Can Dogs Eat Bagels? Is it Safe to Give Bagels to your Dog?

Many of you might wonder why someone needs to ask such a particular question about dogs having bagels. Well, this is a very legitimate question if you own a dog and you love having bagels for breakfast!

Imagine you are about to dig into your bagel with delicious toppings and your dog sits at your foot waiting to have a bite of your bagel. You might be tempted to give a chunk of your bagel for the sake of those anticipating eyes as you love your pet and you just cannot ignore those begging eyes! But wait, do you think that just a little bite will do no harm to your beloved pet?

‘Can dogs eat bagels’ is a question that needs to be answered in detail for anyone who owns a dog.  Therefore, we are here with all the information about bagels and their effects on a dog’s health. Stay with us as we give you all the details about this issue.

Bagels –  Not a good food for dogs

While you can feed your dog many foods that humans eat on daily basis, still there are many foods that you should avoid giving them at all. Bagels come in the latter category. The reason being, anything with white flour is bad for your dog. As bagels are usually made from white flour, so they are not considered a good food for dogs. In addition, there are many other reasons for bagels being bad for dogs’ health.

Many foods act as a poison for dogs and even an occasional exception can be dangerous for your pet. Sometimes we overlook that there are many added ingredients in a bagel that can have adverse effects on a dog’s health even in small quantities. 

So if you are wondering that can dogs eat bagel bites once in a while then you should think again. Be aware that poppy seeds, onions, and many herbs that are mostly present in bagels should not be given to dogs at any cost even in small quantities.

To elaborate on this point, why not talk about the bagels in a little more detail?!

What are bagels?

Let’s start with the composition of bagels. Bagel is a kind of bread made with white flour which is rich in carbohydrates and gluten. Carbohydrates contribute to obesity and are avoided by those who are looking to reduce their weight. Gluten contributes to a bloated feeling and many people are allergic to gluten. Gluten and carbohydrates both are bad for a dog’s health.

Many a time bagels come with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, herbs, etc. sprinkled on top which can cause serious health risks for your dog. Experts suggest not giving the following things to dogs if we care about our pets’ health.

• White flour
• Poppy seeds
• Onions
• Garlic
• Sesame seeds
• Herbs
• Lemons
• Salt 
• Jam
• And so many more

The above discussion makes it clear that bagels are a big No if you love your pet and are concerned about his health.

Why shouldn’t we give bagels to dogs?

A better way to explain can dogs eat bagels is by asking ourselves that should we feed bagels to our pets. White flour and gluten in bagels can make dogs sluggish and tired. These also cause obesity in dogs very quickly especially in breeds that are more prone to weight gain. This reason alone is enough to stop feeding bagels to the dogs. 

Obesity can lead to diabetes and heart disease in your pet which can be fatal. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet in dogs ensures good health and long life for them so feed your dog with foods that are of great nutritional value.

Bagel with toppings – Can a dog eat sesame seed bagel?

After reading the above information it feels a little awkward to answer this question. But as many people ask us that can a dog eat a bagel with toppings so here is our answer.

Bagels with toppings are even worse than a plain bagel for your dog.

Mostly, people buy sesame seed bagels or bagels with any other toppings for themselves but end up feeding these to their dogs. We understand that at times it is so convenient to just feed your dog with whatever you have available in your pantry. But now we know that many bagel toppings are bad for a dog’s health. So, we can make an informed decision about not to feed our dog with bagels especially with poppy seeds and sesame seeds.

What about plain bagels?

But still, many people wonder about feeding plain bagels to their canines. What if it is just a plain bagel? Can dog eat bagel that is plain without any topping?

To be honest, a plain bagel just looks plain but it has many ingredients in the dough that are bad for a dog’s health. It may have onion, tomato paste, garlic, etc. which is not visible but can have severe implications for a dog.

So, if the bagels don’t have seeds or herbs sprinkled on top can dogs eat plain bagels then?

The answer is still a NO!

Lessons learned

We might think that an occasional chunk of bagel will do no harm to our pet but what is the use of giving your dog something that is of no nutritional value to him?

On the contrary, this can develop a bad habit of asking for a bite every time you sit to eat your bagel. Therefore, it is better to not give in to your dog’s begging. Rather train him to eat his food at specific times which is far better for both the pet and the owner’s sake.

The same goes for can little dogs eat bagels curiosity. Developing healthy eating habits in puppies will make them grow into well-behaved pets with a healthy lifestyle.

We hope that this article on ‘Can dogs eat bagels’ has answered your queries and increased your knowledge about feeding human foods to dogs.