Can my dog eat pasta?
Can dogs eat pasta?In moderation
Only cooked, without salt, oil or sauce, and only a small bite now and then.
Yes, dogs can eat cooked pasta without salt, oil or sauce – it isn't toxic to them. But it mainly provides starch and calories, around 158 kcal per 100 g, and hardly anything that good dog food doesn't already contain. So give only one to three tablespoons now and then. Pasta with sauce or cheese and raw pasta are off limits, and if your dog has a wheat allergy, so is cooked pasta.
How much pasta can your dog eat?
Enter the weight – the amount updates straight away. You can adjust age, activity and neutering below.
How the calculator works
- Daily requirement: Resting energy requirement 70 × 15 kg^0.75 ≈ 534 kcal × factor 1.6 ≈ 855 kcal.
- Treat allowance: at most 10% of that = 86 kcal for all treats combined.
- Calorie limit: 86 kcal ÷ 158 kcal/100 g = 54 g of pasta.
- Guide value for dogs 10–25 kg: 2 × tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small) at 8 g each = 16 g (cautious guide value set by our editors).
- Recommendation: the smaller of the two, rounded down to half portions → 2 × 8 g = 16 g ≈ 25 kcal.
Sources: 10% rule from the WSAVA guide to treats · kcal value: USDA FoodData Central. Daily requirement as in the dog calorie calculator.
Result · 15 kg · Adult
Up to 2
× tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small) on a snack day
(≈ 16 g, 25 kcal)
How often: Only occasionally as a small bite – not every day and not as a regular part of the meal. The amounts here apply to an extra on top of normal food. If pasta is part of a home-cooked recipe, the DoggoMeal app works out the grams to suit it.
Treat allowance 86 kcal (10% of 855 kcal) · 1 tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small) ≈ 8 g
Limited by: guide value
Here the guide value for dogs 10–25 kg sets the limit (cautious guide value set by our editors): at most 2 × tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small). In terms of calories, up to 54 g would be possible.
A cautious starting value set by our editors. We couldn't find a veterinary amount: PetMD advises against pasta altogether, while Purina considers a small amount now and then acceptable.
This applies if it's the only snack that day – if your dog gets other treats too, give correspondingly less.
The app calculates recipes in grams, kcal and portions to suit your dog's weight, age, activity and allergies.Pasta for dogs: amount by weight
| Weight | Maximum per snack day | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kg | 1 tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small)≈ 8 g | ≈ 13 |
| 10 kg | 1 tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small)≈ 8 g | ≈ 13 |
| 20 kg | 2 × tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small)≈ 16 g | ≈ 25 |
| 30 kg | 3 × tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small)≈ 24 g | ≈ 38 |
| 40 kg | 3 × tablespoon of pasta (cooked, cut small)≈ 24 g | ≈ 38 |
- All snacks together no more than 10% of daily calories (WSAVA recommendation). If your dog gets other treats too, give correspondingly less.
- Guide value per weight class – small up to 10 kg, medium 10–25 kg, large over 25 kg: A cautious starting value set by our editors. We couldn't find a veterinary amount: PetMD advises against pasta altogether, while Purina considers a small amount now and then acceptable.
What's in it
- Cooked and without additions, it isn't toxic: a bite while you're cooking usually won't harm a healthy dog.
- Mainly provides starch as energy; cooked without salt, it is almost sodium-free and, with under 1 g of fat per 100 g, low in fat.
- Wholewheat pasta contains more fibre as well as manganese and selenium.
What to watch out for
- Lots of calories, little nutritional value: cooked pasta has around 158 kcal per 100 g. Fed regularly, it encourages weight gain.
- Sauces often contain onion, garlic, salt, sugar or butter. Onion and garlic are toxic to dogs, and salt and sugar are hard on the digestion.
- Cheese on pasta can cause digestive upsets in dogs with lactose intolerance and can contribute to pancreatitis.
- Wheat and egg are among the more common triggers of food allergy. Signs include itching of the skin, paws or ears, vomiting or diarrhoea.
- Raw pasta can cause choking, scratch when swallowed and cause vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation; in large amounts, it can block the intestine.
- If your dog is overweight, has diabetes or has other conditions, only give pasta after checking with your vet.
- During an elimination diet, pasta is off limits, like all other extras.
How to prepare pasta
How to do it
- Cook a little pasta for your dog in water without salt or oil
- Cook until soft and leave to cool
- Cut long pasta such as spaghetti into short pieces
- Measure it with a tablespoon and give fewer other treats that day
- The first time, give only one tablespoon and keep an eye on digestion
Better not
- Pasta with sauce, pesto, cheese or butter
- Raw or half-cooked pasta, not even to nibble on
- Pasta salad, ready meals or instant noodles with seasoning powder
- Filled pasta such as tortellini or ravioli
- Pasta for dogs with a wheat or egg allergy, or during an elimination diet
- Pasta instead of a meal
How often?
