Can Dogs Eat Honey Buns? Why You Shouldn’t Feed Honey Buns to Dogs

Suppose you have grabbed a few packs of sweet honey buns from nearby stores. Or even better, you have kept some inside the oven for baking. 

However, moments after arranging the honey buns nicely on your platter, you see your dog begging for some. What do you do in this case?

Can dogs eat honey buns? Would honey buns harm your dog? What could you feed your dog instead of honey buns? All these questions might flood your mind. Don’t worry and read this article to resolve your doubts.

 

What Are The Ingredients Of Honey Buns?

The following ingredients are commonly used in honey buns: 

Wheat Flour

Barley Malt

Dried honey

Eggs

Water

Sugar

Yeast

Soy Flour

Nonfat Dry Milk

Raisins

Cinnamon

Cocoa

Wheat Starch

Corn Starch

Palm and Soybean Oils

Soybean Oil Salt

Niacin, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid

Dextrose

Calcium Carbonate

Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid) 

Soy Lecithin

Annatto Extract

Turmeric

 

What Is The Nutritional Value Of Honey Buns?

You can refer to the following table for understanding the nutritional value of a single serving of honey buns (135g approx):

Serving Size: 1 bun	135 grams
Calories	560
	% Daily Value (Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet)
Total Fat– 31 grams	48%
Saturated Fat- 17 grams	85%
Trans Fat- 0 grams	0%
Cholesterol– 0 milligrams	0%
Sodium– 450 milligrams	19%
Total Carbohydrates– 66 grams	22%
Dietary Fiber- 2 grams	8%
Sugars- 33 grams
Protein– 5 grams
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	20%
Iron	10%

 

Source: https://www.nutritionix.com/i/hostess/jumbo-honey-bun-glazed/553f7398ea46af13614bf851

 

Are Honey Buns Good For Dogs?

Not exactly. While moderate amounts of honey once in a while is okay for your doggo, overfeeding can worsen his health.

Dogs have a hard time resisting honey buns; the buttery dough, the tasty sticky topping, and the savory filling. But honey buns contain high amounts of calories, carbs, and sugar that are bound to impact your pooch adversely.

Advice: Dogs need a diet that is low in carbs and high in proteins. Foodstuff like honey buns can be rare treats for your pooch but never a regular part of his diet.

 

What Are The Risks Of Eating Honey Buns In Dogs?

You must not give honey buns to your dogs in large amounts, and that too very often because of:

• Sugar

Honey buns are a storehouse of processed sugars, present in the form of frosting and dried honey. Such processed sugars quickly mix with their bloodstream and cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes in dogs.

Moreover, sugar spikes are a guaranteed road to hell if your dog is diabetic. 

As your dog gulps down a handful of honey buns, a larger percentage of his bodily sugars get converted into fats. Such a fat build-up is detrimental if you are working really hard for your dog’s weight loss.

 

• Artificial Preservatives

Commercial, store-bought honey buns contain a bundle of artificial preservatives like Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Propionate, and Sorbic Acid. Such preservatives are toxic to your pet pooch.

 

• Raisins

Raisins are next in the laundry list of toxic ingredients present in honey buns. Commonly found in baked foodstuffs, raisins are very harmful to dogs. 

If your furry friend has eaten up 2-3 honey buns, you and your dog are in it for big trouble. Raisin toxicity in canines leads to sudden kidney failure and anuresis (i.e., inability to urinate).

 

• Saturated Fats

Honey buns contain loads of saturated fats. Too much intake of saturated fats is harmful to dogs because it:

Triggers inflammation

Lowers the good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL)

Increases the bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

Makes your dog vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases and obesity

 

• Raw Dough

If you plan to bake some delicious honey buns at home, you must be wary of the raw dough. Raw dough is dangerous for your canine pet. If your dog accidentally consumes raw dough, it will rise and expand inside his body and cause stomach bloat problems.

Dogs show the following symptoms after ingesting raw dough:

Excessive vomiting

Low blood pressure

Trembling gait  

Increased heart rate

Seizures

General Weakness

Respiratory failure

Warning: Yeast is often used to prepare raw dough for homemade honey buns. Upon entering your dog’s body, ethanol is released from the yeast that can cause alcohol poisoning in your dog. 

 

• Empty Calories

Honey buns contain what canine nutritionists refer to as ‘empty calories’. Apart from a high quantity of saturated fats and sugar, honey buns only have trivial amounts of vital nutrients and vitamins. 

Dogs require essential vitamins and minerals alongside regular calorie intake. But honey buns lack them and are, thus, a poor choice for dogs. 

 

Can Dogs Eat Just One Honey Bun?

Not at all. Eating one entire honey bun is way too much for your furry friend. You should only give 1-2 bites of a honey bun to your pooch and that too, once or twice a week.

However, we would still recommend completely avoiding honey buns from your dog’s diet and opting for healthier dog-friendly treats.

 

FAQs

Q.Can your puppy eat honey buns?

Yes, puppies can eat one or two bites 2-3 times a week. Honey buns are not as harmful to puppies as to adult dogs. However, that does not mean you go overboard on the number of honey buns served to your pup.

 

Q. What Are The Alternatives To Honey Buns For Dogs?

Instead of honey buns with low protein and high sugar and carbs, you should go for the following alternatives for your dog: 

Chicken

Plain, sugar-free yogurt 

Bananas

Beef

Peanut Butter (without aspartame)

Carrots and carrot sticks

 

Conclusion

You do not want to become a lousy dog owner, right? Then do away with this practice of throwing any random edible stuff to your dog. 

Parents do not want their infants to get hospitalized due to their own carelessness. Likewise, you would also never wish to end up at the vet’s clinic for severe complications in your dog.

Thus, the bottom line is: sweet treats like honey buns are okay for dogs in little amounts on rare occasions. 

We hope the information expressed in this article has made you understand the relationship between honey buns and your dog’s health. 

Do you remember the moment when your dog ate up a few bites of honey buns for the very first time? What were his reactions? Feel free to share your stories or any other queries in the comments.