Compared with other human foods, Cheerios are less healthy to feed your dog. And these cereals are safe for your canine depending on the flavor you’re offering.
Cheerios are the popular light snacks, low in sugar and high in fiber. So you may ask –
Are Cheerios good for our pups?
Or, Do Cheerios offer any sort of health benefits for our doggies?
Your best little friend will definitely like their taste and crunch. These cute mini rings won’t harm your mutt, but your pup can’t get many benefits from these. So, giving a full bowl of Cheerios is a bad idea.
These classic human breakfast items are available in a wide variety of flavors. Some of these are safe for puppies, others are not. Still, they are made of mostly whole grain oats. So it is important that you check the ingredients first. To learn more about the flavor and serving ideas, keep reading!
Can I Give My Doggy Cheerios As A Regular Food or Treat?
Breakfast cereals made for humans may be healthy for them but in general, it is not the best thing to give to your mutt. The grains and carbs in them can lead to a urinary tract infection and possible allergic reaction.
Whole grain oats sound healthy and maybe for some humans, it is. However, it’s just empty calories for a pooch.
They may be used as a very sparing treat if Fido has no pertinent allergies (Cheerios are gluten-free) and not prone to urinary tract infections.
Flavors Of Cheerios Those Are Safe For Canines
Cheerios attempts to cater to many different tastes of the consumer by offering different flavors. Keep in mind, these foods were formulated for people, not dogs. They do try to make their cereals tasty and healthy, but they make their product with people in mind.
What’s good for a human may not necessarily be good for your four-legged friend. If you give your dog Cheerios at all, the original flavor is probably best. Even then, only as a training treat for a pup that’s been getting a little pudgy.
Are Honey Nut Cheerios Okay For Mutts?
It’s a honey of an O, but would it be for doggies? Honey seems healthier than refined sugar, but sugar is sugar. An ounce of Honey Nut Cheerios contains nine grams of sugar. It also contains “natural almond flavor” among the ingredients so don’t give them to a dog with a nut allergy.
Don’t give your fido too many of these in any case.
Read: Can Dogs Eat Raw, Fried Or Cooked Tofu?
Can Dogs Eat Banana Nut Cheerios?
If your furry friend likes bananas (mine sure didn’t!) and is not allergic to tree nuts a few Banana Nut Cheerios can be a treat. Keep in mind that too much banana can give a dog loose stools.
This cereal lists “natural pecan flavor” among the ingredients so do not give it to a dog with an allergy to tree nuts.
Can Pups Have Apple Cinnamon Cheerios?
Don’t feed your fido too many of these. While some dogs might like a little apple now and then (I had one that would steal apple cores out of the trash.) you should skip the cinnamon. Cinnamon is not good for your best little friend’s stomach.
Warning! What Type Of Flavours Or Types Are Not Dog-friendly?
Cheerios prides itself on no artificial flavors or colors. Cheerios uses only natural flavors in their fruit-flavored cereals in the form of fruit puree blended with the oats. Natural flavors are tastier and healthier but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically good for mutts.
In fact, some artificial flavors might be better for a dog than some natural flavors.
Can Dogs Eat Multi-grain Cheerios?
This sounds like the healthiest thing you could have for breakfast. It’s oats, corn, rice, millet, and sorghum. Grains are good for people but they’re not great for canines. In fact, the grain is a banned ingredient in commercial dog food packets.
Your dog should not eat multigrain cereal. You may be surprised to find out multigrain Cheerios have more sugar than plain Cheerios! Your little tail-wagger does not need much sugar.
Related Reading: 39 Healthy Homemade (Grain-Free) Dog Food Recipes Your Dog Will Love
Can My Fido Eat Chocolate Cheerios?
This is the perfect example of a natural flavor being bad for dogs. Real chocolate tastes much better than artificial chocolate. (I personally make it a point to insist only on the real stuff on my post-Easter chocolate run.)
