Can Dogs Have Honey Nut Cheerios?
Cheerios are one of the most common breakfast options for humans. You must have started your day with a bowl of cheerios quite a few times. This lightly sweetened cereal is not only loved by kids but also enjoyed equally by adults.
Speaking of cheerios, they are available in different flavours. One of the common flavours is honey nut cheerios. No doubt, it tastes delicious and serves as a filling breakfast for humans. But the question is whether honey nut cheerios are safe for your four-legged friend?
Dogs and cheerios are inseparable. The moment they see you eating cheerios, they will come wagging their tail. Sometimes, it gets difficult to just ignore your cute pet and you end up giving them a few pieces to eat. If you own a dog, you can relate to this.
In this article, we will find out whether honey nut cheerios are good for your dog’s health or not. If you have been giving your dog cheerios as treats, you should give this article a read.
Are cheerios safe for dogs?
Before we talk about honey nut cheerios, you must know whether you should or not feed your dog cheerios at all?
Cheerios are safe for dogs depending on the flavour you are feeding them. Back in the day, cheerios were available in just one single flavour, which is the honey nut. But nowadays, you have a wide variety of flavours to choose from. Some of the popular flavours are chocolate cheerios, fruit-flavoured cheerios, yogurt-coated cheerios, and others.
Before you feed cheerios to your dog, you need to find out which flavours are safe for them to eat. This is important for the health of your pooch.
Cheerios are low in sugar and have a crunchy texture which is enjoyed by dogs. It is made of whole grains which are full of empty calories. In other words, it has no major nutritional benefits for your dog.
As far as honey nut cheerios are concerned, you can feed them to your dog. They are quite safe if given in limited quantities. You shouldn’t feed a bowl full of honey flavour cheerios just because it is safe for them to eat it.
Before you start feeding cheerios to your dog, you must check the ingredients, especially if they contain almonds or not. This is because a doggy stomach cannot handle almonds well. Unlike humans, they cannot digest almonds well, which in turn can cause diarrhoea or vomiting.
Other cheerio flavours like chocolate, yogurt, and frosted contain additional sugar which is extremely bad for your dog’s tummy. You should avoid feeding chocolate cheerios to your dog at all costs. That’s because it is toxic for them, especially for smaller breeds.
To sum it up, you should feed the plainest version of cheerios to your pet. Honey nut flavour is safe, but only when given in limited quantities. In case, your dog is allergic to almonds, you should avoid giving it cheerios containing nuts.
Can you use honey nut cheerios as training treats?
This is a common question asked by many dog owners. To be frank you will find hundreds of dog treats in the market that are much better than cheerios.
It doesn’t matter whether it is honey nut cheerios or not, it’s better not to use them as treats. When you give cheerios as treats, your dog gets habituated to eating cheerios, which is not good.
Dogs prefer flavourful treats over normal dog food. So feeding those cheerios as treats will make them develop a bad habit. However, if you still want to use cheerios as treats, then you should give one cheerio at a time, not more than that. Feeding too many cheerios can also make your dog gain weight. But make sure that the cheerios are bland in taste.
Do honey nut cheerios have any nutritional benefits to dogs?
Even though honey nut cheerios are delicious to eat, they don’t have significant nutritional value for your dog. However, the American Heart Association claims that cereals like cheerios are beneficial to the heart. But this is for humans, not dogs.
The vitamins and minerals contained in the cereal might have some minor benefits on canines. But the most type of cereals is just empty calories for them.
Some vets recommend using cheerios as dog treats, especially when your dog is overweight. That’s because it has enough flavour to make your dog think that they are getting the best treats. But Cheerios are low in calories and are not exactly great for a doggy diet.
If your dog loves eating treats a little too much, you can use cheerios, instead of using other flavourful treats. The bland and unique taste of cheerios is loved by most dogs.
Now coming to the main topic, honey nut cheerios. You can feed honey nut flavour cheerios to your dog. According to research, honey is found to be beneficial for your dog’s immune system. Not just that, but it is also believed to help in maintaining a healthy weight for your pooch.
However, honey nut cheerios have a big drawback. The sugar level contained in the honey is not good for your dog. Giving too much honey nut cheerios can cause your dog to put on weight. Also, dogs are incapable of digesting sugar well. The undigested sugar accumulates in the body while making them obese. Besides that, it could also result in dental issues.
Can dogs with digestive issues eat honey nut cheerios?
