You probably have Oreo cookies sitting around on the kitchen counter or on the dining room table and your dog just ate one. Will your dog be fine? Is there chocolate in Oreos that is potentially dangerous to dogs? In this article, we’ll discuss in-depth whether dogs can eat these sweet cookies. Here’s the short answer first.
Can dogs eat Oreos? No, dogs should not eat Oreos. Oreos contain chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Although there’s not enough chocolate in Oreos to cause chocolate poisoning in dogs, it’s still wise not to feed your dogs any food that contains even a small amount of toxic ingredients. Additionally, Oreos have high sugar content which can cause diabetes in dogs.
Table of Contents
Can dogs have Oreos?
No, dogs should not have Oreos. To fully understand why dogs should avoid Oreos at all costs, let’s take a look at what Oreos are and the ingredients in Oreos.
What are Oreos?
Oreos or Oreo cookies have been America’s favorite cookie snack for more than a century. While Oreos pair very well with cold milk, many enjoy eating the cookies as-is since they are delicious and crunchy.
Oreo is a cookie sandwich made of two chocolate wafers. In between the wafers, you’ll find a white creme filling that is very sweet.
The two wafers of the Oreo cookies aren’t necessarily always chocolate. If you choose to go with Golden Oreos, then the two wafers are vanilla-flavored with the classic Oreo white creme filling in between.
What are Oreos made of?
Before you feed your canine friends Oreos, it’s important to take a look at the ingredients. This goes with any food you plan to feed your pooch. Let’s take a look at the ingredients in Oreos and see if they are safe for dogs to eat.
Ingredients in Oreos
- Unbleached enriched flour: Wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid.
- Sugar.
- Palm and/or canola oil.
- Cocoa (processed with alkali).
- High fructose corn syrup.
- Leavening: Baking soda and/or calcium phosphate.
- Cornstarch.
- Salt.
- Soy lecithin.
- Vanillin – an artificial flavor.
- Chocolate.
Are Oreos bad for dogs?
Yes, Oreos are bad for dogs, and pet owners should avoid giving their canine friends Oreos as a treat.
Let’s take a look at the nutritional profile of one Oreo cookie and then take a look at each of the ingredients in Oreos.
Nutritional Profile of Oreos (1 cookie or 11.3 grams)
| Name, Unit | Amount |
| Calories, cal | 53.3 |
| Total Fat, g | 2.3 |
| Saturated Fat, g | 0.7 |
| Sodium, mg | 45 |
| Total Carbohydrates, g | 8.3 |
| Dietary Fiber, g | 0.3 |
| Sugar, g | 4.7 |
| Protein, g | 0.3 |
| Potassium, mg | 18.3 |
Now, if we take a look at the ingredients in Oreos, we can quickly see that there are a few ingredients that are harmful to dogs.
Let’s dive deeper and see why you shouldn’t feed your furry pooch Oreos.
Unbleached enriched flour in Oreos is unnecessary in your dog’s diet
The unbleached enriched flour used to make Oreos is not healthy for doggy consumption. You’ll want to go with whole wheat flour instead.
Be sure that your canine family members are not allergic to wheat or gluten products. If they are, avoid feeding them Oreos.
Alternatively, if you would like to make doggy treats for your pooch, you can use amaranth flour instead. Amaranth is not a grain and it is not gluten. It’s packed full of protein and dietary minerals and extremely beneficial to your dogs’ health.
Too much sugar in Oreos is harmful to your dog’s health
In just one Oreo cookie, there are 4.7 grams of sugar! That is a lot of sugar that our canine friends do not need. Generally, our dogs do not need sugar found in candies or sweets, or human food like Oreos.
Instead, their bodies should naturally receive sugar from the carbohydrates in their regular dog food. When dogs eat their regular meal, the carbohydrates from their food get broken down into glucose or sugar and their bodies use the sugar from the carbs to operate and live.
If you allow your pooch to eat just one Oreo cookie, that means they’re exceeding their sugar intake by 4.7 grams and that’s 4.7 grams too much sugar.
Too much sugar consumption is harmful to your dog’s health.
First, your furry friends may have an upset stomach since too much sugar consumption can disrupt the micro-organism balance that is necessary to digest food in their gut. As a result, your K9 friends may vomit or have bloody and explosive diarrhea.
Second, like us, dogs will also have dental issues. When dogs munch on food with sugar, the sugar gets stuck on their teeth. The bacteria in their mouth then use the sugar to produce acids. The acid will then destroy their enamel, which is the outer coating of their teeth. This will lead to tooth decay and cavities.
Third, too much sugar consumption will cause weight gain in dogs. Sugar is considered empty calories because there’s no nutritional benefit from consuming sugar other than increasing your dog’s calories.
