is oat bran good for dogs

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 21, 2024

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Recipe: High Fiber Dog Treats with Oat Bran

High fiber diets are usually recommended for dogs with loose stool or irregular bowel movements. This type of diet can also help alleviate constipation, diarrhea and anal gland problems. Whether you're looking to compliment your dog's high fiber food or just looking to add a little bit of extra fiber to his diet, thesehigh fiber dog treats will be a good choice.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that resists enzymatic digestion while being processed in your dog's small intestine. It is most commonly found in the cell walls of plants and grains, but almost every source of carbohydrates will contain at least traces of fiber.

When searching for high fiber dog treats, some ingredients to look for include:

bran
oats
brown rice
nut butters
lentils
broccoli
pumpkin
blueberries

This recipe includes three ingredients from list of high fiber foods above. These snacks are a healthy option for virtually any dog, even if your pup doesn't need a high fiber treat. You could even switch up the recipe to include ingredients that are better suited for a dog with allergies or food sensitivities.

High Fiber Dog Treats with Oat Bran

I used coconut flour in this recipe, but you could use any type of flour that works for your dog. I chose coconut flour because it is gluten free, and adds some variety my dog's diet. If you'd like to make a substitution for the peanut butter, you could try almond, cashew or hazelnut butter instead. Sunflower seed butter would be a great choice if you're trying to avoid nuts.

Recipe: High Fiber Dog Treats with Oat Bran

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Studies showthat insoluble fiber can help dogs with diabetes. Likewise, a high fiber diet can be very beneficial for dogs withcolon health problems. It may even help reduce the risk of colon cancer in dogs. These high fiber dog treats are an easy and tasty way to boost your pup's fiber intake.

Author: Samantha Randall
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: about 24 treats 1x
Category: Biscuit Treats
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Dog Treats

1/3 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup quick or old fashioned oats
1 cup oat bran
3 cups coconut flour

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until they are well blended. If the dough is too wet or sticky, add more flour one tablespoon at a time. If you use coconut flour, the dough will feel spongy.

As you'll see in my video guide above, I use a well greased mini muffin tin to bake these treats. You could also drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a well greased baking sheet and press the cookies down with a fork. No matter what shape you make them, bake the treats for about 15-20 minutes or until they're brown on the top.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 treat
Calories: 300
Sugar: 7.2 g
Sodium: 92 mg
Fat: 24.4 g
Carbohydrates: 19.8 g
Fiber: 6.5 g
Protein: 6.4 g

How to store: Store leftover treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 12-14 days. Remember that homemade treats do not have the preservatives that store bought products do. They will not last as long. If you'd like, you can freeze these treats in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

For More Information

We publish many homemade dog food and treats recipes every month. For more recipes, pet food cooking tips and advice, see our Recipes section. If you're new to home cooked dog food subject, I recommend you read more about How Much To Feed to understand serving sizes, What Supplements To Use to create well-balanced meals, and How To Store for tips on simple and easy homemade dog food storing in a fridge or a freezer.

Can Dogs eat Bran? Is bran safe for dogs?(Yes)

In the diet of pets, both animal and plant foods should be present.The latter is the main source of fiber, which many experts consider the fourth nutrient along with proteins, carbohydrates and fats.Vegetables do not provide a sufficient amount of plant fibers in the animals body, therefore, when asked whether it is possible for dogs to take bran, veterinarians give an affirmative answer. Yes. Dogs can eat Bran.

Why bran is useful to dogs

From time immemorial, dogs and their wild ancestors ate meat, that is, animal food.But along with this, the plant also entered their body first of all, with the contents of the stomachs of their victims, who feed on grass and seeds of cereals.Currently, their owners provide a balanced diet for the pet, but vegetables do not contain the required amount of fiber, and in winter the range of vegetables and fruits is rather scarce, and the cereals from which porridge is cooked for dogs sometimes do not contain dietary fiber at all.

Bran can be used as an additional source of healthy fiber.They are a by-product of grain processing and contain the shells of the grains and their germs.Bran is useful not only as a source of coarse dietary fiber, which acts like a brush in the intestines of the animal, promoting the food lump and improving intestinal motility, but also other useful substances, primarily:

B vitamins;
trace elements;
polysaccharides.

Vitamins are involved in all vital processes in the body, increase its immunity, the ability to resist various infections.Among the trace elements that are contained in bran, selenium is the most important and valuable.He participates in the synthesis of DNA, is a necessary component of almost all oxidative processes in the animal body.

Bran contains beta-glucan this is one of the most important polysaccharides, which binds fatty acids in the intestine, lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood, preventing its accumulation on the walls of blood vessels.

Any veterinarian can tell dog owners about the benefits of bran.It is recommended to add them to the food of animals, because the bran:

participate in the movement of the food lump through the intestines;
change the glycemic index of foods and prevent too rapid absorption of energy from food;
regulate the chair;
improve intestinal motility;
sorb toxins and other harmful substances and accelerate their removal from the body.

