Mmm … cookie dough. It’s probably a rare person who can’t confess to stealing a taste of cookie dough at some point in their life. In fact, the flavor is so popular that there is cookie dough-flavored ice cream and even cookie dough-scented candles. Are you wondering if it’s okay to let your dog have cookie dough, too? Keep reading.
Nutrition
Cookie dough varies depending on what kind of cookies are being made. Popular varieties of cookie dough include chocolate chip, oatmeal, gingerbread, and shortbread. Most kinds of cookie dough share some similar ingredients such as sugar, flour, and butter (margarine or another kind of fat). Many kinds of cookie dough also contain eggs which act as a binder to hold the dough together. They also make the cookies richer. Milk and vanilla extract are added to some recipes. All of these ingredients can vary, depending on the kind of cookies and the recipe, but these are usually the basics.
Nutritional information will also vary. For chocolate chip cookie dough, 33 grams (about two tablespoons) contains 149 calories. It has 7 grams of fat and 2.8 grams of saturated fat. It also has 106 mg of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of sugars. It has 4.6 mg of calcium, 59.4 mg of potassium, and 3 mg of caffeine.
Shortbread, which contains fewer ingredients, is still very rich since it’s made with lots of butter and sugar. Two tablespoons of shortbread dough contains about 130 calories. It has 9 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat. The dough has 0 sodium but 14 grams of carbohydrates.
For oatmeal cookie dough, one ounce contains about 120 calories. It contains 5.36 grams of fat and 1.347 grams of saturated fat. It has 83 mg of sodium and 16.75 mg of carbohydrates.
And, gingerbread cookie dough has about 148 calories per two tablespoons. It has 6.6 grams of fat and 2.5 grams of saturated fat. It also has 103.1 mg of sodium and 19.8 grams of carbohydrates. In addition, it has 10.7 grams of sugars.
In general, cookie dough has small amounts of vitamins and minerals. Sugar and fat are the star attractions.
Can you give your dog cookie dough to eat?
You probably already know that most health sources advise humans not to eat raw (uncooked) cookie dough. That’s mostly because of the raw eggs in the dough. Many of us have had a few bites of cookie dough without any ill effects but it is a fact that raw cookie dough can be subject to bacterial contamination. You can get sick from eating raw cookie dough. That’s especially true for seniors, children, anyone who is pregnant, or people with a compromised immune system.
Dogs can get sick for the same reason. Raw eggs, contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella, can make some dogs ill. Even flour that has been sitting around for months can become contaminated with bacteria.
In addition, cookie dough usually contains a lot of sugar or other sweet ingredients. Dogs often have a sweet tooth so they may like cookies and cookie dough but it’s not good for them. Other sweeteners can be even more harmful such as the artificial sweetener xylitol or “birch sugar” which is used in some sugar-free or keto diets. Xylitol can be fatal to dogs so if you think your dog has ingested some of this artificial sweetener, take him to the veterinarian immediately.
Signs of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, followed by symptoms associated with a sudden drop in your dog’s blood sugar. This can be indicated by decreased activity, weakness, staggering, loss of coordination, collapse, and seizures.
Some kinds of cookie dough may also contain spices which could be harmful to your dog such as chocolate chips/cocoa, nutmeg , mace, and others. You should not give your dog any foods that contain these ingredients whether you are making the cookies yourself or purchasing them.
How much cookie dough can your dog eat?
Raw cookie dough is generally a bad idea to give to dogs. Absolutely, some readers will say that their dogs have eaten cookie dough without any problems. But it only takes one dog to get sick or die to prove the point.
(I have a friend with a Cocker Spaniel who found her stash of Mars bars while she was at work. He ate the entire bag of candy. He was never the least bit sick. It’s still a bad idea for dogs to eat chocolate.)
There are some safer “edible” cookie doughs that you can buy or make yourself that don’t use eggs. These cookie doughs would be okay for you to eat without cooking them. However, they would still contain ingredients that would be bad for your dog such as lots of sugar and butter. Some of them may contain chocolate chips and other ingredients that are harmful to dogs.
The safest kind of cookie dough for dogs would not have any raw eggs or sugar. You could use a recipe such as this no-bake peanut butter and pumpkin cookie recipe from Doughremia.com:
No-Bake Pumpkin Peanut Butter Bites
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup Greek yogurt or milk
3 cups old-fashioned oats (divided into 2 ½ cups and ½ cup)
Blend together pumpkin, peanut butter and yogurt (or milk) using a mixer until combined. Slowly add in 2 ½ cups oats and mix well. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, form balls and roll into remaining ½ cup of oats to coat. Refrigerate the treats until firm (about 1 hour). Serve.
How often can you give your dog cookie dough?
Even cookie dough recipes made with safe ingredients can be higher in calories and fat. Remember that cookies (and cookie dough) are treats. They should not make up more than 10 percent of your dog’s daily calorie intake.
Conclusion
It’s a good idea to avoid giving your dog cookie dough. That’s true whether it’s regular cookie dough or the “edible” kind sold in stores that’s made without eggs. If you would like to give your dog some “cookie dough,” we recommend looking for some safe recipes for dog cookies that don’t contain any ingredients that could be harmful to dogs.
