Can Dogs Eat Pizza? Is Pizza Safe For Dogs? (Full Guide)

You just returned from the pizzeria with some boxes of delicious pizza, and as you are taking some nice bites off the snack, there is your adorable dog drooling with pleading eyes for some chomp. Your heart softens looking at the poor thing and you want to give it some. Feeding a dog with pizza might look cute, but you are pretty much just killing your dog’s health! Did you know that pizza is not even all that nutritious to your health, let alone your dog’s? Have you ever wonder if pizza is safe for dogs or not?

Can dogs eat pizza? No, dogs should not eat pizza. It would be wise not to give your dog even a tiny slice of pizza. If your dog has a slice of pizza once, it won’t hurt it so much, but you must avoid feeding it pizza or anything with many seasonings, processed dairy products, meats, and so many stuff that create the perfect circumstances for cancer cells to you and your dog too!

Well, put simply, it is not safe for your dog to eat pizza! It’s a bad idea. Sounds a bit weird, right? You might be thinking, “If I can enjoy my pizza, my dog should eat too!” Or you are saying, “My dog eats everything I eat!”  Well, take a look to the article below please.

How Is Pizza Bad For Dogs?

Pizza contains ingredients that can only be nutritious to a dog’s health when eaten separately from the whole combination, fresh and without sauce or salt. However, the same can’t be said of most of the toppings that pizzas come with. They can be very dangerous for your dog.

Let’s look at why pizza can be a disaster for your beloved pet:

Processed meat? Bad news

Processed meat can be found in most pizzas. How beneficial is processed meat to both human and animal health? The answer is simple. It’s not at all. Nutritional studies have revealed that obesity, heart disease, and cancer are the bitter rewards of eating processed meat, both for animals (which includes dogs) and humans. Do you want any of these ailments to befall your dog? Most likely not. But if you want to have more time for your dog, order solutions for written tasks at papertyper.net. The service also has free tools like a plagiarism checker.

Can dogs eat cheesy pizza?

Unlike humans who can consume milk and dairy products without complications, dogs, unfortunately, do not share that same privilege. Dogs’ digestive systems are no friends of lactose, which is found in dairy products like cheese. 

Secondly, pizzas topped with cheese possess a very high fat and calorie content, making them unable to be digested by dogs. So, it’s a terrible idea to let your dog have pizza with cheese topping. It indeed will send your dog’s digestive system into panic and emergency mode. It’s pretty much a health disaster for dogs to eat cheesy pizza.

Pizza sauce can “kill” dogs’ health

If you are asking, can dogs eat pizza sauce? Well, you should know that as harmless as the tasty tomato sauce in pizza seems, it is very high in sodium content, which is difficult for dogs to digest and deadly for them. On their own, tomatoes are healthy, but when salted and sprinkled with sugar and other spices like it’s done in pizza sauce, they trigger heart diseases and high blood pressure. They also cause gastrointestinal problems for dogs.

So, to answer the question above, pizza sauce is dangerous for dogs.

Can dogs eat pizza crust?

Pizza crust contains two toxic ingredients from the allium family: garlic and onions. These ingredients, which contain thiosulphate, can cause highly devastating effects on a canine’s health. They can cause terrible damage to dogs’ red blood cells, even when ingested in small quantities.

Studies have shown that it may take a few days for poisoning symptoms caused by onions and garlic to develop. And when it all together becomes evident, it’s already done a ton of damage to the dog.

Also, pizza crust is high in carbohydrates, and with time this can accumulate and cause obesity. This becomes a bigger problem for dogs that overeat.

Another health condition associated with dogs eating pizza crusts is the potentially fatal hemolytic anemia.

It can come with a truckload of symptoms such as jaundice, coloration in urine, unusual weakness, diarrhea, loss of appetite, belabored breathing, dehydration, abdominal pain, etc.

Is Pepperoni Pizza Good For Dogs?

Pepperoni is made up of fennel seeds, paprika, garlic powder, mustard seed, and black pepper. These ingredients pimp up pepperoni and give it its spicy flavor. However, as tasty as pepperoni is, can dogs eat pepperoni pizza?

Pepperoni is known to contain a very high amount of salt and fat. Eating salt can raise a dog’s blood pressure and worsen existing heart issues. On the other hand, consuming too much fat can cause obesity in dogs.

Also, pepperoni contains an amount of sodium that is harmful to a dog’s health. Some seasonings are equally unhealthy. When your dog consumes a large amount of pepperoni, it can often develop digestive issues or break down with salt poisoning, kidney damage, or pancreatitis.

To be on the safer side, you can serve pepperoni to your dog in small measures, as a snack and not as a topping for pizza. That way, it might not be toxic for your dog. 

You might want to take this as a win, but you should know that generally, pepperoni is not recommended for dogs due to the high fat and salt content, as mentioned above. The best option would be to steer clear of it completely.

Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms from Pizza

Mushrooms sold in stores can only be safe for consumption by dogs when they are served as sole meals, according to Dr. Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC, writing for the Pet Health Network. 

Mushrooms are heavily endowed with high amounts of fiber. Fiber can boost your dog’s bowel activity, as well as help with controlling the weight of your dog. Mushrooms also contain high levels of protein, which is excellent for muscle and tissue development. 

However, as Doctor Lee says in AKC, avoid combining other dishes with mushrooms.

And as for the question, can dogs eat mushrooms from pizza? It is not a good idea. Mushrooms in pizza are not safe for dogs. They’ve been seasoned with garlic, salt, oils, and onions, which have been proven to be enemies of your dog’s health.

Can Dogs Eat Pizza Rolls?

