It is finally the end of the week, and you can now finally relax with your family. So you ordered your favorite pizza, played a cool movie, and just decided to roll on the couch.
As you were about to get a bite of your pizza, you noticed someone jumped on next to you. It’s your furry friend with high hopes that you will share your feast with him.
But can dogs eat pizza? Or will this only put their health at risk? Well, if you want to know the answer, then please keep on reading below.
Should You Share Your Pizza With Your Dog?
So can dogs eat pizza? One straight answer, NO! Of course, a single slice of pizza can be a very tasty treat to your dog, but do you know that almost every ingredient found in the pizza can be troublesome to your lovely pet?
Well, let’s discuss a few of these ingredients below.
1. Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic are just the perfect ingredients to give your pizza an extra kick.
Unfortunately, both have been known to be harmful to your furry friend. Garlic, specifically, can be toxic to your dogs and should be avoided as much as possible.
Both spices belong to the allium family of plants and contain thiosulfate, affecting the oxygen found in the red blood cells.
When your dogs consume even just a small amount of garlic or onion, it will result in irreparable damage to their blood.
The symptoms might vary dramatically according to the current health of your dog as well as how much they have eaten. But most likely, he will experience some stomach pains that can go far beyond this and will result in hemolytic anemia within just a few days of consumption.
Take note that this condition can cause your pet’s life. It can result in significant lethargy, dehydration, difficulty of breathing, and so much more. If this won’t be treated, your dog will more likely fall into a coma or, much worse, die.
Needless to say, that one slice of pizza he is begging for is not worth the risk.
2. Sodium
You may not directly notice this but, there’s so much sodium found in a slice of pizza. High sodium levels are most likely found on several toppings such as pickled vegetables, anchovies, and pepperonis.
Though this may be a flavor booster to most of us, too much sodium can be lethal for your dogs. This will result in gastrointestinal issues, heart issues, and high blood pressure.
When your dog eats plenty of it in just a short time, its body may go into shock and will lead to life-long issues, even death.
3. Cheese
Another ingredient you should watch out for is cheese. This is not the best thing to give to your dog since most suffer from lactose intolerance. Though there are types of cheese that are considered to be harmless, others are just plain dangerous.
The tricky part about pizza is that they are always loaded with outrageous amounts of cheese, and the worst part is, these are often the worst kind for your dog.
This is because pizza recipes usually require cheese that is easy to melt and is fatty enough. These types of cheese have higher levels of lactose that will certainly result in noticeable discomfort.
Just in case your dog eats a significant amount of it, you can expect them to suffer from digestive issues that may begin with vomiting or diarrhea.
4. Tomato Sauce.
In general, pasta sauce can be harmful to dogs when consumed. This is because of its high sugar content that can lead to digestive upset such as diarrhea and vomiting.
If this is consumed regularly for a long time, a high sugar diet will lead to weight gain, and your dog might develop diabetes, heart disease, or some other health issues.
Pasta sauce also contains garlic powder and onion powder which we already know are toxic to the dogs and should be avoided at all costs. Some cases reported that dog consumption of pasta sauce resulted in anemia which is a potentially life-threatening condition.
So I guess it’s safe to say that pizza is not a healthy type of dog food.
5. Too much fat
Most of the pizzas are often covered with grease. This is even maybe the reason why people love it so much. But this extra grease only means that there is more fat in it, which will have long-term effects on your dog.
Whatever your dog’s breed is, the portions of fat they consume should be controlled. Normally, their diets should only contain about 10% fat. Too much of it will only result in obesity. In addition to that, consumption of high-fat levels can also lead to pancreatitis, which can be fatal when not properly treated.
So the next time your dog starts begging for a slice of pizza, always remember that this food is something that is not meant to be shared. If she has sneakily eaten some of it, make sure to act quickly and provide the care your dog will need.
Can Dogs Eat Pizza Crust?
Now, you might wonder, how about the pizza crust? Though this part of pizza has not been proven to be harmful, it is not beneficial either. The pizza crust does not contain some valuable nutrients. It is just mostly sodium and bad carbs.
A regular diet composed of bad carbohydrates will only lead to obesity and even heart health issues in dogs. While too much sodium is much worse for dogs, it can cause seizures and even coma.
Final Thought
There’s no doubt that pizza is one of the much-loved foods in the world. Whether it is served as a quick family dinner or you decide to pass it around as greasy comfort food during parties, we can’t deny that pizza will always be a food staple in today’s modern culture.
But can dogs eat pizza? Should you share a slice with her? Not, you should never give your dog pizza. Though they may enjoy the taste, the risk of complications will surely not be worth it.
Anyway, if you still have any more questions, please feel free to drop them in the comment section below. Wouldn’t it be great to discuss things with your fellow dog lovers? Don’t forget to share this article with your friends too!