Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a grain dogs can eat. The AKC describes it as high in fiber with a range of nutrients, minerals and antioxidants, and credits its B vitamins and linoleic acid with supporting skin and coat. It is gentle enough to work as a topper on kibble or as a snack for an older dog. The preparation rules are specific. Cook it; never serve raw oats. Cook it in water rather than milk, since dogs do not process lactose well. Serve it at room temperature. And serve it plain: no salt, butter, sugar, chocolate, raisins or grapes. Raisins and grapes are not a garnish issue, they cause acute kidney injury in dogs. The thing to actually avoid is the flavored instant packet. The AKC warns that flavored oatmeal often contains more sugar and may contain artificial sweeteners such as xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Merck puts hypoglycemia above roughly 100 mg/kg of xylitol and hepatic failure above 500 mg/kg. Maple and brown sugar, apples and cinnamon, dinosaur eggs: all of them come out of the dog's share. Portion is where AKC gives a usable number: one tablespoon of cooked oatmeal per 20 lb of body weight, and for a large dog at most half a cup of cooked oatmeal, once or twice a week. A sudden jump in fiber is hard on the gut. Too much produces diarrhea and vomiting, and very large amounts risk bloat. For a first serving use half the recommended amount and watch the stool for a couple of days. Gas or softer stool afterward just means cutting back. Call your veterinarian instead for repeated vomiting, diarrhea past a day, or a hard swollen belly with unproductive retching, which is not a portion problem. If the oatmeal contained xylitol, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately rather than waiting for signs, and do not induce vomiting at home.