Can Dogs Eat Ritz Crackers?

Snacking on Ritz crackers on a fine evening, your dog comes with his puppy eyes, begging for just a tiny bite of your Ritz crackers.

You would want to oblige him and feed him some of it; it’s just Ritz crackers. Well, that’s fine, but the question is, is it safe? Can your dog eat Ritz crackers?

It is not safe for your dog to eat Ritz crackers for many reasons. In this article, you will find out why Ritz crackers are not safe for your dog, and we will also suggest some healthy alternatives that you can give to your dog instead of Ritz crackers. Read on!

Can Dogs Eat Ritz Crackers?

Ritz crackers can be harmful to your dog’s health. This human snack is packed with ingredients that are harmful to your dog when ingested in large quantities.

There are some nutritional values in Ritz crackers, but the side effects of the unsafe ingredients make these nutritional benefits inconsequential.

Even though a tiny bit of Ritz crackers might not pose any immediate threat to your dog, your dog is better off without having any of it.

Let’s get into more details about the nutritional values, ingredients, and side effects of Ritz crackers on dogs.

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Harmful Ingredients In Ritz Crackers

Before we discuss the harmful ingredients that are present in Ritz crackers that make them unsafe for doggy consumption, here is a list of all the ingredients contained in the snack:

Salt, corn syrup, high fructose, leavening ( calcium phosphate and baking soda), natural flavor, vegetable oil (palm oil, soybean, cottonseed oil, and canola oil), malted barley flour, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour), iron, folic acid, vitamin B1&B2, niacin and soy lecithin.

Now, let us examine these ingredients to determine which ones are toxic to dogs.

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour)

Unbleached enriched flour may not pose a threat to all dogs but is highly unadvised for dogs with wheat or gluten allergies as it can damage their GI tracts.

Other symptoms that a dog with a gluten allergy will show if he eats unbleached enriched flour include diarrhea, inflammation of the intestine, itchiness, severe ear infections, and degenerative hair and skin health.

This unbleached enriched flour is the most predominant of all the ingredients. However, other flour types like oat flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, and so on are safer options for dogs.

A good amount of the essential nutrients contained in the wheat flour were extracted. Vitamins B1&2, niacin, iron, and folic acid were all extracted from the wheat flour, hence the need to add them individually to the Ritz crackers. This wheat flour is not whole grain wheat.

Vegetable Oil

For doggy consumption, the only kinds of safe oil are fish oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Sadly, none of these oil types are used in making Ritz crackers.

On the contrary, the kinds of oils used to make Ritz oil are harmful and unsafe for your dog’s consumption and health.

The cottonseed oil used in Ritz crackers is only partially hydrogenated; this is unhealthy for your dog.

Other types of oil used to make Ritz crackers include palm oil, soybean (which can be dangerous for dogs with soy allergies), and canola oil, all of which are not safe for dog’s consumption and should be kept far from their reach.

Dogs with soy allergies will experience severe ear infections, poor hair health, vomiting, inflammation of the eyelids, diarrhea, itchiness, and skin pus resulting from skin infections.

Nutritional Values In Ritz Crackers

As we earlier mentioned, although it is not safe to feed your dog any Ritz crackers, if your dog happens to accidentally much on a Ritz cracker, he should be fine.

Even though Ritz crackers seem to have many toxic ingredients that are harmful to dogs, they also have some nutritional values beneficial to your dog’s growth and health. Here they are:

Each Ritz cracker (1 cracker) contains the following nutritional values

• Calories – 16cal; Calcium – 4mg; Total Fat – 0.9g; Saturated Fat – 0.2g; Iron – 0.2mg; Sodium – 21mg;
• Carbohydrate – 2g; Sugar – 0.2g; Potassium – 3mg; Protein – 0.2g
• In 5 crackers, i.e., 1 serving of Ritz crackers, the following are the nutritional values contained:
• Calories – 80cal; Calcium – 20mg; Total Fat – 4.5g; Saturated Fat – 1g; Iron – 1mg; Sodium – 105mg;
• Carbohydrate – 10g; Sugar – 1g; Potassium – 13mg; Protein – 1g

Note that one (1) Ritz cracker serving provides only 2% each of your dog’s daily iron and calcium requirements.

Dog-friendly Substitutes For Ritz Crackers

We have emphasized that Ritz crackers are not the healthiest snack option for dogs and so you should avoid feeding your dog any Ritz crackers.

For this reason, we have suggested some healthy alternatives to Ritz crackers that your dog can eat and enjoy. These alternatives are mostly whole-grain treats that contain low amounts of calories. They include:

Wholesome Pride Pet Treats: This treat is made from gluten-free sweet potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. It is 100% natural and healthy for your dog.

Halo Vegan Grain-Free Natural Dog Treats: This USA dog treats usually contains quinoa, sweet potato, and carrots in a pack (3 flavors in one bag). It is low in calories and satisfies your dog’s crunchy craving.

Cheesy Dog Snack: The cheddar cheese treat is naturally delicious, packed with protein and other essential minerals, and is a healthy choice for your dog.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Type Of Crackers Are Safe For Dogs?

Most crackers do not necessarily provide your dog with any nutritional benefits, so you can very well do without feeding your dog crackers.

However, if you must feed crackers to your dog, the safest type would be unsalted, plain crackers. Even though they are considered a safe option, they must still be given to your dog in small amounts, as moderation is key.

Can Dogs Have Ritz Crackers And Peanut Butter?

As long as it has been confirmed that Ritz crackers and peanut butter contain no harmful ingredients toxic to dogs, it is okay to feed your dog this crackers and peanut butter combination in moderate quantities.

A typical example of harmful ingredients that can be toxic to dogs is Xylitol sweetener. This ingredient is very dangerous to dogs’ health.

The bottom line is even though Ritz crackers may seem to you like a harmless snack, it is not the same for your dog. The food that may be good for you may cause serious health conditions for your dog.

If you used to feed your dog some Ritz crackers before now, you must stop now and begin to practice healthy feeding for you and your dog.