Did your dog just grab a bite of your breakfast and leave you wondering – can dogs eat waffles? Rest assured, waffles themselves are not toxic to dogs (though they aren’t the best choice for regular feeding). However, you may want to exercise caution depending on what the waffle was topped with. Read on to find out more.
This post was reviewed for veterinary accuracy by Cara Wright, DVM. For more information about our review process and Cara, please visit the About Us page.
Is it OK for Dogs to Eat Waffles?
Yes, it’s OK if your dog ate a few bites of a waffle. The basic ingredients in a waffle are typically flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, baking powder, and a little oil. None of these are particularly concerning for pups in the amounts used to make a waffle.
That said, waffles aren’t the most nutritious choice for dogs. They’re typically high in refined carbohydrates (including sugar), and can contain unhealthy fats as well (depending on how they’re made). They also usually fall short on vitamins and minerals.
Dogs need a lot of nutrient-dense foods – especially those with high protein levels. Waffles generally fall short in this department. Feeding your dog waffles regularly would be a poor choice for their overall health and could lead to problems with your dog’s weight.
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that 56% of dogs were overweight or obese, according to their 2018 survey. According to PetMD, sometimes this is related to genetic predispositions to weight gain, or older dogs becoming less active due to conditions like arthritis.
However, overfeeding is also a major issue that can contribute to a pet’s weight gain. Offering too many high-calorie, low-nutrient table scraps – like waffles – is one form of overfeeding that has been linked to pet obesity (source).
Be Careful of Sugar Free Syrup
When assessing the safety of table food and the question of can dogs eat waffles – you’ll also need to think about what the waffle was topped with.
While pure maple syrup isn’t toxic to your dog, you’ll want to exercise caution around sugar free syrup, depending on which sweetener is used. One particular sugar alcohol that’s sometimes used in sugar-free products is called xylitol, and this is toxic to dogs.
For example, Nature’s Hollow is a popular brand of sugar-free syrup that’s made with xylitol. Other store-bought sugar free syrup brands may also contain it, so it’s important to scan the label.
Xylitol affects your pooch’s pancreas, stimulating excess insulin secretion that causes blood sugar levels to drop. Symptoms like weakness, collapse, or seizures can occur in as little as 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, and can last up to 24 hours.
If you suspect your dog ingested xylitol, contact your veterinarian right away. Your vet may want to see your dog immediately to treat. In situations where only minor amounts were ingested and there are no clinical signs of issues, your vet may recommend feeding your dog sugary foods to help bring blood sugar levels back to normal. Always discuss with your vet though to determine the recommend course of action.
Be Careful about Chocolate Toppings
Though it’s not as common of a topping, chocolate syrup or chocolate chips do both make their way onto waffles occasionally (at least in my house!). And of course, there are also chocolate flavored freezer waffles on the market these days.
Avoid feeding your dog any of these chocolate options. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, as it contains a substance called theobromine.
Theobromine occurs naturally in cacao beans, which are used to make cocoa powder, unsweetened baking chocolate, chocolate candy, and chocolate syrup. Consumption is most risky for small dogs that consume large amounts of chocolate (though any dog can consume enough chocolate to cause problems).
According to the textbook Small Animal Toxicology, a fatal dose of theobromine is just 100 to 250 milligrams per kilogram of the dog’s body weight. These lethal doses can be easily reached by a dog that’s gotten into baking chocolate or even milk chocolate.
That said, a small chocolate syrup drizzle on a waffle or a few chocolate chips sprinkled throughout are unlikely to be fatal.
For example, semisweet chocolate chips – what’s typically used for chocolate chip waffles – contain about 135 milligrams of theobromine per ounce. The fatal dose described above would be about 4 ounces of dark chocolate for a small 5-kg dog – or in other words, about 1/3 of a normal size 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips.
It’d be highly unlikely that you have that many chocolate chips in your waffle.
However, even small doses of chocolate can still cause serious symptoms. In fact, this toxicology brief from Veterinary Medicine suggests that chocolate poisoning effects can start at as little as 20 mg per kilogram of body weight. Using our example above, that would be just 100 mg of theobromine for a 5-kg dog, equivalent to less than one ounce of chocolate chips.
Here are some symptoms – some less serious and some more serious – that may start to occur within 2 to 4 hours of chocolate ingestion:
- Panting
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Trouble urinating
- Irregular heartbeat / arrythmias
- Seizures
- Coma
If your dog did get into a chocolate waffle of any form, it’s worth a call to your veterinarian. They’ll likely want to know how much the dog ate, what type of chocolate it was (i.e. chocolate chips vs chocolate syrup vs. cocoa powder), and your dog’s weight. From there, they’ll be able to make recommendations on what to do and if your dog needs to be seen.
What about Chaffles?
Chaffles – cheese and egg waffles – are a popular low carb, grain-free substitute in the keto community. Like regular waffles, it’s most likely no big deal if your dog grabbed a bite of your plain chaffle.
Some dogs can be lactose intolerant, though, just like humans. If so, they will have trouble digesting the type of sugar (called lactose) that’s found in cheese and other dairy products. As such, the cheese in the chaffle could cause stomach upset and diarrhea for your dog.
Also, keep in mind that chaffles are sometimes flavored with seasonings like garlic powder or onion powder, and these are both toxic for dogs. If you’ve seasoned your chaffle with these, avoid letting your dog consume any.
A Final Word from Your Dog Eats
As you can see, a few bites of a plain waffle – or even one topped with pure maple syrup – shouldn’t be cause for concern. However, if you happened to have topped it with a sugar-free syrup that contained xylitol, or if there was chocolate in the waffle, be sure to call your vet right away.
This information is provided for informational purposes only. Remember, always contact your veterinarian if you have any concerns over your pet’s health and nutritional needs.
