Holiday season is the best time of the year, not only for us but for our beloved dogs too. They get to spend extra time with us including cute kids and cousins coming over for holiday, there’s plenty of playtime for them.
Moreover, the holiday baking is what makes it so special. The aroma of hot chocolates, coffee, cakes and cookies wafting on early December mornings makes the month so warm and special.
I love baking and my two favourite ingredients in most of my baking are pure vanilla and cinnamon, the combination both is simply delicious.
During holiday season there is usually a lot of baking going around in the house and if you have a dog, you can definitely feel its presence in the kitchen more than anywhere else.
My dog has a special radar for following me around leaving my mum alone during this time of the year knowing very well that I am the one who bakes in the house.
But I make sure not to give any baked items or drop some in the process knowing well enough that it would be vacuumed in a second. Not only me but many of you must also bake cakes and cookies containing chocolate chips, raisins and nuts which all are toxic for dogs.
So be extra careful towards your dog whenever you are baking to avoid any mishaps or intake of toxic stuff by your dog (I simply prohibit my dog from entering the kitchen, but he sure loves to poke his nose through the door more than often).
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We all know that chocolate is toxic for dogs and usually our cakes and cookies contain chocolate in one way or the other, even if we don’t bake any chocolate flavored item, they are still bound to contain cinnamon as it is one of the most common ingredient used in holiday baking.
But do you know whether Cinnamon is good or bad for dogs? Knowing that it’s a spice many of you must be jumping to say its bad for dogs and trust me I had jumped to that conclusion too before I came to know all about the secrets of this spice.
Most of the toxic list for dogs given by VET or online states spices, salts and sugar as a strict NO but what many of us don’t know is that Cinnamon is actually good for dogs if given in moderation.
Dogs & Cinnamon Infographics
Are You sure Cinnamon is good for dogs?
Yes, you read right! Cinnamon is not bad for dogs unless it’s in a large quantity where it can be harmful to your pet. This also depends on what type of cinnamon you are giving to your dog.
You should always avoid Cassia Cinnamon which has more courmarin (a natural substance found in plants) than Ceylon Cinnamon, which is more safer for dogs.
Therefore, always make sure what type of cinnamon you are feeding your dog. Ceylon cinnamon is natural and has less courmarin making it a more safer choice.
Unlike nutmeg, cinnamon is not toxic for dogs. Surprisingly it has the same effect on people as it does in dogs if consumed in excessive amount, like increased heart rate, hallucination etc.
Don’t feed your dog food that contains large quantity of cinnamon. It can have adverse effect on its health.
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Specially holiday baked items because even though it contains cinnamon in limited amount, it still has sugar, nutmeg , raisins, choco chips etc as one of the ingredient which are all extremely harmful for your dog.
But it don’t mean you can’t give cinnamon to your dog in anything else. You can actually spice up your dog’s life by adding a pinch of cinnamon powder in it’s meal. Or search the net for recipes containing cinnamon specially made for dogs.
How is Cinnamon good for dogs?
Cinnamon powder has many beneficial qualities that helps in treating many health conditions not only in humans but also in dogs like arthritis, joint stiffness, regulate blood sugar etc.
Cinnamon is really good for adult dogs suffering from arthritis and also helps to maintain the blood pressure.
It helps to improve insulin in dogs, studies say that even a small amount of teaspoon (as little as a half) can regulate your dog’s blood sugar. Cinnamon is not only antibacterial but also anti-fungal, it has properties that can prevent yeast infection in dogs.
Best way to give cinnamon:
The best way to do it is; don’t over do it, sometimes when we find the benefits of a particular food we tend to over do it by either feeding it to our pet regularly or in large quantity and that often results in sick or pets with repulsive stomach.
The best way to do it is to give anything new to your dog in moderation, always consult your Vet before you change or include anything in your dogs diet.
Remember not all dogs are same, some might love cinnamon and others might avoid it that doesn’t mean you start forcing your dog to eat cinnamon just because it has beneficial properties.
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There are also many dog treats available in the market that have cinnamon as an ingredient, you can buy those for your pet too like below:
So in this holiday season not only have fun but have a healthy pet too. If you are the one who bakes around in the house or if everyone comes together to bake make sure to always engage someone with your pet while baking to avoid it consuming anything that drops from the counter.
If your friends and family members love to give table scraps to your pooch, advise them before hand to avoid anything that contains sugar, spice or salt but surely cinnamon would work just fine as long as its not mixed with other harmful ingredients.
And watch the faces of other dog owners by daring them that your dog can actually eat a spice (win the bet and later tell them its cinnamon, maybe they too didn’t knew that cinnamon was good so don’t forget to share the message).
What Else Can My Dog Eat? You got to know this before you feed your dog!
Beans, Legumes, Nuts, Grains and Seeds
Almond | Brown Rice | Green Beans | Peanut
Dairy Products
Cheese | Greek Yogurt | Whipped Cream |
Drinks and Beverages
Fruits, Berries and Vegetables
Apples | Avocado | Banana| Beets |Blackberries | Blueberries | Carrots | Cantaloupe | Celery |Grapefruit | Garlic | Grapes | Green Peppers |Olives | Oranges | Papaya | Pineapples | Plums | Potatoes | Prunes | Tomatoes
Herbs and Spices
Meat and Fish
Bacon | Fish | Salmon | Shrimp
Processed Foods
Cheerios | Donuts | French Fries |Tofu
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