Can dogs eat biscuits?
Updated 5 August 2026
Mostly best not. A plain human biscuit will not poison a dog, but each one is sugar and fat a dog does not need, and chocolate varieties are genuinely toxic. One stolen rich tea is a shrug. A chocolate digestive, or half a packet of anything, is a call to your vet.
The detail
The biscuit tin is probably the most raided container in British kitchens, so this question comes up constantly. The honest answer depends entirely on which biscuit went missing.
A plain digestive is about 71 kcal, with 2.5g of sugar and 3.2g of fat. A 10kg dog has a sensible daily treat budget of roughly 40 kcal, so a single biscuit spends that budget nearly twice over in three seconds.
The genuinely dangerous cases are the coated and filled ones. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, sultana-studded biscuits like Garibaldis carry the same danger as grapes, and anything sugar-free may contain xylitol, which the Pet Poison Helpline links to liver failure. Which biscuit matters far more than how many.
What is in one digestive biscuit
| Calories | About 71 kcalNearly double a 10kg dog's daily treat budget |
| Sugar | About 2.5g |
| Fat | About 3.2g |
| Anything toxic to dogs | Nothing in the plain biscuitChocolate coatings and dried fruit are the danger |
How much is sensible
| Dog size | Sensible amount |
|---|---|
| Small (under 10kg)Chihuahua, Jack Russell | A broken corner of a plain biscuit, rarely. Never chocolate varieties |
| Medium (10 to 25kg)Cocker spaniel, border collie | Half a plain rich tea as an occasional share |
| Large (over 25kg)Labrador, German shepherd | One plain biscuit, occasionally, counted against the day's treats |
| Overweight or diabetic dogs | None. Every biscuit is sugar and fat with no upside |
Chocolate biscuits and chocolate digestives
This is the version that puts dogs in the vet's waiting room. Chocolate contains theobromine, which dogs process slowly, and VCA Animal Hospitals notes that darker chocolate carries far more of it than milk.
One milk chocolate digestive is a thin coating, so a single stolen biscuit is rarely a poisoning dose for a labrador. The maths changes fast with small dogs, dark chocolate varieties or a raided packet, so ring your vet with your dog's weight and a count rather than guessing.
Bourbons and other cocoa-filled biscuits sit in the same category. Treat every chocolate-flavoured biscuit as a vet call until the numbers say otherwise.
Digestives and rich tea
The plain classics are the least bad of the tin. No chocolate, no fruit, no filling, just wheat, sugar, fat and a little salt.
That still adds up. At 71 kcal for a digestive and about 38 for a rich tea, regular sharing is a straight route to weight gain, and dogs with a wheat sensitivity should skip them entirely.
Shortbread, custard creams and filled biscuits
Shortbread is roughly a quarter butter, which makes it the fattiest thing in the tin. For dogs that have had pancreatitis, that fat is a real problem rather than a diet footnote.
Custard creams and other filled biscuits add a sugar-and-fat cream to the same base. None of it is toxic, all of it is unearned calories, and the filling makes them the biscuits dogs beg for hardest.
Fruit biscuits: Garibaldi and fruit shortcake
Any biscuit with currants, raisins or sultanas changes category completely. Dried grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs, and baking does not remove the danger.
A stolen Garibaldi is a grape incident, so ring your vet rather than waiting to see how your dog seems. This is the one biscuit mistake where the clock matters.
Signs to watch for
- Vomiting, restlessness or a racing heart after chocolate biscuits
- Loose stools after a plain-biscuit raid
- Wobbliness or collapse after anything sugar-free, which is an emergency
If your dog overdoes it
For plain biscuits, water and a skipped treat is enough. For chocolate varieties, ring your vet with your dog's weight, the biscuit type and how many are missing. For biscuits containing dried fruit or xylitol, call immediately without waiting for symptoms. Out of hours, Vets Now or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000.
Common questions
My dog ate a chocolate digestive. Do I need to call the vet?
Ring them with your dog's weight and the biscuit count. One milk chocolate digestive is usually below a harmful dose for a medium dog, but small dogs and dark chocolate versions change the maths, and the call settles it in minutes.
Can dogs eat ginger biscuits?
The ginger is safe, so a piece of a ginger nut on rare occasions is fine for a healthy dog. It is still 2g of sugar per biscuit, so keep it occasional and break it up for small dogs.
Can dogs eat rich tea biscuits?
A plain rich tea is one of the safer accidents, with no chocolate or fruit to worry about. Around 38 kcal each means it should stay a rare share, in pieces, and never for overweight dogs.
My dog ate a whole packet of plain biscuits. What now?
Expect an unsettled stomach rather than poisoning. Offer water, skip the next meal or feed it light, and ring your vet if vomiting or diarrhoea lasts beyond a day, or sooner for a small dog.
Are shop-bought dog biscuits actually better?
Yes, meaningfully. They are made without chocolate, xylitol or dried fruit, and the feeding guide on the packet does the portion maths for you. Pick a plain one and keep the human tin shut.
Can dogs eat shortbread?
Nothing in shortbread is toxic, but it is about a quarter butter, and that fat load is the concern. Skip it entirely for dogs with a history of pancreatitis, and keep it to a rare corner for everyone else.
What about biscuits with raisins or currants, like Garibaldis?
Treat them as a grape incident, not a biscuit one. Dried grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs and baking does not make them safe, so ring your vet straight away.