If your pooch consumes too much sugar, he may get obese and this can lead to health issues such as joint problems, heart disease, lethargy, and breathing difficulty. In fact, according to Banfield Pet Hospital, one in four dogs is obese.
Fourth, consuming too much sugar disrupts your dog’s metabolism. The dog’s metabolism changes and affects the hormones in his body. As a result, your pup may start to store fat, no longer have muscle tone, and may become weak.
Lastly, your canine friends will start to develop Type II diabetes and may even have pancreatitis.
High fructose corn syrup in Oreos is sugar that dogs don’t need
As we can see, dogs do not need sugar in their daily diet and owners should avoid feeding their dogs sugar. Since high fructose corn syrup is also sugar, this makes Oreos harmful to four-legged friends.
Fun Fact: Animal crackers also contain many of the same ingredients used to make Oreos. So are animal crackers safe for doggy consumption? Check out Can Dogs Eat Animal Crackers? to find out!
Palm and canola oil in Oreos is not the best type of oil for dogs
Oreos uses both palm and canola oil. Be careful with commercial food like Oreos that contains palm oil. While palm oil in its pure form is fine for doggy consumption, oftentimes, this oil can be contaminated with other toxins as well as fuel waste and in solid form, this oil can be toxic to dogs.
While canola oil isn’t toxic to dogs, it’s not the healthiest oil for our furry friends. Canola oil doesn’t contain natural fat either.
The best oil for your dogs are:
- Olive oil.
- Fish oil.
- Flaxseed oil.
- Sunflower oil.
- Coconut oil.
Cocoa processed with alkali in Oreos isn’t as healthy as regular cocoa powder
It’s important to note that dogs should not have cocoa powder or chocolate. Because Oreos contain cocoa, it’s best not to feed them to your canine friends.
There are some that say there’s not enough chocolate or cocoa in Oreos to make them dangerous for our furry friends. However, it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid feeding your pooch any food that contains cocoa or chocolate.
The cocoa in Oreos is processed with alkali. This means that some of the good chemical substance found in regular cocoa powder has been removed, which makes cocoa processed with alkali unhealthy and another reason why you should avoid feeding your pooch Oreos.
You’ll want to stick to regular cocoa powder because it contains the chemical substance that provides cardiovascular health benefits and avoid cocoa processed with alkali since there are no health benefits from it.
Chocolate in Oreos is extremely toxic to dogs
Chocolate is one of the ingredients in Oreos, which is why it’s best to avoid feeding your furry family members Oreos. But, do Oreos have real chocolate? Yes, Oreos do contain real chocolate and contain a larger amount of cocoa, which is the main ingredient for making chocolate in Oreos.
Many would argue that there’s not enough chocolate in Oreos to make them harmful to dogs, but if you’d like to avoid the massive headache that comes from your pooch having chocolate poisoning or getting hit with an emergency vet bill, it’s best to simply keep chocolate away from your canine friends.
We highly recommend that you do not feed your four-legged friends food that contains chocolate – even if it contains a very small amount of chocolate.
That’s because chocolate contains a substance that is dangerous to dogs called theobromine. While it is no problem for us to digest theobromine, the same can’t be said for our furry pals. Our dogs have a difficult time digesting theobromine.
If you accidentally give your dogs too much Oreos or too much chocolate, they may experience the following symptoms of chocolate poisoning.
- Loose, bloody, or explosive diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
- Extreme thirst leads to frequent urination.
- Restlessness.
- Panting or breathing heavily.
- Muscle spasms.
- Increase heart rate.
- Seizure (in severe cases).
So, can dogs die from eating Oreos? Yes, dogs can die from eating Oreos. If you suspect your pooch ingested chocolate, it can be lethal and your pooch may die from it.
You’ll want to contact your vet immediately if your pooch consumes any food that contains chocolate and rushes him to the veterinary hospital right away.
You might also like: Can Dogs Eat Reese’s Pieces?
Do Oreos have chocolate?
As we can see, yes, Oreos do have chocolate. Oreos contain both cocoa processed with alkali and chocolate.
So, are Oreos chocolate?
Yes, the classic Oreos do contain chocolate. Is the Oreo cookie chocolate? Yes, the Oreo cookie sandwich is made of two chocolate wafers so it makes the Oreo cookie chocolate.
If you choose other Oreos variety such as Golden Oreos, then those do not contain chocolate.
How much chocolate is in an Oreo?
If you’re wondering, “how much chocolate is in an Oreo cookie?” you’ll want to know the following:
- Oreo cookies contain 2.4 mg/oz of theobromine.
So yes, Oreos does contain caffeine. A healthy 50-pound dog may start to show symptoms after consuming 450 mg of methylxanthine per pound.
Do Oreos have caffeine and how much caffeine in Oreos? Oreo cookies also contain .85 mg/oz of caffeine.
Too much salt consumption can cause sodium poisoning in dogs
In one Oreo cookie, there is 45 mg of sodium. Although this does not seem like much to us, it is considered a lot of salt for our furry friends. In general, our furry friends should only have about 0.25 to 1.5 grams of salt for every 100 grams of food.
Too much sodium consumption can lead to sodium ion poisoning. Signs of salt poisoning include:
- Extreme thirst leads to frequent urination.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Loss of appetite.
- Lack of coordination.
- Confusion.
- Convulsions.
- Muscle tremors.
- Body weakness.
- Muscle weakness.
- Lethargy.
- Seizures (in severe cases).
- Coma (in severe cases).
Vanillin in Oreos is an artificial flavor that is not healthy for dogs
Oreos uses an artificial vanilla flavor called vanillin. Vanillin is a chemical compound that comes from vanilla bean extract. It’s used as a flavoring agent in sweet food such as Oreos and other sweet cookies.
However, the vanillin in Oreos is artificial which means that it is synthetically produced. In fact, 99% of the vanillin used in food today does not come from vanilla beans.
So when you see vanillin, an artificial flavor, in the ingredients, you’ll want to avoid feeding the Oreos to your pooch.
Are Oreos safe for dogs?
No, Oreos are not safe for dogs. Taking a look at the ingredients, it’s best to keep Oreos away from our canine friends.
Are Oreos poisonous to dogs?
Yes, Oreos are poisonous to dogs. Oreos contain chocolate, cocoa that has been processed with alkali, and vanillin that is an artificial flavor. Also, Oreos are high in sodium, sugar, and carbohydrates, all of which are harmful to our canine friends.
Due to this, it’s best to keep Oreos away from dogs.
It’s important to note that no two dogs are the same. One dog may react negatively after eating one Oreo cookie while another dog may not react at all.
Can dogs eat Golden Oreos?
No, dogs should not eat Golden Oreos. Golden Oreos are also known as white Oreos or vanilla Oreos. No matter which name you give them, they are not healthy for our canine friends.
If you’re wondering, “is there chocolate in Golden Oreos?” or “do Golden Oreos have chocolate?” the answer is no, there’s no chocolate in Golden Oreos.
Here are the ingredients in Golden Oreos:
- Unbleached enriched flour: wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid.
- Sugar.
- Canola and/or palm oil.
- High fructose corn syrup.
- Salt.
- Baking soda.
- Soy lecithin.
- Artificial flavor.
- Natural flavor.
While Golden Oreos are much safer for dogs to eat than the regular classic Oreos, it’s still a good idea to avoid feeding your dog Golden Oreos.
My dog ate an Oreo, what do I do?
If your dog ate one Oreo cookie, they should be fine. However, if they consume large quantities of Oreos, be sure to contact your vet right away. Eating more than one Oreo cookie puts your pooch at risk of an upset stomach or chocolate toxicity.
Oreos are high in sugar, fats, and carbs so eating too many Oreo cookies can lead to painful health issues such as pancreatitis in dogs.
Can dogs eat Oreo ice cream?
No, dogs should not eat Oreo ice cream. We’ve determined in our article so far that dogs should stay away from Oreos. Ice cream, no matter which flavor, is also bad for dogs. It’s a sweet treat that is unhealthy for our canine friends.
Thus, dogs should also stay away from ice cream. The amount of sugar in ice cream can lead to obesity and diabetes in dogs. Since ice cream is a dairy product, dogs that are lactose intolerant may experience symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or upset stomach.
So, can dogs eat Oreos?
Hopefully, this article helped answer your question on can dogs eat Oreo cookies. There are many healthy doggy snacks and treats to give your canine friends instead of Oreos.
We highly recommend that owners avoid feeding their furry pals Oreos as these sweet cookies contain ingredients that are harmful, if not toxic, to dogs such as cocoa processed with alkali and chocolate.
Also, Oreo cookies are high in sugar, fats, salt, and carbs. Stay strong and try not to share Oreos with your furry pooch even if they beg you with their sad puppy eyes.
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The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding dietary needs.
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Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreo
With over five years of specialized experience as an animal writer, my expertise lies in dog nutrition, health, behavior, grooming, and training. I am dedicated to delivering helpful and informative content that caters to the well-being of our furry friends. My primary goal is to empower pet owners with knowledge and ensure our canine companions thrive in health and happiness. In my free time, I love volunteering at local dog rescue centers.
