Can Dogs Eat Donuts? What Happens If Your Dog Eats a Donut?

Can dogs eat donuts? Well, the answer can already be found in the question – DO NOT give your dog donuts. But kidding aside, why is that so?

Plain donuts are just made of flour, water, milk, sugar, salt, yeast, butter, and eggs – ingredients that can be problematic for some dogs but are not toxic.

Why You Should Not Let Your Dog Eat Donuts?

To start, dogs don't need doughnuts and there are many reasons to justify this. Donuts don't contain ingredients on which your dog can gain health and satisfaction. Also, most donuts contain potentially toxic ingredients for dogs, such as chocolate and wheat.

Can Dogs Eat Donuts? Are They Bad?

If your dog eats a plain donut, he should just be fine. However, donuts are high in sugar and fats, which can be harmful to your furry friend in large quantities. Also, the oil donuts are fried in can upset your dog’s stomach and it can give your dog indigestion or diarrhea.

Too much fat can produce pancreatitis in animals, which can be painful or very fatal. If your dog is overly sensitive to donuts and is experiencing pain or an upset stomach, he might benefit from plain noodles mixed with unseasoned chicken or ground meat.

Almost all donuts are harmful to pets although some are just fine. Some donuts feature ingredients e.g. caffeine and chocolate which are sometimes fatal in large amounts. Whether your dog takes it in or doesn't like it, his health can still be damaged by pancreatitis.

Other potentially deadly ingredients in donuts are the common artificial sweetener xylitol, grapes, and certain nuts (e.g. macadamia nuts).

So, unless you can get the detailed ingredients of the donut from the one who cooked it, don't let your dog enjoy your Krispy Kreme donuts or dark chocolate donuts, and don't feed your pup any sweet and greasy dough.

Overall, a donut isn’t a healthy human food with very minimal health benefits both for us humans and for our furry friends. It contains too much fats, sugar, calories, and may contain ingredients that can be toxic for dogs.

Eating donuts regularly or excessively can lead to unhealthy weight gain, along with other weight-related complications such as diabetes, heart disease, joint disease, and organ damage.

With the risks involved with eating donuts, you should just consider these delicious donuts as sugary treats that your dog should only eat occasionally and in moderation.

If possible, just avoid these at all costs and simply give your pup his dog treats even if he begs for a bite of this sweet treat with his puppy dog eyes.

What Happens If Your Dog Eats a Donut?

Large quantities of plain donuts can cause tummy problems such as vomiting and diarrhea. In this case, you should consult with your vet and ask them for veterinary guidance. Nonetheless, the effects would be self-limiting for most dogs, and their symptoms should be gone in 1 to 2 days.

If your dog consumes chocolate donuts, he may be at risk for chocolate toxicity. But still, the effects of chocolate on his body can vary depending on the amount of theobromine that he consumed in relation to his body weight.

And this will be based on the type of chocolate your dog ate, as well as how much chocolates he consumed. It can be difficult to figure out by yourself, so, it’s best to seek veterinary advice.

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning that you should watch out for include vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, rapid breathing, abnormal movements, and possibly seizures. If you notice any of these, you should take your dog to the vet immediately.

Another potentially serious problem dog owners face when their pup ate donuts is the possibility that their dogs consumed toxic artificial sweeteners like xylitol.

Any degree of xylitol exposure is taken seriously by veterinarians. Usually, around 50 to 100 mg of xylitol per kilogram of body weight is believed to be highly toxic for dogs.  

Symptoms of xylitol poisoning in dogs appear within 30 minutes to 12 hours after consumption. Xylitol toxicity can cause vomiting, body weakness, difficulty of moving, collapse, and seizures. In severe cases, it can cause organ damage and even death.

Donut Stealing Dogs: What Do You Do If Your Dog Eats Donuts?

If you caught your dog munching on some powdered donuts from Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme, you should immediately get the donuts from him.

And while doing this, be alert to observe the flavors, as well as how many donuts he consumed. Knowing these minor, yet crucial details can help your vet decide what treatment to give, or if one is even needed.

If your dog ate glazed donuts, he should just be okay, but it is definitely worth knowing whether the donuts contain artificial sweeteners like xylitol or not.

If your dog ate jam donuts or those that contain sugary fillings like jellies, you should also find a way to know their detailed ingredients.

And if you suspect that your dog has eaten large quantities of donuts with chocolate fillings, peanut toppings, or other potentially toxic ingredients, you should call your local vet clinic right away so they can provide veterinary advice depending on your dog’s situation. Or better yet, take your dog to the clinic right away.

However, if your dog has eaten donuts without these dangerous ingredients, just observe him at home for the next 24 to 48 hours. While at home, you can him depending on his symptoms.

If he has an upset stomach, provide a bland diet of rice and unseasoned meat like chicken or ground beef. If your dog exhibits more bothersome symptoms, it’s best to take him to the vet so he can receive a proper diagnosis and intervention.

