Can Dogs Eat Red Velvet Cake? What You Need To Know

It’s tasty for birthdays and holidays, but can dogs eat red velvet cake? Keep reading to find out how safe or dangerous it is for pups.

Are the ingredients in red velvet cake safe for dogs to eat? Before you share a slice with your furry friends, learn more about what’s in red velvet cake (and whether your canine companions should eat them).

Red velvet cake on a cake stand and slices on a plates.

For ultimate pet safety, I recommend consulting with your vet about all the questions you have about your dog eating red velvet cake.

What Is In Red Velvet Cake

Isn’t red velvet cake just chocolate cake that’s dyed red? Not really. It has a slightly different texture – or crumb, as bakers call it.

There are a lot of different red velvet cake recipes out there. Most of them agree that the main ingredients are:

Cake Flour
Cocoa Powder
Butter
Salt
Sugar
Vegetable Oil
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Red Food coloring
Buttermilk

Red velvet cake is usually topped with cream cheese frosting. Classic red velvet cake contains red food coloring and is sometimes topped with fresh fruit.

Does Red Velvet Cake Contain Dark Chocolate?

No, traditional red velvet cake isn’t made with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or chocolate bars. That’s what sets this apart from traditional chocolate cake. It’s made with cocoa powder.

Dog in front of a red velvet cake slice.

Can Dogs Have Red Velvet Cake

No, dogs should not eat red velvet cake. The main reason is because it is made with cocoa powder. Chocolate or cocoa powder is a toxic ingredient. There are a lot of potential risks of chocolate for dogs. It is not a safe ingredient for them to eat, especially in large quantities.

The most common symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs are:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Increased Thirst
Panting
Excessive Urination
Racing Heart Rate

In severe cases, it could also cause muscle tremors and heart failure.

How much chocolate is bad for dogs? This depends on the size of your dog. VCA Animal Hospitals states that “a medium-sized dog weighing 50 pounds would only need to eat 1 ounce of baker’s chocolate, or 9 ounces of milk chocolate, to potentially show signs of poisoning. For many dogs, ingesting small amounts of milk chocolate is not harmful.”

So, small dogs would have to eat really large quantities of red velvet cake to show signs of poisoning.

The more likely risk of this cake is that it contains a lot of sugar. Dogs that eat too much sugar are at risk

PetMD states that “eating a lot of sugar or many sugary treats over a long period of time may cause numerous health issues for your dog, like upset stomach, obesity, metabolic changes, and diabetes. In more severe cases, your dog could even end up with pancreatitis.”

The metabolic changes they are referring to are another way of saying that too much sugar could slow down their metabolism and lead to weight gain.

Can Dogs Eat Red Velvet Cupcakes

No, even small amounts of red velvet cupcakes are unhealthy for dogs. They have too much sugar to be a good idea.

The high sugar content isn’t the only thing worrisome about the cake and cupcakes. If your dog is allergic or sensitive to dairy products, eating the cream cheese frosting could cause serious health problems, too.

Can Dogs Eat Cake Icing

Red velvet cake is usually made with cream cheese frosting. This usually contains cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few other ingredients.

If your dog is sensitive to dairy products, the cream cheese could give them an upset stomach. It’s best not to give your dog anything made with high-sugar frosting.

If your dog can handle or digest dairy products without issues, the sugar could still be a problem. Dogs can digest a small amount of sugar without issues. What’s dangerous is if their diet is made up of mostly sugary treats.

According to Volhard Dog Nutrition, dogs that eat too much processed sugar and heavily processed foods are at risk for weight gain and diabetes.

Is Red Velvet Cake Bad For Dogs

Yes, red velvet cake is bad for dogs to eat. In addition to the sugar and dairy being unhealthy for dogs, you should also keep your pup away from cake that is made with artificial sweeteners or topped with macadamia nuts.

What about vanilla extract? Can dogs get alcohol poisoning from vanilla in cake? It isn’t likely. The Dog Bakery states, “Cooked vanilla extract is safe for dogs in small quantities. The alcohol in vanilla extract evaporates during the cooking process, making it safe for dogs.”

It is unlikely to give your dog alcohol poisoning.

It’s more likely that your dog might be gluten-intolerant or sensitive and they could show signs of allergic reactions after eating the cake.

Other Red Velvet Desserts

Even in small doses, it’s best to keep these red velvet desserts away from your dog. Remember, sugary human treats are not a good idea for dogs to eat.

Here is a quick list of other red velvet treats to keep away from your dog:

Red Velvet Bars
Red Velvet Waffles
Red Velvet Fudge
Red Velvet Cookies
Red Velvet Brownies
Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls
Red Velvet Ice Cream
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Red Velvet Donuts
Red Velvet Muffins
Red Velvet Loaf Cake
Red Velvet Truffles
Red Velvet Cake Pops

Is Red Velvet Cake OK For Dogs

Pet owners, it is not a good idea to share red velvet cake with your dog. As you can see, all the sugar in red velvet cake isn’t good for your dog’s health.

It might be true that a bite probably won’t harm your dog. But when it comes down to it, keeping the baked goods away from your pup is just safer.

Is Red Velvet Cake Safe For Dogs

Technically, red velvet cake is safe for dogs in small amounts. Even though one bite isn’t toxic, it’s still not a good option for dogs.

Even one slice of red velvet cake could give your dog digestive discomfort; especially if they aren’t used to eating dairy products.

There are no health benefits of this delicious treat.

Dog Ate Red Velvet Cake

What happens if a dog eats red velvet cake? If your dog has health issues, they might react worse to the red velvet cake than a healthy dog might.

The most common side effects of eating cake might be:

Flatulence
Diarrhea
Upset Stomach
Thirst

If your dog ate red velvet cake, just watch them closely. They will probably be ok. If they show signs of lethargy or their stomach issues don’t get better, contact your veterinarian.

Can Dogs Eat Chocolate Cake

Are there other types of cake that dogs can eat? It’s best not to give your dog other cakes that are made for us humans, like vanilla cake or carrot cake. This is because they have too much sugar.

Dogs should also not eat chocolate cake – especially not chocolate cake that has chocolate frosting. Even though one bite might not hurt them, it’s tough to say how your dog will react to the theobromine in chocolate.

If your dog eats too much chocolate, watch for these side effects and call your veterinarian immediately.

Increased body temperature
Rapid Breathing
Seizures
Increased heart rate

Red Velvet Cake For Dogs

There are so many other options out there if you want to celebrate special occasions with your dog. And you can make them in your kitchen with natural ingredients, knowing that they are good for your pup.

Peanut butter cupcakes are bite-sized treats that are made in a muffin pan and are healthy dog treats.

If you’re looking for a dog-friendly cake recipe, make this dog birthday cake with carob, a safe chocolate substitute for dogs. And if you want to give your meat-loving dog a cake that isn’t sweet at all, make them a meat cake. It’s basically a meatloaf shaped like a layered cake. This meat cake is so cute!

It’s really easy to keep unhealthy ingredients out of your dog’s diet. Just make them a type of cake that doesn’t contain a lot of sugar. Plus, dog-friendly cakes are fun to make at home.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, your beloved dogs should not eat red velvet cake. Even though it only contains a small amount of the most dangerous ingredient – chocolate – all the sugar and carbs are unsafe for dogs. If you want your dog to have a healthy life, only give them treats that are low in sugar and made for dogs.

More Dog Food Resources

Here are some more articles about human foods and sweets dogs can and can’t eat:

Find lots of articles on food dogs can and can’t eat here on Spoiled Hounds!

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