown sugar is that white sugar is refined. While brown sugar is unrefined and made with molasses. The latter will often be tagged as “natural sugar.” Even though it may sound as though brown sugar would be better for your dog, it isn’t. Sugar should never be given to dogs; sugar is simply sugar.

What’s So Bad About Brown Sugar?

In the long run, sugar hurts dogs. Just like humans love sugary things that aren’t good for us, so do our dogs. If you give your dog a sugary treat, and they gobble it up, and in small quantities, brown sugar won’t make them immediately sick. However, within a short space of time, they’ll learn to love those treats, especially if you keep feeding them to your dog. They’ll soon become addicted to sugar.

It’s not uncommon for your dog to try and steal any sugary treats in your hand. So, why expose your dog to this dangerous food in the first place? Rather, get them hooked on natural sugar, i.e., from fruits. That’s because their digestive systems are capable of handling natural sugar easier. Most fruits contain fructose, so many of them aren’t harmful to your dog.

Why You Shouldn’t Give Your Dog Brown Sugar

Can cause stomach problems

If a dog consumes sugary contents in large quantities, it can lead to an upset stomach. Although this reaction lasts for a short period of time, it can have disastrous results. An upset stomach usually ends up with the dog vomiting and diarrhea. Not only will these side effects leave you with a mess for you to clean up. More importantly, it can bring about dehydration. If you don’t get a dog that’s dealing with dehydration in time to the vet, could potentially be fatal for a dog.

Another cause of sugar-based damage in dogs would be the microorganisms in a dog’s GI tract. A dog’s digestive system only works properly when if the microorganism population remains balanced. So, increasing your dog’s sugar intake can mess with the balance. Consequently, a dog could begin pooping and throwing up.

Canine Cavities

Just as humans eat a lot of sugar, the bacterial activity in our mouths increases. The main purpose of microbes is to produce acids for the first stage of digestion. A dog’s digestive system works on the same principle. As a result, increased acid production will erode a dog’s teeth. The outcome of this would result in dental problems.

If you want to give your dog a treat, do it with dog foods that are low in sugar content and other carbs.

It’s important to regularly brush your dog’s teeth, especially if your dog has recently eaten some sugary treats. This will help to remove any particles stuck in between their teeth.

Your dog could become overweight

One of the worst things that brown sugar can do to a dog is gaining weight. All sugars come with high-calorie content, easily leading a dog to obesity. An overweight dog will come with its own set of problems. For example, the weight can wreak havoc on a dog’s joints — just as it would for us humans. Another reason to avoid brown sugar is that a dog that has excess weight can become lethargic. Some breeds, like the Husky and Labradors, need constant exercise to stay in good shape. Therefore, if you make a habit of adding some sugar to your dog’s oatmeal, you’d be compromising their good health.

A quick route to diabetes

A dog that has too much consumption of brown sugar can cause diabetes. If a dog develops Type II diabetes, its pancreas could stop producing insulin — or make it in insignificant amounts. Opening the door to diabetes will reduce a dog’s quality of life even more!

Xylitol Toxicity

Natural sources of food like fruits contain some sugar in the form of sucrose, which isn’t toxic to canines and can be a part of a dog’s regular diet.

However, there’re also synthetic forms, such as Xylitol. Usually, “sugar-free” sweets and candies are full of these artificial sugar substitutes. What’s more, is that consuming just some xylitol can be enough to be life-threatening to a dog. Consuming Xylitol can bring about a drop in canine blood sugar.

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