Donut Ingredients: Mixture of Unhealthy and Toxic Ingredients

Most donuts are traditionally made with frying sweetened dough. The dough is sometimes made up of leavenings or flavorings containing sugar, milk eggs, or fat. Plain donuts still contain significant amounts of sugars, salt, and trans fats which are unhealthy for dogs.

Considering all of these ingredients, donuts are essentially just empty calories for your dog without nutritional value. And donuts can only jeopardize your dog’s health: it can increase your dog's blood sugar level and put him at risk for obesity and other health issues.

Hence, it's definitely a bad idea to share donuts with your canine companion regularly. If you are looking for an occasional treat, it's safer to resort to your dog’s favorite treats, or to some healthy fruits for dogs.

The following is a detailed list of the common donut ingredients together with how the various canine ingredients can affect your dog.

 

Oils/Fats

Excess fat in the bloodstream combined with salts and sugars create plaque in your dog's blood vessels. Plaques block dogs' arteries and make their heart work overtime to pump blood from various parts of the body. Should heart failure be prevented, it could develop within weeks.

Fat also causes pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas. Symptoms include nausea vomiting, diarrhea and vomiting, muscle contraction, and seizures.

Butter

The butter-containing donut contains the toxicity of combined fats with milk. Donuts also contain flavorings and artificial sweeteners deemed to be toxic to dogs. Your pup could also be allergic to donuts.
Salt

Excessive salt inside a dog’s system can cause sodium ion poisoning. The earliest symptoms may occur as increased thirst sensations or frequent urination. If you are not urgently examining your pet, then his or her organ damage could be fatal.

Chocolate

Most donuts contain chocolate either as a sweetening agent or added flavor. Milk chocolate isn’t the biggest threat for dogs; instead, the more dangerous variants are baking chocolate and dark chocolate.

The sugar-based active compound xylitol in chocolate provides the most toxic effect on dogs. Hypoglycemia occurs when blood vessels accumulate too much sugar for processing.

Theobromine is an addictive caffeine-type substance that makes it fatal to dogs who eat too much caffeine, which can be found in chocolates.

Sugar

Sugar is the first ingredient for donuts which is thought to be very dangerous to dogs. Sugar contains calories that a dog's stomach can't hold. The bodies of dogs are not as efficient at handling sugar and fat as ours. Healthy pets also benefit from reducing sugar and fat content in their diet.

Flour

A dog's digestive tract considers flour as a ‘wild food.' Eating donuts could lead your dog to develop gastrointestinal concerns including diarrhea and vomiting. The yeast used to make the donuts don't make them better either.

Milk

Lactose intolerance usually appears in dogs immediately after eating donuts. Milk contains lactose which most dogs can't tolerate. The reaction to lactose typically is vomiting or diarrhea.

Eggs

The eggs are great for your pet just as long as it's cooked and not raw. Nonetheless, we can't claim such the difference between eggs and donuts.

Artificial Sweeteners

Oftentimes, these may not be listed in the ingredients, but when you are eating sugar-free or sugarless junk food or donut, you can expect that it contains xylitol, birch sugar, or other artificial sweeteners that are toxic for dogs.

Toppings

Toppings add flavor, texture, and color to a donut, but they also add calories and increase the risks that your dog will face if he eats them. The common toppings that are dangerous for dogs include macadamia nuts, walnuts, grapes, and raisins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can dogs eat Dunkin Donuts?

Safest answer would be NO. In fact, dogs should never be given any type of donut that is made for human consumption since the ingredients inside it would be toxic for them. Our donuts are full of fats, sugar and even chocolate! Such ingredients will only lead your pet to obesity and other health related issues.

Can dogs eat chocolate donuts?

NO! Chocolate is very toxic for your beloved pet! It is poisonous due to the substance called Theobromine, it is an addictive caffeine-type substance that makes it fatal to dogs. If this element is highly present in your dog's system, it is very dangerous especially his liver.

Can dogs eat powdered donuts?

Definitely not! This type of donut are coated with sugar which is in turn will cause an increase of blood sugar leading to obesity and diabetes in the long run. Plus, all the sweetness from the sugar may cause tooth decay as well.

Can dogs eat glazed donuts?

Donuts in general are chock full of fats and sugar which is already bad for both humans and pets. Plus, the oil that is used to fry these donuts may be too much for your dog's system to handle and may cause diarrhea. It is also worth knowing that too much sugar and fats can cause pancreatitis in dogs, which is both fatal and painful.

can dogs eat donut holes?

Everything that is “bad” in donuts also applies to donut holes. They may be smaller in size but they too are high in sugar and fat! Powdered, glazed, chocolate, plain or any type of donut should not be given as a treat to any pet. Not unless if the donut is specifically tailored for dogs.