Munching away on some of grandma’s old-fashioned oatmeal cookies? You’re likely to get puppy eyes from your dog and may be wondering if you can share a few bites. Can dogs eat oatmeal cookies? Let’s find out!

Can dogs eat oatmeal cookies?

The answer to these food safety questions tends to be “yes, but…”, and it’s no different when it comes to oatmeal cookies.

Yes, dogs can eat oatmeal cookies, and if your furry friend got into a package of plain oatmeal cookies (no raisins, see below) there’s no need to worry. A tummy ache and sugar rush are probably imminent, but ingredients like oats, flour, egg, butter, and even sugar aren’t going to make your dog deathly ill. It’s also not a big deal if you occasionally share a few crumbs.

If you want to regularly include oatmeal cookies in your dog’s diet, they should be oatmeal cookies made for dogs (or maybe fitness-minded folks who don’t eat a lot of sugar and fats). As per usual, our human snacks are too fatty and sugary to form part of our pets’ daily diets—feeding regular oatmeal cookies recently would cause your dog to pack on the pounds.

Can dogs eat oatmeal raisin cookies?

No, oatmeal raisin cookies aren’t safe for dogs. The oatmeal isn’t the issue—the grapes are.

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As most dog owners will know, there are a bunch of foods that we humans wouldn’t think twice about eating, but that are unexpectedly unsafe for our pets. Grapes are one of these. It was long unknown why exactly grapes can poison a dog, but in the past few years scientists have found that it has to do with a component called tartaric acid, which is also present in some other foods such as tamarind fruit.

Because raisins are basically a more concentrated version of grapes, less of them are needed to cause intoxication in a dog. So whenever you’re done eating an oatmeal raisin cookie, be sure to put the rest of the package away in a spot your furry friend is unable to reach. If you think it has ingested cookies with raisins, you should call your vet to ask if you should bring the dog in.

Tip: If you like your oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, you should also keep those well away from your dog. Chocolate is another one of those foods that’s toxic to dogs—and most other pets, actually. The caffeine content as well as a compound called theobromine can cause serious issues, although it has to be said that luckily chocolate ingestion is rarely fatal, especially if you get your dog to a vet quickly.

Homemade oatmeal cookies for dogs

OK, so no regular supermarket oatmeal cookies for your pooch. However, as mentioned, they can eat oatmeal, and thus oatmeal cookies. You just have to buy a version made for dogs—most pet stores will carry some kind of oatmeal dog cookie—or make them yourself. Oatmeal treats are some of the easiest homemade snacks you can make for your pet.

For those interested, we’ve got a full peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe for dogs on the blog. The cookies contain just four ingredients and are  straightforward to prepare, no baking experience needed. You can adjust the recipe based on what you’ve got on hand, like by subbing apple sauce or pumpkin purée for the mashed banana, and the cookies last for ages in the freezer.

Conclusion: Can dogs eat oatmeal cookies?

So, can dogs eat oatmeal cookies? Well, yes, but the ones made for humans are too fatty and sugary for your furry friend. A few crumbs are fine, but these cookies shouldn’t form part of its regular diet! Homemade or store-bought oatmeal cookies meant especially for dogs are another story; these are absolutely fine as regular snacks or (training) treats.

Sources & further reading