There isn’t much difference between a dog eating pizza and pizza rolls. They are not safe for dogs to consume because they contain many harmful ingredients (cheese, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, etc.), that release toxins and cause gastrointestinal problems as well as other health issues.

Can Dogs Eat Black Olives on Pizza?

Like pepperonis, black olives are safe for dogs to eat when eaten alone. They contain essential fatty acids that enhance your dog’s health and nutrition. Black olives have been proven to be an immunity booster for dogs and give them a shiny and glowing outer coat. Nevertheless, as harmless as black olives may appear, they can be very harmful to your dog’s health when smeared with other seasonings from pizzas.

Can Dogs Eat Green Pepper (or bell peppers)?

Well, there is no current substantiated evidence suggesting possible side effects for dogs eating green peppers. Green peppers contain antioxidants generally considered safe for dogs to nibble. Notwithstanding, green peppers have a reputation for messing with a dog’s stomach when eaten in large amounts.

And if the green peppers are soiled with onions, tomato sauce, garlic, and other pizza toppings, that makes them toxic to your dog’s health.

Can Dogs Eat Pineapple on Pizza?

Experts in animal nutrition have given raw pineapple a thumbs-up as an edible and nutritious piece of food for dogs to enjoy. Pineapples have tremendous health and nutritional benefits in dogs’ health. 

Apart from being a source of relief from constipation thanks to its generous fiber content, it benefits dogs beaten down with arthritis. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds are powerful safeguards for your dog against chronic diseases. 

Now that you know how nutritious a fresh (frozen or canned isn’t recommended) pineapple, can your dog eat pineapple pizzas?

Well, it’s pretty much the same old story. Pineapples are great treats on their own. But beware of feeding your dog with pineapple smeared with pizza ingredients known to be toxic to dogs’ health.

Can Dogs Eat Sausages from Pizza?

How healthy are sausages in a pizza? First of all, sausages on their own are not on the list of recommended snacks for dogs. So, you can safely guess that having your dog eat one from a pizza is going to be a massive threat to its health.

Among the side effects of dogs eating sausage are stomach upset and attack on its heart and kidney’s health in the near future due to the disturbing levels of sodium it contains. 

In conclusion, you should try as much as possible to keep pizzas away from your dog. If you are too weak to resist the pleading eyes of your dog, then try to limit the quantity you feed it significantly. All in all, ensure to quickly contact your veterinarian if you are worried your dog has eaten a large chunk of pizza. 

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PIZZA FOR DOGS THAT MAY HAVE CROSSED YOUR MIND 

Q: Can Pizza Kill Dogs?

No! 

Even though pizza is one of the most loved foods around, it is simply not what you want to give to your dog if you love it. Why not, you may ask. It is simple. The human body system is quite different from that of animals. No matter how close and friendly they are to us, dogs are still not an exception. 

The primary reason pizza will be one of the last foods you should use to give your dogs a treat is the ingredients. Many ingredients in pizza are dangerous and harmful to dogs’ stomachs.

Q: What other Pizza Ingredients Are Bad for Dogs?

Onions and Garlic

Onions are a popular ingredient for pizza. However, they are not safe for dogs; onions are toxic material to any dog’s system. They do quite some harm to their red blood cells, making the dog highly susceptible to adverse health conditions—many veterinary practitioners rate onions as the most toxic food for dogs.

From the juice to the flesh, every part of onions, whether cooked or not, will harm the health of a dog even in small quantities. You might need to lock up your onions in a safe place that is beyond their reach. Garlic can make your dog fall into a coma or can even cause its death.

Cheese 

Dogs love cheese, but some types of cheese are damaging to their health—especially those which contain lactose. Lactose, when given to dogs in large quantities, can lead to pancreatitis (a medical condition that leads to a swelling of the organ that is responsible for digestion called the pancreas) and obesity.

Salt 

A substantial amount of salt is used in preparing pizza. Salt contains sodium, which is harmful to dogs’ health if they take it in large quantities. 

Q: Can Dogs Eat Yeast? (Dough)

A significant pizza ingredient is yeast, also known as the dough. Yeast has nothing good for dogs. On the contrary, the possibilities of yeast killing a dog are great! How could this happen?

Yeast inside a stomach produces fermentations along with other ingredients and foods. As a result, the stomach can inflate, and a possible swelling could kill a dog. This is something that dog owners must take into significant consideration!

Warning: Raw yeast can be fatal for dogs. Seriously!

Q: Can Dogs Eat Pizza Crust? 

No. Many dog owners believe that there are parts of pizza that could be safe for dogs. The reason that dogs could safely and comfortably eat pizza crusts because it contains no meat. Scientific findings have squashed this reasoning. 

Pizza crusts are high in fats, starch, and calories. These are harmful to dogs if given in high quantities. Fatty foods should be avoided as much as possible.  Fats will lead to obesity in the dogs and other adverse health conditions like pancreatitis. 

Q: Do Dogs Love Pizza? 

Yes, they do. Pizza is tasty, and dogs know it’s tasty when they eat it. A dog can eat up a whole pizza in less than a few minutes. The meaty part of pizza is mostly a delight for them. 

Q: Is Pepperoni Pizza Bad For Dogs?

Pepperoni pizza contains a substantial amount of sugar, fat, and sodium, all of which are toxic to animals’ systems when eaten in large quantities. Apart from notorious pancreatitis and obesity, this tripartite combination is likely to cause upsets to dogs’ stomach and kidney damage. 

Conclusion

As stated by dog food experts, you should keep any pizza kind away from dogs. If you really want to share this delicious food with your furry friend, it would be best to cook something on your own, like a homemade pizza for dogs!

However, before you do anything, ask your vet to be sure!

Here is a quick to make Dog-Friendly Pizza: