Pizza is one of the most commonly ordered takeout meals, and it often saves the day when you’re in a pinch for time but still want a hearty meal. However, despite its exceptional flavor, it is the typical junk food and thus is not good for us humans.
Your dog’s nose will be wagging and its tail will be wagging in no time as it emerges from hiding to sniff the air and gaze longingly at your crusts.
But is it okay for dogs to eat pizza? Let’s find out if dogs and humans can enjoy a deep dish together, or if the human version of this cheesy treat is better left unattempted by canines.
Can dogs eat pizza?
Despite how tempting it may be, pizza isn’t a good idea for your dog to eat. Despite the fact that it is considered junk food for humans, it is even worse for our furry friends because their fat and calorie requirements are so much lower than ours.
Ideally, you wouldn’t feed your dog pizza. However, if they aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients like wheat or cheese, a tiny piece as a one-time treat shouldn’t cause them any serious harm.
Overconsumption of “bad” for dogs ingredients like fat, salt, and sugar is commonplace when eating pizza. Your pet may become ill if they consume large quantities of any of these.
If you want to keep your dog from getting overweight and developing health problems like diabetes later in life, you’ll need to limit the amount of fat, carbohydrates, and sugar he consumes, just like you would with a human. However, it is known that excessive amounts of salt can be harmful.
A slice of pizza is not the best snack for a dog that is already struggling to keep its weight in check.
Is It Safe for Dogs to Eat Pizza?
To answer your question quickly: no, it’s usually not a good idea to feed pizza to dogs. Your dog shouldn’t eat pizza because it contains many ingredients that are bad for their health.
Why Is Pizza Bad for Dogs?
There are a number of pizza toppings that can be extremely harmful to your dog, even fatal.
Sauce made from ripe tomatoes can be given to dogs in small amounts, but the stems and leaves should be avoided.
Tomato sauce may cause your dog stomach pain or upset if you add other ingredients to it. In addition to being toxic, certain herbs, such as onions and garlic, should never be fed to a dog.
In addition to contributing to weight gain and hypertension, the sauce’s high sodium and sugar content warrants caution.
Both onions and garlic are harmful to canine health. Hemolytic anemia, in which red blood cell counts drop, can be caused by eating too much onion or garlic. Onion powder is especially potent.
Cheese: The nutritional value of cheese may be beneficial for dogs (in small quantities), but you shouldn’t feed your dog cheese that’s been in contact with potentially harmful ingredients like pizza sauce or other human food.
Cheese’s high calorie and fat content make it unhealthy for dogs. Overeating can lead to a variety of medical issues.
However, the stomachs of some dogs are lactose intolerant, making even low-fat cheeses like mozzarella indigestible.
Meat that has been cured in some way, such as pepperoni, sausage, and other common pizza toppings, tends to be high in salt and fat. Cure meats are not safe for dogs to eat in large quantities.
Whether it’s pizza dough that’s been cooked or left raw, there is no danger lurking in the dough itself. However, most of the calories and carbs in either case are largely useless. It’s probably not too serious if Fido ate some pizza crust.
Discover delicious food your dog deserves
In addition to the salt, these delicious doughy meals also contain some questionable ingredients. Whether as a sauce ingredient or a topping, pizza typically includes onion and garlic, both of which are toxic to dogs.
Pizza bases are essentially bread, so if your dog has an allergy to wheat or gluten, it’s best to keep it away.
Dogs with gluten sensitivities, such as Border Terriers, shouldn’t chow down on margaritas.
In addition, pizza should be avoided by any dog that has been put on a hypoallergenic diet due to its high wheat and dairy content.
Can dogs eat pepperoni pizza?
The meaty topping of pepperoni on a cheesy, greasy pizza may look appetizing, but it isn’t good for dogs.
Pizza is bad for dogs in general, but even if you remove the pepperoni and toss your dog the meat, it’s still not a good idea. This is due to the processed, fatty, and salty nature of pepperoni.
While your dog may enjoy a piece or two of pepperoni now and then, excessive consumption of the food can lead to health problems and extra weight gain, so limit your dog’s exposure to the treat. In fact, there is almost as much fat in just six pieces of pepperoni as there is in an entire pizza.
Can dogs eat pizza crust?
There’s a lot of wasted pizza crust because people tend to leave the crust behind. Especially when a hungry dog is staring at you with puppy dog eyes, pleading for a bite.
Although your dog may safely consume a single, small piece of plain pizza crust, you should never give your dog more than one piece. (Even fewer if the dog is miniature, like a Chihuahua!)
Some of pizza’s “bad” components, such as fatty cheese and minute amounts of onion or garlic, can still be present in pizza crust, but not to the same degree as in a full slice.
