Are Molasses for Dogs a Good Idea? Top Things to Know…

Molasses aren’t particularly popular as pet food among owners.

That’s especially true for Americans…

In the UK, molasses are well known as treacle and are popular as a healthy food in diets.

But is molasses for dogs a good idea for healthy food?

There’s no straightforward answer…

Molasses are certainly a substantial source for a range of essential nutrients. That’s both for people AND dogs.

And there are a host of health benefits associated with a diet that includes them.

However, for dogs, they are sensitive to a key component of molasses. And that’s where it gets tricky.

So, you guessed it…

It’s also important to know what molasses are before seriously considering feeding them to your beloved pooch…

What Doesn’t Make Molasses for Dogs a Great Idea

Molasses are essentially a byproduct of the process of extracting sugar from sugarcane and sugar beets.

It’s a thick, gooey substance that’s often used as an alternative natural sweetener.

And considering its other nutritional potential, it’s a much better option over artificial sweeteners.

But molasses isn’t just a single food type – there are different types…

For instance, depending on the source, there’s:

The darker, more bitter blackstrap molasses which come from processing sugarcane

And then there are the lighter, more sugary beet molasses. And as you may have figured it out already…

The sugar is the problem when it comes to feeding these to dogs.

Sugar, you might know, can cause all kinds of problems for your puppy.

Too much sugar in their regular diet can easily lead to serious conditions like obesity, diabetes, cancer, and gut infections.

And it’s not like it’s already easy to control the sugar content in diets…

Sugar in some form or other is already widespread in use in a host of manufactured pretty foods.

And yes…

That includes molasses.

Molasses have a wide range of uses, from sweeteners and binders to humectants (moisture preservers).

So you can imagine how much in use they already may be.

On The Flip-side – The Benefits of Molasses

Molasses for dogs can be really great as a source of essential nutrients.
You really don’t need to worry on that count…

For instance, molasses are known for their reserves of:

• Iron content, especially in blackstrap molasses helps keep anemia at bay
• Calcium for healthy bones
• Chromium as a measure against diabetes
• Good source of vitamin-B6, which helps in the digestion of fat, as well as promoting healthy hair and skin
• Other minerals like magnesium, copper, potassium, and selenium that go that bit further in fulfilling your pup’s daily nutrition

Getting the Diet Right

Just adding some molasses to your pup’s diet willy-nilly might do more harm than good.

Yes, that’s right…

You already know about the sugar content in molasses…

So while molasses for dogs isn’t a bad idea as such, but ensuring moderation is important.

As is picking the right kind of molasses (dark) and how you fit them into the diet.

For instance, if your puppy already has a grain-heavy diet – and that includes dog food ingredients – adding molasses can be a bad idea.

And the reason is simple…

Too many carbs equal too many calories…

So running such changes through your vet is important before jumping in.

We hope you find this post on molasses for dogs and whether they can eat them as useful as we think.

If you have any other thoughts on the subject, don’t hesitate to comment in the section below!