Only occasionally as a small bite – not every day and not as a regular part of the meal. The amounts here apply to an extra on top of normal food. If pasta is part of a home-cooked recipe, the DoggoMeal app works out the grams to suit it.
Frequently asked questions about pasta
Can dogs eat raw pasta?
No. Uncooked pasta is hard, can cause choking and can scratch when swallowed. It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation and, in large amounts, block the intestine.
Can dogs eat pasta with sauce?
No. Tomato sauce, Bolognese, pesto or cream sauce often contain onion, garlic, salt, sugar or butter, and onion and garlic are toxic to dogs. Only give pasta that has been cooked without sauce, salt or oil.
Can dogs eat pasta with cheese or cheese spaetzle?
No. Cheese can cause digestive upsets in dogs with lactose intolerance and contribute to pancreatitis. Cheese spaetzle are also usually made with butter and salt.
Can dogs eat wholewheat pasta?
Yes, following the same rules. Wholewheat pasta contains more fibre as well as manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus. But for any noticeable benefit, your dog would have to eat so much of it that it would put on weight. So it remains a small extra.
Can dogs eat spaghetti?
Yes, if it is cooked without salt, oil or sauce. Cut it into short pieces so that you can measure it with a tablespoon. Spaghetti from your own plate isn't suitable because of the salt and sauce.
Can dogs eat egg noodles or spaetzle?
Cooked and without butter, salt or cheese, yes – the same rules apply as for other pasta. As well as wheat, egg can also trigger a food allergy in some dogs.
Can my dog eat pasta every day?
No. Pasta should remain an occasional bite and not become a regular part of the meal. Fed regularly, it mainly adds extra calories.
How many calories does cooked pasta have?
Around 158 kcal per 100 g – almost twice as much as boiled potatoes at 86 kcal. About 40 g of cooked pasta is enough to use up the entire snack allowance of a 10 kg dog with normal requirements, which is around 63 kcal a day.
My dog has eaten pasta off a plate – what now?
If it was a few pieces of cooked pasta without sauce, your dog is very likely fine; even a larger amount usually leads to vomiting and diarrhoea at most. If there was sauce on it or the pasta was raw, call your vet and say what and how much your dog ate. If it ate a very large amount or is visibly unwell, go to your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Why do some vets advise against pasta altogether?
Because for dogs, pasta is mostly empty calories. That's why PetMD advises not feeding pasta at all. Purina considers a small, unseasoned bite now and then acceptable. Cooked pasta without additions isn't toxic, but it isn't necessary either.
Is pasta suitable for dogs with a wheat allergy?
No. In an analysis of 297 dogs with food allergy, wheat was a trigger in 13% of them; only beef, dairy products and chicken were more common. Grain itself isn't harmful to dogs. But with a known allergy or during an elimination diet, pasta doesn't belong in the bowl.
Similar foods
- In moderationVegetablesPotatoOnly cooked and peeled; raw, green and sprouting potatoes contain solanine.See the answer
- YesGrains & sidesRiceOnly cooked and without salt, stock or seasoning, as a small extra portion with the food.See the answer
- In moderationGrains & sidesCouscousOnly cooked plain in water, without salt or seasoning; not if your dog has a wheat allergy.See the answer
- In moderationGrains & sidesOatsPlain and cooked in water, in small amounts and no more than twice a week.See the answer
- In moderationGrains & sidesRuskOnly plain rusks without chocolate or raisins, and rarely, because of the sugar and calories.See the answer
- In moderationOtherEggOnly fully cooked, without salt or fat, and no more than once or twice a week.See the answer
Sources
- Can Dogs Eat Pasta? – PetMD (written by a vet)
- Can Dogs Eat Pasta, Spaghetti or Noodles? – Purina UK
- Food Allergies in Dogs – VCA Animal Hospitals
- Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats (Mueller, Olivry, Prélaud 2016) – BMC Veterinary Research
- Which Human Foods Can Dogs Eat and Which Are Dangerous? – American Kennel Club (AKC)
- Pasta, cooked, unenriched, without added salt (SR Legacy, FDC 168928) – USDA FoodData Central
- Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt (SR Legacy, FDC 170440) – USDA FoodData Central
- Feeding treats to your dog – WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee (10% rule in the calculator)
Reviewed on · DoggoMeal editorial team
This page is no substitute for veterinary advice. Dogs with pre-existing conditions – for example of the kidneys, liver or pancreas, or with diabetes – and dogs with allergies often need their own rules. If your dog has symptoms or you're unsure, ask your vet.
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