It's a sure bet that your dog is sitting eagerly at your feet in the hopes of collecting some crumbs if you're baking up delicious-smelling treats like snickerdoodles, pumpkin pie, or cinnamon buns.
According to the ASPCA, the straightforward response is that cinnamon is harmless to dogs, cats, and horses.
For canines, cinnamon has various health advantages. Although sharing cakes and pastries with your dog may not be the greatest idea, there is plenty of safe cinnamon dog treats available.
However, because this sort of human food may give your pet an upset stomach, you shouldn't give your dog a big amount of cinnamon, add them to a dog’s diet, or even just for pet food.
Even while cinnamon, alone, may not be harmful to dogs, as pet parents, you should be aware that some other types of treats probably have a lot of other substances that may include a lot of cinnamon in their ingredients.
The Health Benefits Of Cinnamon
For thousands of years, extracts from the cinnamon tree's bark, leaves, blossoms, fruits, and roots have also been utilized in traditional medicines all throughout the globe.
A spoonful of cinnamon powder and/or cinnamon sticks are added to various meals as a sweetener, cooking, and even essential oils like cinnamon essential oil.
Cinnamaldehyde is one of the most significant active components in cinnamon. It is used in scents and flavorings.
It could be the cause of some of cinnamon's potential health advantages.
According to certain studies, cinnamon may benefit diabetics. According to a study of 18 research, cinnamon may help reduce blood sugar levels.
Hemoglobin A1C, a marker of blood sugar levels over time, was unaffected, nevertheless.
In diabetics, it may help decrease cholesterol. Numerous studies lack information on the sort of cinnamon they used or have other issues that cast doubt on the accuracy of their conclusions.
According to one analysis, cinnamon may aid in reducing obesity and weight gain. Irritable bowel syndrome and other stomach and intestinal issues are sometimes treated with it. But its effectiveness is unclear.
Cinnamon is safe for a pooch to eat but in small amounts instead of large amounts as this has anti-inflammatory properties, lowers blood sugar levels, and has antioxidant effects.
Additionally, the health benefits of cinnamon have been linked to the following conditions: heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, HIV infection, tooth decay, and allergies.
How Much Cinnamon Is Healthy For My Dog?
Cinnamon is commonly used for baked goods such as the famous cinnamon rolls, or in general human foods.
Cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of plants of the Cinnamomum genus.
There are two types of cinnamon spices that are utilized in several recipes: Ceylon Cinnamon and Cassia Cinnamon.
The safety of cinnamon and nutmeg has been the subject of a few concerns. Consuming cinnamon and nutmeg is an excellent illustration of how natural remedies are not always healthy and how the quantity determines the toxicity.
A teaspoon of cinnamon has no hazardous effects on your dog, according to the Pet Poison Helpline.
Naturally, smaller breeds need less than bigger breeds do, and because of the high concentration of cinnamon oils, only very little quantities are given.
Don't freak out if your pooch consumes cinnamon from the cupboard or chews on a stick of cinnamon; it generally won't hurt anything, but contact the hotline or see your veterinarian just to be cautious.
To obtain benefits and prevent side effects, a precise dose must be observed while using cinnamon, just as with any other dietary supplement. Depending on your dog's weight, use ground cinnamon on a daily basis at:
- 1 to 10 pounds: a pinch to an eighth of a teaspoon
- 10 and 20 pounds: 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon
- 50 to 100 pounds: 1 to 2 teaspoons
- 20 to 50 pounds: 1/4 to 1 teaspoon
- Over 100 pounds: 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon
There is such a thing as having too much good. Start your dog out cautiously and gradually increase the dose until the right dosage is obtained.
Nutmeg Vs. Cinnamon
It is used to flavor a variety of baked items, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and drinks like eggnog. Nutmeg has a strong, warm, somewhat sweet taste.
It is a spice derived from the hard seed of the tropical evergreen Myristica fragrans, which is used to flavor a variety of foods, both sweet and savory.
Even though consuming a large amount of nutmeg has terrible side effects and a strong taste tends to deter consumers, it is sometimes used as a substance of abuse.
Myristicin is a poison found in nutmeg. The little quantity of nutmeg used in recipes is very unlikely to cause major toxicity, but if a small amount is consumed, moderate stomach distress might happen.
Myristicin poisoning, which may happen if a lot of nutmeg is consumed, can cause stomach upset, an elevated heart rate, liver disease, soreness, high blood pressure, dry mouth, abdominal pain, joint pain, pancreatitis, and even convulsions.
Up to 48 hours may pass between symptoms. If a dog or cat eats food that contains nutmeg, they would need to consume a very big quantity of the spice for this to happen.
Related Read: Can Dogs Eat Pork?
The Side Effect Of Too Much Cinnamon
Although they both originate from the same parent plant, cinnamon and nutmeg are two distinct species. Nutmeg is toxic to dogs, whereas cinnamon is not in small doses.
While eating cassia cinnamon in small to moderate quantities is harmless, consuming too much might be harmful since it contains large levels of the chemical coumarin.
However, although ingesting a little amount of cinnamon may help decrease blood sugar, doing so excessively may result in dangerously low blood sugar levels.
It is known as hypoglycemia. It may cause fatigue, disorientation, difficulty breathing, and even fainting.
The Pet Poison Hotline also warns that a significant cinnamon overdose may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and changes in heart rhythm such as increased heart rate and high blood pressure, dry mouth, low blood sugar, and liver disease.
According to research, the quantity of cinnamon that is safe for your dog to consume depends on its size.
Therefore, you shouldn't offer your dog more than 1/8 teaspoon each day if he weighs 1–10 pounds (small, young puppies).
However, if your dog weighs more than 100 pounds, you may probably feed him up to 2 tablespoons without any problems.
Conclusion
Although these advantages have not been completely shown, cinnamon is thought to provide a variety of health benefits for humans.
Even while this is fantastic for those of us who like cinnamon and want a reason to eat more of it in our diets, we should proceed cautiously when applying the same logic to our pets.
A half teaspoon of cinnamon given sometimes offers some health advantages for the majority of dogs.
Additionally, a lot of commercial dog diets and treats include acceptable amounts of cinnamon in their recipes.
The answer is yes if you're asking if cinnamon is safe for dogs. When you add this delectable, sweet spice to your dog's food, there are several health advantages they may take advantage of when given in little doses.
Just keep in mind to stay away from any additional components your dog doesn't need, and if you believe a therapeutic amount could benefit your dog with health issues, be sure to check with your vet first.
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