It’s tough to say no to our dogs.
They use those beady eyes to stare up at you from under the table.
All you want to do is break off a piece of whatever you’re eating and award your furry friend.
We also know that most human foods aren’t safe for animal consumption.
But what about pizza crust?
Can dogs eat pizza crust? Unlike chocolate, pizza crust won’t immediately poison your dog.
Over-eating human foods is where the problem lies.
Overeating human food, like pizza or any processed meal, can result in excessive weight gain and related health problems like diabetes.
Sure, one little piece might not hurt at first.
But keep feeding your dog the ends of your pizza, and it will dramatically impact their life.
Will Pizza Crust Hurt Your Dog?
To honestly answer this question, we need to break the pizza crust into its simplest components.
Pizza dough’s ingredients are yeast, water, eggs, salt, flour, and oil.
Other than the eggs and the water, none of those things have nutritional value for your dog.
They also aren’t immediately poisonous.
It’s safe for your dog to eat pizza crust, but overeating these ingredients will lead to problems for your dog in the long run.
Pizza dough is full of fat and carbs that might be tasty but will also lead to significant weight gain.
Depending on the strength of your dog’s stomach, they can also experience digestive problems after eating pizza crust.
Their bodies don’t process human food well, leading to things like increased flatulence, constipation, and diarrhea.
How Often Can You Feed Your Dog Pizza Crust?
The answer to this question depends on the relationship you want to have with your dog.
Sure, one piece of pizza crust will not hurt your dog in any way.
If you expanded this idea to one piece every month, again, it wouldn’t result in any serious weight gain.
Feeding your dog any pizza crust will make you want pizza crust every time you eat pizza.
Dogs have a strong memory for smells, and if they get a taste for pizza, it will quickly become their favorite meal.
By giving them pizza crust, you will get a begging dog every time the pizza guy shows up.
The safest thing to do is not feed your dog human food at all.
Dogs will already be attracted to the smells.
If you can avoid giving them food from a young age, eventually they will lose interest and just focus on what’s in their bowl.
If you’re more curious about your dog eating too much pizza crust in one sitting, a small crumb or the end of a slice will not hurt them.
More than that, it has a high chance of digestive problems.
Your dog also does not know when to stop eating.
Overfilling their stomach has its own negative results.
Can Dogs Eat Pizza?
The rest of the pizza is even worse for your dogs than the crust.
Pizza’s interior has many ingredients like pizza sauce and cheese and some toppings that can be toxic to dogs.
If you want to give your dog part of a pizza, stick to the crust.
It’s the safest option.
Some parts of a pizza will just upset your dog’s digestive system.
Others can cause direct damage to their internal organs.
If your dog just ate a whole pizza, look at our list of ingredients below to see which ones you need to look out for.
Ingredients in Pizza that are Toxic for Dogs
You can find all of these ingredients in pizza, and they can seriously hurt your dog.
Garlic and Onions
One of the most toxic ingredients in Pizza is garlic and onions.
Pizzerias commonly use them as toppings and ingredients for the sauce.
It’s a common myth that raw onions are dangerous while cooked are not.
Onions and their garlic cousins are toxic to dogs, along with shallots, leeks, and chives.
These ingredients are at their most potent when in a dried powder version.
Before feeding your dog any kind of human food, you should check the ingredients because garlic or onion powder will lead to a severe condition in your dog called onion toxicity.
Some of the common symptoms of onion toxicity are weakness, loss of appetite, fainting, pale gums, red urine, weakness, and lethargy.
At its most severe, you can also see vomiting, elevated heart rate, and increased panting.
Spices
Some pizzas come with irritating spices like red and black pepper.
Others can have cayenne or chili powder as an ingredient.
While many people love spicy food, you should not share it with your dog if you got a spicy pizza.
It will cause them irritation, burning, and an upset stomach.
Other Ingredients that Cause Obesity and Digestive Problems
The rest of pizza’s ingredients aren’t much better.
Most dogs are lactose intolerant, so cheese is a bad idea.
Pizza sauce contains vinegar and tomato paste which are too acidic for your dog’s stomach.
Oil, processed meat, and salt also negatively impact the animal’s blood pressure and fat levels.
Healthy Human Foods you can Feed Your Dog
Feeding your dog bread isn’t a good idea.
There are human foods that are ok to give your dog as a treat.
Ready about healthy foods you can include in your dog’s diet below.
Apples
If you’re looking for a sweet treat to feed your dog, then try an apple.
Just make sure to cut it up into small pieces at first, so they don’t choke on the core.
Apples are high in fiber and carbohydrates, which will aid their digestive system and give them energy.
Apples have lots of vitamin C and other nutrients, but not many that are beneficial for dogs.
They serve better as a treat than a regular meal item.
Carrots
To prepare carrots for your dog, first, you should peel them.
Then cut the carrot into semi-thick strips to look like a chew toy or a dental bone.
The first great thing carrots do for dogs is clean their teeth.
The tough fibers of the vegetable help collect plaque from their teeth and gums.
Chewing on a carrot once a week will keep their teeth clean and their breath from smelling too bad.
They are also low in carbs and contain vitamin A.
Vitamin A is one of the best nutrients you can give your dog as it helps with bone health, reproduction, and the immune system.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is one of the most fun treats you can give your dog.
It’s also incredibly entertaining to watch them try and lick it off the roof of their mouth.
Just make sure it’s unsalted and unsweetened, preferably organic.
It can be beneficial for dogs in moderation due to its high protein content.
Protein is excellent for dog muscle growth.
Peanut butter also contains vitamins B and E and some healthy fats.
Conclusion
It’s never a good idea to feed your dog cooked human food.
The ingredients involved are almost always too diverse, and one of them is bound to hurt your pup more than help it.
If you want to give your dog part of a pizza, then the crust is the safest option, but we still advise against it.
Instead, try one of the healthy items we recommended above next time you want to reward your dog.