Can Dogs Eat Gingerbread? Not a Treat: Calories, Spice and Sweeteners
Quick answer
Better not. PDSA says a single small gingerbread man is, in calories, like a large bag of gummy sweets for a dog. Many recipes also add nutmeg, which the American Kennel Club says can cause harmful reactions in dogs, and sugar-free versions may contain xylitol, which the ASPCA says can cause low blood sugar and liver damage.
Taken from this page and its sources. Not veterinary advice. If your pet has already eaten some and seems unwell, see who to call.
This page is not veterinary advice. Paw Multiverse is not a veterinary practice. We cannot examine, diagnose or treat your animal. There are no doses here, no portion sizes, no feeding amounts and no treatment steps, on purpose. If your pet has eaten something you are worried about, or has changed in a way you cannot explain, ring your vet or your nearest emergency clinic and let them decide. Full disclaimer.
Gingerbread is everywhere in December, from biscuits on a plate to houses on a sideboard. It is not on the toxic lists by name, but what it is made of is.
On this page (7 sections)
What is published
PDSA uses the gingerbread man as an example of how quickly festive treats add up: one small one is, for a dog, the calorie equivalent of a large bag of gummy sweets for a person. Source: PDSA, Fatal foods for furry friends this Christmas (16 December 2021).
The spice
Gingerbread recipes vary, and many add nutmeg alongside ginger and cinnamon. The AKC says nutmeg contains myristicin, which in dogs can cause high blood pressure, a raised heart rate, abdominal pain or seizures, though it says the amount in a bite of a biscuit may have little or no effect. Source: American Kennel Club, Can dogs eat nutmeg? (updated 19 March 2025).
Sugar-free gingerbread
Reduced-sugar and sugar-free gingerbread may use xylitol. The ASPCA says xylitol can cause low blood sugar and, depending on the amount, liver damage. Check the label of anything sugar-free before it is left within reach. Source: ASPCA, People foods to avoid feeding your pets. More: xylitol and dogs.
Raisins and chocolate
Some gingerbread is decorated with raisins, currants or chocolate. Both have their own pages: grapes and raisins and chocolate.
What we could not source for this page
- No publisher we read lists gingerbread as toxic in itself, or gives an amount that is safe.
- No publisher we read sets out how much nutmeg a typical gingerbread recipe contains.
Where these facts come from
- PDSA, Fatal foods for furry friends this Christmas (16 December 2021), read 6 November 2026.
- American Kennel Club, Can dogs eat nutmeg? (updated 19 March 2025), read 6 November 2026.
- ASPCA, People foods to avoid feeding your pets, read 6 November 2026.
Sources last checked 6 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Where to go next
Every food on this site is on the dog food colour chart, and the whole holiday table is on Thanksgiving pet safety and Christmas pet safety. If your dog has already eaten something, go to my dog ate something and the poison control directory.