It’s healthier than a whole slice of pizza because it contains less cheese and salt.
Still, it’s not a healthy option for your dog. A crust is mostly empty carbohydrates, which your dog does not require, and therefore provides almost no nutrition.
Can dogs eat pizza sauce?
It’s not good for your dog to eat too much of the rich pizza sauce, so keep it out of the kitchen. Pizza sauce typically contains a lot of sugar, salt, and potentially harmful onion and garlic, making it a high-calorie and high-sodium food.
However, if your dog licks up a tiny bit of marinara sauce from the floor, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, your furry friend is not going to benefit from a diet heavy on pizza sauce.
Can dogs eat pizza dough?
Pizza dough is toxic to dogs, so if your pet has accidentally consumed some, you should rush them to the vet immediately.
Pizza and bread dough are full of yeast, which causes the dough to rise and expand once it reaches your dog’s stomach, resulting in painful and potentially fatal bloat.
Your dog can die from alcohol poisoning brought on by the ethanol released by the growing yeast.
Dough from either pizza or bread should be considered a veterinary emergency if your dog eats it.
What to Do if Your Dog Eats Pizza
If a dog eats a piece of pizza or any of the ingredients mentioned above and then begins to have stomach problems or develops other health problems, the owner should take the dog to the veterinarian immediately.
It may take some time for the adverse effects of toxicity to manifest; in the meantime, keep an eye out for things like diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness, abnormal urination, loss of appetite, and hyperventilation.
If you can’t get your dog in for an exam right away, it’s best to stick to dog food and stay away from the dairy products and other pizza seasonings and ingredients listed above.
Is pizza bad for dogs?
Without a doubt, pizza is a junk food and is considered “bad” for dogs because it may contain toxic ingredients that could harm your beloved pup and may also cause illness and obesity if eaten in excess.
To begin with, many pizzas feature garlic or onion, either dried, canned, or fresh. Dogs should not ingest these sour ingredients, which could contribute to a flavorful sauce but are toxic to them.
In addition, the high fat content of pizza sauce can be harmful to your dog if they consume too much of it.
The fatty goodness of cheese is the main downfall of pizza, which is otherwise a healthy food.
An increased risk of cancer and diabetes is associated with canine obesity, which can be caused by a diet high in fat.
Eating fatty foods, on the other hand, can strain their digestive system, leading to tummy troubles or even pancreatitis.
In order to prevent further attacks of pancreatitis, your dog will need to be fed a low-fat diet for the rest of its life if it has previously suffered from this condition.
To the contrary, dogs can consume small amounts of salt without harm, but large amounts are toxic. Several times the daily recommended amount of salt for your dog can be found in just one serving of frozen margarita or pepperoni pizza.
For reference, most medium-sized dogs shouldn’t consume more than 0.1g of salt per day, or 0.2g of salt per 1000 calories. (Keep in mind that most dogs require fewer than a thousand calories per day!)
Conversely, while sugar is not toxic, it is another food that can cause your dog to gain weight if consumed in large quantities.
. Just like in humans, animals can experience tooth decay and other oral health problems from a diet high in sugary foods. You can also give your dog diabetes by giving it a diet that contains too much sugary food and treats.
Will pizza make a dog sick?
Your dog should be safe after eating a small slice of pizza as a one-time treat. However, you shouldn’t give your dog a whole slice, let alone an entire pizza.
If they manage to sneak a bite or two, they will probably end up sick to their stomachs and have to use the restroom frequently.
Acute pancreatitis is potentially fatal and requires immediate veterinary attention in the worst cases.
Therefore, it is best to consult a veterinarian if your dog has consumed a large amount of pizza.
Fido should be fine after eating a very small slice of pizza. But this high-end snack shouldn’t replace their regular dog food by any means. However, you shouldn’t feed your dog pizza on the regular, and certainly not by the slice.
Recap: Can dogs have pizza?
A dog could theoretically eat a tiny slice of pizza and be completely fine. But this fast food snack is extremely bad for dogs, so you shouldn’t let your pooch nosh on whole slices as a treat.
Your dog shouldn’t eat pizza at all if you want to keep them healthy, but a small slice or crust here and there probably won’t hurt them.
Pancreatitis, a life-threatening condition, can develop if your dog consumes a large amount of pizza due to the high fat content.
Call your vet if you notice any symptoms, no matter how minor, after your dog has eaten some pizza that wasn’t his.
We all know how irresistible pizza smells, so of course your dog will be begging at the table for a piece.
For the same peace of mind that comes with knowing your dog is getting all the nutrients it needs in every mouthful, it’s best to feed them a complete, balanced diet that is perfectly portioned, like Pure.
If their meal is as delicious as yours, they won’t beg you for a bite of your pizza.