Note: Bran does not cause allergic reactions, so they can be given to absolutely any animal.However, there are certain rules according to which you cannot give a dog bran every day and in large quantities.Whether wheat, oat or rye, the bran contains phytin.This is calcium glycerophosphate, which slows down the absorption of many minerals, in the first place which is important! calcium.Bran, consumed in large quantities, can cause flatulence in a dog, become a favorable environment for the development of fungal infections, pathogenic microbes.In extremely rare cases, animals may experience diarrhea.

Which bran is better

Experts differ as to which bran wheat, rye or oat is more beneficial for the dog.Therefore, it makes sense to tell how each species is useful.

Wheat bran contains the largest amount of valuable dietary fiber, vitamins and selenium.With their regular use, the stool is normalized in the animal.Rye bran is somewhat inferior to wheat bran in terms of nutrient content, but not inferior in size to the positive effect on the pets body.They help to quickly remove toxins from the body, normalize the functions of the digestive system, cope with diarrhea and improve the functioning of the immune system.

There are benefits for the dogs body and from oat bran.They protect the dogs gastrointestinal tract from inflammatory processes in it, prevent obesity, the appearance of excess weight, so they are chosen if it is necessary to normalize the pets weight.However, they contain less vitamins than other food supplements.

In addition, other types of bran can be given to the dog:

buckwheat will help cleanse the intestines and liver, remove toxins and other harmful substances from the body;
rice normalize intestinal motility, stabilize stools and stop diarrhea;
barley contain vitamin E, which strengthens the immune system and protects body cells from free radicals and prevents thrombosis;
millet normalize stool and improve the functions of the urinary system.

Note: When choosing bran for feeding a pet, pay attention to their appearance and color, and other characteristics.The product should be gray-brown in color, odorless of mold and other impurities, which not only impair the nutritional properties of the product, but can also harm the pets body. It is better to buy bran in a pharmacy or health food stores.The main thing is to choose a product without additives, including fortified ones, and even more so without salt.Store the product in tightly closed glass moisture to prevent moisture penetration.

How and how much to give to dogs

The correct use of a useful food supplement allows you to avoid negative consequences.It is not recommended to give them to the dog more often 2-3 times a week and in limited quantities:

small breeds 1-2 teaspoons;
medium dogs no more than 2 dessert spoons;
large breeds 2 tablespoons without a slide.

Bran can be combined with both meat and dairy products.Before adding to the food of the dog, they should be briefly soaked in warm water or broth, preferably in the morning.In the evening, a meat-and-vegetable dish is preferable, which requires a longer digestion.

For feeding, you need to pour the required amount of bran with kefir and leave for half an hour so that they swell.They can then be added to the feed.For losing weight dogs, you can prepare a dietary dish with vegetables:

finely chop carrots and zucchini (or pumpkin);
stew in any vegetable oil (preferably sunflower, olive, linseed);
add water and bring to a boil;
turn off the stove and add bran to the vegetables.

Such a dish should be combined with meat feed in the proportion 50% meat, 50% vegetables with bran.

The bran can be given to puppies, pregnant and lactating females.Puppies are introduced into the diet at the age of five months, starting with 1 teaspoon and gradually, in the absence of negative hypersensitivity reactions, the volume can be brought to normal.

Note: To prevent constipation in pregnant and lactating females, no more than 2 teaspoons of bran can be given and no more than twice a week.

What happens if excessive amount of bran is given to dogs?

An excessive amount of bran in a dogs food can lead to undesirable consequences for health: the absorption of vitamins and microelements decreases, the paranal glands become clogged, and a favorable environment is created for the development of pathogenic fungi and bacteria.Volvulus may occur.

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What is bran?

Bran is the hard outer layer of a cereal grain that surrounds the endosperm. In the case of a cereal grain, the endosperm is the good stuff we like to eat. The stuff that makes flour etc. The sad thing is though, we should also like to eat the bran because that is actually the best bit. Certainly the most nutritious bit. It contains protein, carbohydrates, b-vitamins and more besides. Its also a wonderful source of dietary fibre. And what does this have to do with dogs? Those very same things that make bran so good for you, makes bran for dogs good for your best friend too!

But as with so many beneficial foodstuffs that come our way courtesy of Mother Nature, we generally peel off and throw away the best bit. Think of an apple or a potato for example. For whatever strange reason, we actually peel off and discard the most nutritious parts. The skin!

In the case of bran though, it does at least go on to become a byproduct. A byproduct of the milling of the refined grains like wheat flour that were rather over fond of for our health. The good thing from the point of our dogs though is that this particular byproduct, bran, is exceptionally good for mans best friend. Thats why it is included in so many commercial dog foods. Aside from the fact its cheap of course, which is always a primary motivatory for the commercial dog food industry!

The crazy thing about bran though is that one of the reasons it is discarded in the milling process is the fact that its fatty acids shorten its shelf life. It spoils more quickly than the endosperm, the seeds that we like to mill and turn into cakes and pastries.