Ooooo I love chasing these little ‘O’s across the kitchen floor! They roll away from me most of the time, but I always catch them!
Sometimes my little hooman drops them off his tall chair and I catch them. You’d think the big hoomans would be grateful for the help cleaning up but most of the time they shoo me away.
They also don’t let me eat the soggy ones out of the bowls they leave on the table. I mean, come on Karen! If you didn’t want me to eat it, don’t leave it where my snoot can sniff it!
I figured the hoomans just wanted to keep the tasty cereal for themselves, so I did some dog-tective work on the internet.
It turns out, Cheerios aren’t toxic! They won’t hurt me if I gobble them up from the floor or hunt down the stray ‘O’s in the kitchen.
Another great thing about Cheerios is that they are super low in sugar, so we won’t get bad tummies or zoomies from eating them.
The problem is that they’re not really useful to dogs.
They don’t contain any of the nutrients we need to be happy and healthy. That means that if we fill up on Cheerios, we won’t have room to eat the food that actually gives us energy, vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional necessities.
I guess, feeding us Cheerios is a bit like when kids fill up on chips before dinner. It won’t hurt us once in a while but long term it’s a bad idea.
I suppose the takeaway is don’t worry if we sneak the odd hoop but don’t make it our main source of food or treats.
Can Dogs Have Milk?
I used to love milk as a pup but as I got older, it started doing funny things to my tummy.
I know that you hoomans like to eat your cereal with milk but for dogs, it’s better that we eat it dry.
Most dogs become fairly lactose intolerant as adults. Our stomachs and digestive systems can’t break down and digest the lactose that’s in cow’s milk.
Some dogs are completely lactose intolerant which means that they get bad stomachs and diarrhea from anything dairy based.
Other dogs, like me, can handle things like cheese and yoghurt but not milk. We still shouldn’t eat loads of these things though.
If you’re not sure how your dog handles dairy, it’s best to keep it out of our reach. If it’s within licking distance, you bet it’s going down the hatch!
Another issue with milk is that it is quite fatty. I spend hours running around the yard and the park to keep my sporty figure, I don’t want it messed up by milk!
The fat in milk and other dairy products can cause obesity and pancreatitis if we eat too much too often. I think I speak for all of canine kind when I say, no thank you to those horrible conditions!
What Cereal Can I Give My Dog?
As much as I hate to admit it, hooman food is generally not an ideal food source for dogs. It’s usually best if we stick to food that’s created specifically for us.
That being said, if you do want to treat us now and again at breakfast time, the following cereals are safe for us.
1. Bran flakes – not only are these safe, but they’re actually good for us. Bran flakes are full of fiber which helps our digestion. They can also lower something called cholesterol which makes our hearts happier and healthier.
You can mix bran flakes with some warm water and add it to our bowls for a healthy breakfast boost. Just remember to cut back on some of the dog food. Bran flakes do contain calories and we don’t want to overeat.
Also, try not to shock us with a big amount of bran flakes straight away. This goes for any new foods you want us to try. Our tummies get spooked easily so we need to start with small amounts of a new food so that we can get used to it.
2. Cream of Wheat – This porridgey stuff is pretty bland which makes it a great choice for dogs who have been feeling ‘ruff.’
If we’ve been sick or had a bad stomach, you can give us cream of wheat to test our tummies before moving on to more flavorful meals.
Like Cheerios, it doesn’t really have much nutritional benefits, but it will do once in a while.
3. Cinnamon Toast Crunch – This stuff smells like Christmas! We can have one or two of these, but we shouldn’t over do it.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch has a fair amount of sugar which can make us hyperactive and cause obesity and diabetes in large amounts.
The cinnamon is totally fine for us. It can even help our mouths feel cleaner and smell better.
4. Corn Flakes – Like most cereals, Corn Flakes don’t have any nutritional value. They’re mostly carbohydrates which gives us a burst of energy but isn’t very long lasting.
You should also know that some dogs can be allergic to corn. You definitely don’t want to feed those dogs Corn Flakes! It’ll upset their stomachs and can even cause rashes.
5. Rice Krispies – Ooooh this cereal is fun! I love the snap, crackle, and pop noises it makes. I wish more foods were noisy.
Rice Krispies are made from rice which is totally fine for dogs to eat. In fact, a lot of the food made specifically for us contains rice.
The problem with rice is that it’s a filler food. It makes us feel full, but it doesn’t provide a lot of nutrition. The most we get out of it is some carbohydrates.
So, yes, we can have Rice Krispies but only as a snack now and again.
Final Thoughts
Cereal is a great choice for your breakfast. It’s quick, easy to prepare, and gives you a lot of nutritional benefits.
For us dogs, it’s not quite as helpful. Most cereals, Cheerios included, won’t harm us but they also don’t really help us.
The takeaway is let us hoover up the dropped Cheerios but don’t replace our food with Cheerios.