In general, cheerios are easy to digest. They are rich in fibre and can help your dog with constipation or diarrhoea. But you should consult a vet once before giving cheerios to your dog. This is because stomach conditions vary from one dog to another. So it’s better to take advice from an expert.
As far as honey nut cheerios are concerned, it contains sugar, almonds, and other nuts. These items are hard for dogs to digest. So you feeding honey nut cheerios to your dog can create stomach issues. If the cheerios are not digested properly, it will cause your dog to vomit or have diarrhoea.
Precautions to Take When Feeding Honey Nut Cheerios to Your Dog
Before you start feeding honey nut cheerios to your dog, certain things need to be taken into consideration. Here are some precautionary steps that you must take when feeding your dog honey nut cheerios.
- Giving your dog too much honey nut cheerios can be harmful to his health. As already mentioned once, honey nut cheerios contain high sugar levels, which can cause stomach issues for your furry friend. Things can get worst if your dog is obese or overweight. So if you are giving your dog a bowl full of honey nut cheerios to eat, you should stop it right away.
- You shouldn’t use honey nut cheerios to replace your dog’s meals. One thing that should be made clear is that dogs are canines. Even if they like the sweet honey taste, you shouldn’t give it to them all the time. Also, it doesn’t have any significant nutritional value. This is why you should focus more on providing high-quality dog food to your pooch.
- Feeding too much honey nut cheerios can be detrimental to your dog’s health. If you continue to feed cheerios to your dog, it can lead to bigger health problems. In the worst cases, it can even cause death.
You should keep these pointers in mind before letting your dog eat cheerios. These sweetened cheerios should never be used to replace your dog’s meal. Giving cheerios once a day or two is fine. But the quantity should be very less.
What are the health problems caused by honey nut cheerios?
Although honey nut cheerios are safe for your dog to eat, it is not a good idea to give them to them daily. Also, it doesn’t serve as the best option for treats. Apart from digestion issues, it can cause many other health hazards to your dog.
This includes:
- Diabetes and obesity
These two health problems are not just limited to humans, but dogs are also affected by them. As you already know cheerios are made of sugar, starch, and oils. All these ingredients are in no way good for your dog’s health. Consuming them in high quantities can lead to diabetes and excessive weight gain. You must keep all these in mind, before feeding cheerios.
- Urinary problems
Dog diets high in cereals and whole grains can make dogs more prone to urinary problems. In other words, it can cause kidney issues or urinary tract infections. This mainly happens due to the formation of urinary crystals.
If your dog is already suffering from such issues, you should take it seriously. Take him to the vet and feed him low-grain foods. The best would be to get grain-free dog food.
Other Flavours Of Cheerios For Dogs
Besides honey nut cheerios, a few other flavours are good for dogs. You can try giving these cheerios to your pet. Other safe cheerio flavours include:
Banana nut cheerios
Make sure that you give them in controlled amounts.
Apple cinnamon cheerios
Before giving those to your dog make sure that it doesn’t contain any apple pits. Also, you should avoid giving excessive cinnamon.
What are the flavours of cheerios you should avoid?
There are two flavours of cheerios that are an absolute no for dogs. This includes:
Chocolate cheerios
You should completely avoid giving chocolate cheerios to your dog. No matter, how cute they act, you should not feed chocolate cheerios. That’s because chocolate is toxic for dogs. It can lead to serious stomach issues and diarrhoea.
Multigrain cheerios
Even multi-grain cheerios are bad for your dog’s health.
Making Wise Choices For Your Dog
Cheerios are safe for dogs only when you give them the right flavour. For example, honey nut cheerios. Cheerios laced with honey have minor benefits.
Since honey nut cheerios are rich in sugar content, you should give them in limited quantities. Pouring them a bowl full of honey nut cheerios is not at all recommended as it can be harmful to their health.
Other flavours that are safe for dogs to eat are banana cheerios and apple cinnamon cheerios. In short, only a few cheerio flavours are good for your dog.
Final Words
Honey nut cheerios, no matter how delicious they are, they should be given in limited quantities to dogs. Even though it is safe for dogs to eat, you never know what might happen to your pooch. Every dog is different and thus, it may affect them differently. If your dog has stomach or digestive issues, it is better to avoid giving him cheerios. Those who have healthy dogs can give only a few pieces of cheerios. If you want to use honey nut cheerios as treats, consult a vet first.
