Can Dogs Eat Egg Noodles?

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Photo by Alpha on Flickr

Your dog is all excited because it’s mealtime, and he’s been running around all day. Poor thing is starving and ready to devour just about anything

You open the pantry cupboard and see, well, nothing. Oh, man! You forgot to buy dog food. Again. There are some egg noodles, though. 

Surely, he can have some of that until you get to the store? Can dogs have egg noodles? Are they somehow toxic or something? 

Let’s find out.

 What are the ingredients in egg noodles?

Egg noodles don’t have many ingredients, and there are no surprises here

They’re made of durum flour, which is a fine spring wheat flour. It’s good stuff, containing plenty of gluten and protein

Then, there are egg yolks (duh), niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine, vitamin B1 (mononitrate), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and folic acid.

All of these are things your dog needs to stay healthy. Perhaps not in these proportions, though – we’ll get to that later.

 Are any of these ingredients toxic to dogs?

No, these are all good things, provided that your dog isn’t allergic to any of the ingredients. 

Suppose your dog is healthy and not allergic to wheat or gluten. In that case, egg noodles are a perfectly fine occasional addition to his diet.

What are the pros and cons of a dog eating carbohydrates?

Carbs aren’t necessarily bad for dogs, but they don’t really need them

Suppose your dog’s diet includes a reasonable amount of carbs balanced with protein, fats, and minerals. In that case, he’s probably pretty healthy and has the energy he needs to do all his doggy heart desires.

Carbohydrates are a great, easy source of energy that gets burnt off while your dog is exercising. It’s cheap and readily available, which is why it’s included in nearly all commercial dog foods.

We can break carbs down into two categories: complex and simple. Simple carbs, like wheat, get digested quickly, spiking blood sugar levels and then leading to an energy slump.

Complex carbs, like sweet potato, take longer to digest, sustaining a healthy blood sugar level throughout the day.

This is great since your dog will have energy to spare and no diet-related energy slump.

While protein should be the primary fuel in your dog’s diet, carbs play an important secondary role.

While your pup’s body uses the protein in his diet to build things up, carbs provide the energy needed to sustain his playful antics.

So, the protein gets used to repair cellular damage, strengthening his immune system, digesting food, and producing amino acids. At the same time, the carbs keep the engine running.

A good carbohydrate source includes lots of healthy fiber, which is essential for your pet’s gut health. Fiber causes good friction in his bowels, allowing them to move correctly and digest food well.

Too many carbs are terrible for dogs, though. Your dog’s body breaks carbs down into glucose, which then gets used for energy.

The glucose that’s not used up immediately gets stored as fat.

So, if your dog has an overload of carbs in his diet, Rover will develop weight gain issues in no time.

Obesity leads to all sorts of other issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, urinary tract infection, and arthritis.

When you feed your dog processed carbs, most of the good fiber has been removed, so he doesn’t get any help digesting it.

Processing also usually partially breaks down complex carbs, so your pup digests them quicker. This leads to the abovementioned energy spike and accompanying slump, which sucks.

So, while carbs are a good energy source for dogs, balance is the key to a healthy diet.

How nutritious are egg noodles?

Egg noodles contain no sodium (salt).

That’s a good thing since your dog’s body can’t handle a lot of salt. Then, there’s the fat content at around 3%, which is very low.

While your dog needs some fat in his diet, and overload isn’t great, so we’re all good on that front too.

Egg noodles contain about 39% carbs.

That’s not a lot since dogs can handle up to 50% carbs in their diet, provided that it’s from a good source.

You know, complex carbs, like you would find in sweet potatoes.

Also, he shouldn’t overeat egg noodles, since carbs are the main ingredient.

Egg noodles only have about 8g of protein per serving, which is very little. Adult dogs need about 2g of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight.

That means that an adult dog of around 14kg needs 30g of protein per day. He’ll need quite a lot of egg noodles to make up that amount of protein.

Luckily, there are many vitamins and minerals in egg noodles, which is always a good thing. It doesn’t contain any calcium, though, which your dog needs for strong bones and teeth, just like us.

 How many egg noodles should I feed to my dog?

While egg noodles aren’t necessarily bad for dogs, at least in small quantities, they’re not a balanced diet for dogs.

Your dog will need quite a lot of egg noodles to obtain enough protein, but then he’ll ingest way too many carbs, leading to obesity.

So, it’s okay to feed egg noodles to your dog in small quantities, and not that often.

It’ll do in a pinch when you’re all out of dog food, but it’s a bad idea to feed it to Fido regularly. If you feed your pup egg noodles, be sure to add other protein sources to the mix to keep him healthy and fit.

Egg noodles vs. rice noodles- which are better for your dog?

Rice noodles contain fewer carbs and more protein than egg noodles.

That’s a good thing. However, rice noodles contain quite a bit of sodium, which isn’t great for dogs.

So, neither of these are great for dogs in the long run, and it seems that one isn’t necessarily better than the other. 

Which is the most healthy carbohydrate for a dog to eat?

There are plenty of healthy carbs available for dogs.

Some of these might seem a bit weird.

You want complex carbs in your dog’s diet since these take longer to break down and thus offer a more sustained energy supply throughout the day.

Simple or processed carbs offer a quick energy spike, followed by a slump. That’s not good and will leave your pup lethargic before his next meal or snack.

Carbs often used in dog food include barley, oats, brown rice, whole wheat, whole corn, potato, sweet potato, and millet.

When these are included whole, it’s first price. When carbs are pre-processed, all the rough bits are removed.

For example, wheat is often processed, with the husks and bran removed before inclusion in dog food.

The bran is a good source of fiber and contains some good nutrients beneficial to your dog.

During processing, the wheat could reach temperatures above 60֯C, at which point the enzymes in the wheat get killed.

These enzymes help the body digest wheat, so they’re essential for good gut health.

So, when your pup’s food includes whole grains, that means he gets the fiber, enzymes, and other goodies needed to properly digest the carbs too.

Can egg noodles be part of a healthy homemade dog diet?

While you can include egg noodles as part of your dog’s homemade diet, it would be good to consider other carb sources instead.

Creating a well-balanced diet is complicated since your pup’s nutritional needs are very different from yours.

They need lots of protein, but not fatty meat. While they can have carbs, they don’t necessarily need it, and an overload can lead to health issues later on.

Then, there’s the vitamins and minerals they need, which aren’t always included in the raw ingredients you use.

So, if you’re contemplating a wholesome home-cooked diet for your pup, consult a vet or other canine healthcare professional for input.

Your dog’s diet should match his size, age, activity level, and other medical needs. Any deficiency in his diet will be amplified over time and could lead to serious health issues.

Can dogs eat egg noodles?

Yes, a dog can eat egg noodles in small quantities at irregular intervals.

So, if you’re running low on dog food and want something to tide him over until you get to the store again, egg noodles are okay.

However, they don’t contain all the nutrients your dog needs, so they’re not a good idea long-term and should always be supplemented with a healthy source of protein.

James Grayston

My name is James and I love dogs. have owned four Golden Retrievers in the past 15 years. Currently I own two "Goldies"- a five year old and a seven month old. The photo shows me with our youngest when she was about 7 weeks old!