Can Dogs Eat Vanilla Wafers

Many dog owners wonder if it is okay to feed their dogs with vanilla wafers since they enjoy eating it themselves but are not sure of the implications of feeding it to a dog. Can dogs eat vanilla wafers? Continue reading this post for the answer you seek.

Well, your guess is as good as mine. Vanilla wafers are not healthy for your dog and so you should certainly avoid feeding it to your dog, even if he begs so hard for it. Vanilla wafers have loads of sugar in them, which could pose a threat to your dog’s health and lead to health issues in your dog.

As we progress in this article, you would find out why Vanilla wafers are not the best for dog and some healthy, dog-friendly substitutes for vanilla wafers.

Vanilla wafer is a food made specifically for human consumption, especially for someone with a sweet tooth. This means that it contain ingredients that are suited for the human body and not for your dog’s consumption. ‘

Food substances made specifically for dog consumption contain healthy nutrients that are suitable for your dog such as vegetables, minerals, fruits, water, nutrients, minimal amount of fatty content and carbohydrates.

As you must have observed, sugar does not make the list of healthy nutrients for your dog’s consumption. This is because sugar already makes the list of ingredients that are toxic and harmful for dogs. Unfortunately, it is the main component of vanilla wafers.

Ingredients Contained In Vanilla Wafers

Although there are some ingredients that are unique to some producers of vanilla wafers, the basic ingredients remain the same for every production company. Below are the basic ingredients used in making vanilla wafers.

Flour, oil, sugar, salt, vanilla flavor, eggs, milk and baking powder.

Some ingredients that are also added to the list to make vanilla wafers in some production companies are, Sodium bicarbonate. Artificial flavors. Corn syrup. Calcium phosphate and Emulsifiers.

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Effects Of Vanilla Wafers On Dogs

The effects of feeding vanilla wafers to your dog, based on the ingredients used in making these vanilla wafers are as follows:

Baking soda: Consuming too much vanilla wafers would mean consuming excess baking soda which is toxic to your dog’s health and can cause the following symptoms:

Lethargy, diarrhea, muscle tremors, vomiting, etc.

Oils: An excessive consumption of oil increases your dog’s cholesterol level and causes heart disease; by extension, leads to death.

Sugar: Consuming too much sugar can cause diabetes, obesity, stomach upset or pancreatitis in your dog. Avoid feeding your dog too much vanilla wafers and most certainly, do not feed your dog sugar vanilla wafers.

Corn syrup: Corn syrup, although not a toxic ingredient in itself, contains high amount of sugar which make sit harmful to your dog’s health when consumed in large quantity.

Sodium bicarbonate: Sodium bicarbonate is a toxic ingredient contained in Vanilla wafers. Consuming it in excess can also cause diarrhea, vomiting and labored breathing.

Flour: Dogs that have flour allergies should not be given vanilla wafers at all. Although most dogs (except those with gluten allergies) feed on wheat flour, they should not be given plain flour as the one used in making vanilla wafers.

Fats: Fats have high levels of calories and cholesterol, which might be detrimental to your dog’s health, especially if your dog is not one to expend and burn out accumulated energy and fats.

Artificial flavors: One of the artificial ingredients used by a number of companies is xylitol. This is a very harmful substance for your dog and its intake is highly advised against. Consuming xylitol in any quantity could cause the following for your dog:

Liver failure, low blood sugar and in extreme cases, death.

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Symptoms Associated With Eating Excess Vanilla Wafers

Consuming vanilla wafers in excess quantities could cause stomach related issues for your dog and could very well damage his health. Some of the symptoms associated with feeding on excess vanilla wafers are:

Hormonal Imbalance
Obesity.
Diarrhea
Extra large appetite for food.
Dehydration.
Depression.
Vomiting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can Dogs Have Pancakes With Vanilla Extracts?

Vanilla extract has alcohol content in it and for this reason, you should not give your dog any pancake that has vanilla extract in it. As a matter of fact, you should not feed your dog pancakes that have any vanilla in them as the ingredients contained in vanilla are toxic and could be hazardous to your dog’s health.

Asides pancakes, you should not feed your dog any food that contains vanilla extracts and most of all, avoid adding any kind of flavors or additives to your dog’s meal.

Is Vanilla Ice Cream Okay For Dogs?

Generally, ice cream is not totally safe for your dog’s consumption, whatever the flavor it is. However, a little lick of your vanilla ice cream should not bring your dog any harm. Consuming it in excess would be the genesis of any health issue that would arise in your dog.

Can Dogs Eat Vanilla YOGURT?

As a result of the high sugar content in vanilla, vanilla yogurts will contain more sugar than necessary and might not be too healthy for your dog.

Although a little serving of vanilla yogurt should not be harmful to your dog, he is most certainly better off having plain yogurts as this retains its nutritional benefits to your dog, without any contrasting element in it. Greek yogurt is also a better alternative to vanilla yogurt.

In addition to this, xylitol might be present in some vanilla yogurts and this ingredient is highly toxic and harmful to your dog.

Is There A Substitutes For Vanilla Wafers?

Some healthier alternatives to vanilla wafers for your dog would be dog-friendly wafer cookies, made specifically for dog’s consumption, homemade vanilla wafers for your dog, other food or treats covered with vanilla scent, etc.

What Happens If Dogs Eat Vanilla?

A few bites of vanilla wafers should not harm your dog but in the event that your dog consumes excess vanilla wafers and begins to show symptoms associated with over feeding on some of the ingredients contained in the vanilla wafers, ensure to consult your vet immediately.

Symptoms can start out mildly but worsen as the time goes by so the earlier you paid your vet doctor that visit, the better for your dog.

Conclusion

Vanilla wafers do not provide any health benefits to your dog. Majority of the ingredients contained in vanilla wafers are not dog-friendly and so, are unsafe for your dog’s consumption.

If your dog so happens to eat some vanilla wafers accidentally or without your knowledge, it would be wise to consult your vet doctor for professional advice and tests where necessary.