Dogs are known to be the first-ever animals to be domesticated by humans around 30,000 years ago.The human-dog bond began when hunter-gatherers took dogs along with them on their journeys and fed them what they ate. This pattern continued and dogs soon became part of our households.Living with humans for such a long period of time, dogs have become used to eating human food, but with the development of technology, it was discovered that the salt and sugar levels in some of the foods that dogs ate were not healthy. This led to the invention of specialized dog food, which had a number of health benefits for dogs as it was created keeping the health of dogs in mind. Living with humans, dogs have a snack or treat every once in a while. This might not be the healthiest and should not be a part of its long-term diet but an occasional treat is not something bad as a general rule. Crackers are a common snack for us humans and can be offered to our pet dog once in a while. However, this would not be considered as a healthy cracker to offer, but it will not be extremely harmful to consume. Ritz Crackers, in particular, and all other cracker brands, in general, contain carbohydrates and fat in them with not a lot of nutritional value. It might not be the best decision to feed saltine crackers to pet dogs on a regular basis.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about can dogs eat steak and can dogs eat soybeans here on Kidadl?What kind of crackers can dogs eat?The wide variety of crackers that are available in the market make it difficult to answer in one word if dogs can have crackers or not. Crackers which have dog-safe ingredients and are not excessively high in sugar and salt can be consumed by dogs as a treat. Many crackers also contain high amounts of carbohydrates and gluten which can often lead to allergic reactions in dogs. Additionally, the high carbohydrate and fat content can also be a reason for weight gain in dogs which can further lead to a number of health issues.Let us take a look at some common cracker types and see which ones our pet dogs are able to eat. Saltine crackers are one of the most common types of crackers in our cupboards, however they are not very safe for dogs owing to the high salt content. Consuming high amounts of salt can lead to sodium ion poisoning and some other complications as well, so it is best if dogs eat these crackers only once a week in small quantities. Some of the other crackers your pup can have as a treat include Club Crackers, Ritz Crackers, plain Wheat Thins, and Goldfish Crackers. All these crackers, especially Goldfish Crackers, should be fed in very small amounts only as treats as excessive consumption can turn out to be dangerous due to the high salt content and amount of carbohydrates.Are cheese crackers safe for your pup?There are a number of cracker brands in the market that produce cheese crackers, a popular one being Ritz Cheese Crackers. Cheese crackers although aren’t exactly toxic for an animal like a dog, it is better to exclude cheese crackers from a dog’s diet.There are a number of ingredients in a cheese cracker that are potentially harmful to an animal, and these include the likes of salt, palm oil, sugar, milk, and wheat. All these items are known to cause allergic reactions in a pup. It is better if you refrain from the use of these treats and rather use some other type of cracker as a snack for your pup. However, if you have tested your dog for potential allergies to these ingredients, then your dog can eat cheese crackers once in a while in small quantities.Can dogs eat Ritz Crackers with peanut butter?Your dog can have normal Ritz Crackers once in a while, perhaps once a week. However, your pet should be given these crackers in small quantities, otherwise these crackers could affect its health. Eating too many crackers could also cause a change of taste. However, as soon as Ritz Cracker treats are combined with peanut butter, the pup is now in danger.A combination of Ritz Crackers and peanut butter is pretty high in carbohydrates, fats, and sodium signaling that it would affect a dog’s health adversely both in the long term, as well as, in the short term. The Ritz Cracker should never become a part of the dog’s staple diet. Serving this treat once in a while would keep the fat composition of your dog in check and also keep its morale high with the taste of peanut butter.How can I feed my dog Ritz Crackers?Before we discuss how Ritz Crackers should be fed to a pet dog, let us first take a look at what do these Ritz Crackers contain. Dogs enjoy the taste of Ritz Crackers and the change in taste it brings to them is a positive as well but its composition might be a potential red flag for your dog’s health.Ritz Crackers contain 0.38 oz (11 g) of carbohydrates which in the first instance might not seem a lot, but dogs consume the majority of their carbs from their staple dog food and meat. The extra carbohydrates from these crackers could be a concern. Serving these Ritz Crackers also means an increased amount of fat, salt, and sugar in your dog’s diet which isn’t actually required. Although on a positive note, these crackers also contain protein, calcium, and iron, however, it still isn’t enough to include the food in the diet of a dog. The best way to feed these crackers is to offer them as occasional treats. The salt, sugar, and sodium levels stay in a check this way, and your dog’s health is maintained.Are Ritz Crackers bad for my dog?Ritz Crackers can be considered bad or harmful for dogs only when they are consumed in a large quantity. Crackers cannot be considered toxic when they are consumed in small amounts. The salt, sugar, and sodium present in these crackers start to have a negative impact on the health of a dog when eaten in large quantities.Serving these crackers for a change in taste in small amounts, for instance once a week, will also keep your dog in check. Additionally, Ritz Crackers can be toxic to a dog when it is suffering from a gluten or wheat or soy allergy which can be common among dogs.Other Treat Options For Your DogRather than feeding crackers that can upset the sugar, salt, sodium levels of your animal, there is a variety of other treat options that will equally entertain your dog. These foods are treats and should be consumed in control.Apples, green peas, carrots, watermelon, green beans, bananas, broccoli, cooked sweet potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, and cooked squash are some of the other snacks which are healthier than crackers and will also reduce the carb intake of your dog.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for can dogs eat Ritz Crackers then why not take a look at can dogs eat tumeric or St Bernard dog facts?
Dogs are known to be the first-ever animals to be domesticated by humans around 30,000 years ago.