However, the more theobromine chocolate has, the worse it is for the pooch! Cheerios makes no secret about using real cocoa, so do not give it to your dog.
Can Doggies Eat Cheerios And Milk?
Is your dog lactose intolerant? A lot of grown cats are but dogs usually don’t have a problem with it. It’s fattening so don’t give your dog too much milk. A lot of sugar and lactose in one go can make your bowwow very sick.
Are Frosted Cheerios Harmful To Mutts?
Some kids just won’t eat their oats unless they’re coated in sugar. Too much sugar is not good for people and it’s worse for dogs. It can really do a number on your little four-legged friend’s stomach.
The yogurt covered ones are high in both sugar and lactose so don’t give those to your dog either.
Can Pups Have Blueberry Cheerios Safely?
Blueberries are a superfood touted for their antioxidants and other healthy elements. They’re even good for dogs. Blueberry Cheerios are flavored with Blueberry Puree Concentrate and have no more sugar than regular Cheerios. It may be safe to give fido some of these once in a while.
He might like plain blueberries more. Freeze a few and put them in his water dish for a treat on a hot summer day.
Popular Read: 30 Simple Biscuit Recipes For Your Dogs
Do Cheerios Have Any Nutritional Value For Your Fido?
Cheerios likes to tout itself as healthy, to the point that in 2009 the FDA told them to either rein it in or apply for federal approval to sell their product as a drug. Some of the varieties have more sugar than is really good for a human.
Let’s have a look at the nutrition label. We will be looking at the flagship product, the plain original Cheerios that come in the yellow box.
We will also be looking at the “as packaged” listing.
Vitamins
Cheerios have Vitamins C, B6, A, B1, B12, E, and D3. The amount of B12 is somewhat high. Vitamin B12 helps to build up the red blood cells and prevents anemia. Vitamin B6 helps to turn food into energy.
Vitamin E was added as a natural preservative to ensure freshness but it can still have the usual benefits vitamin E provides such as healthy skin and eyes.
Fiber
A serving of Cheerios has four grams of dietary fiber and a gram of soluble fiber. Fiber Is also known as roughage and helps the digestive system stay clean and healthy. If your dog is a little constipated, a few Cheerios might help things along.
Iron
Cheerios have a good deal of iron; 12.6 milligrams. This is seventy percent of a human’s dietary requirements. Dogs require iron as well; about 0.5 milligrams for every kilogram of body weight.
Iron is good for the immune system and for helping the body regulate body temperature.
Calcium
The dry cereal by itself has 130 milligrams of calcium. This mineral is an essential nutrient for both humans and dogs. Adult pups need .6% of their total diet to be calcium. It should be balanced with phosphorus. Cheerios has some of that too.
Other Nutrients
Cheerios are also a significant source of zinc, thiamin, folic acid, magnesium, and several vitamins. With only two grams of sugars, it’s not as over-sweetened as other Cheerios flavors.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Cheerios For Dogs?
Very few. Grains are just filler in a dog’s diet and he doesn’t need much sugar. Dogs should be getting their nutrition from meat and vegetables.
If your dog has developed a taste for Cheerios (do you have a toddler who likes to share with her furry friend?) maybe use them as an odd reward in training or getting him to take medicine.
Check: Can Dogs Eat Cilantro Leaves, Seeds, And Coriander?
Are you going to offer Cheerios to your doggy?
Did you find the answers you were looking for in this article? I find that dogs will eat absolutely anything you put in their reach, as long as it’s not medicine. Then you have to make them eat it.
As the dog’s guardian, it is your job to make sure fido only eats things that are good for him. Cheerios, for the most part, are harmless as long as they don’t have chocolate or other ingredients that don’t agree with your dog’s system. However, they are not as healthy for dogs as they are for humans.
Please share this article if you liked it. If you’d like to know more about feeding Cheerios to your dog or just have other questions or feedback feel free to put it in the comments section below.
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