Are Cinnamon Dog Treats Safe for Dogs?
In small amounts baked into your dog’s treats, cinnamon can be safe and even beneficial because of the nutrients it contains. Cinnamon is known for these health benefits:
If you plan to give cinnamon to your dog, consult first with your veterinarian about proper portions and whether it’s best for your individual dog.
Typically, the main health claim that dog treat manufacturers emphasize when using cinnamon is the antioxidant benefit. Here are a few dog treats that contain cinnamon:
Can Dogs Eat Cinnamon Rolls or Cinnamon Bread?
Although a little cinnamon may be beneficial for your dog, feeding them your sweet cinnamon-baked human treats is not. All the fat, sugar, and butter in cinnamon rolls and bread is not healthy for your dog. And other added ingredients such as nutmeg, raisins, and xylitol are toxic to dogs.
Even without the toxic ingredients, eating things that are high in fats, sugar, and butter—especially when fed regularly over time—can cause health issues in dogs, including:
Store-bought cinnamon applesauce could be okay, depending on the ingredients, but watch the sugar content. It’s not toxic if it only has apples, water, ascorbic acid, cinnamon, and no added sugar. But check the label carefully, as some could contain unhealthy or toxic ingredients for your dog, such as xylitol or nutmeg.
If you’ve made your own applesauce from whole apples and you add a very small amount of cinnamon, this would be safe for your dog.
Food allergies come from repeated exposure over time, so it’s rare for a dog to be allergic to cinnamon, but not impossible.
No, you should not give your dog cereal that contains cinnamon. There is quite a bit of sugar in most breakfast cereals, as well as other additives and preservatives that might be unhealthy or dangerous for your dog to eat.
Cooking plain oatmeal and adding a very small amount of cinnamon should be safe for your dog. However, typical store-bought cinnamon oatmeal that comes in ready-to-make packages typically contains a lot of sugar, preservatives, and other additives that aren’t healthy for your dog.
Some brands list part of their ingredients as “cinnamon and other spices.” This means there could be nutmeg in the oatmeal, which is toxic to dogs.
No. Snickerdoodle cookies have way too much sugar, butter, and fats that make them unhealthy for dogs to eat. Some snickerdoodle cookies may even contain nutmeg or xylitol, which are both toxic to dogs.
No, dogs should not be eating cinnamon sugar, especially in large amounts. This is unhealthy for them, may upset their stomachs, and could cause numerous health problems if fed regularly over time.
Can Dogs Have Too Much Cinnamon?
The Pet Poison Helpline warns that if your dog inhales cinnamon powder, the substance will irritate their lungs and cause coughing, choking, and difficulty breathing. Though some cinnamon powder is OK for dogs in most cases, steer away from cinnamon sticks. The cinnamon stick form of cinnamon could cause stomach and mouth irritation.