What do pumpkin spice flavoured dog treats say about the state of humanity?

As if we needed another sign that the world is surely ending...

Pumpkin spice dog treats are officially a thing (Ivan Solis/iStock)

Somewhere along the line in this strange world, seasons were given flavours and autumn wound up tasting like pumpkin spice.

First it was just pumpkin pies, then a decade ago cream-topped lattes, and now booze and crisps and condoms taste like a weird mix of cinnamon and cardboard. And as if it didn’t already feel like we’re heading towards the end of days, dog treats come in pumpkin spice flavour, too. Take a bow, everyone.

It's not just one rogue manufacturer, but a range of brands sell pumpkin-spice snacks to feed your dog. So, can a pooch actually enjoy or even detect the flavour of a pumpkin, or "autumnal" spice, or both? Common sense says no but we asked a vet just in case, and to find out what a dog might actually like.

“It’s a human fad to be honest,” Mandy Ball, a vet at Westway Veterinary Group in Newcastle, quickly concludes.

“If food is tasty dogs will enjoy it, but the pumpkin spice flavour is a human marketing ploy.” Asked if dogs like the taste of pumpkin she pauses for a moment and adds: “I don’t think anyone knows.”

Dogs have a sixth fewer taste buds than humans, at around 1,700 compared to 9,000. So while dogs can distinguish between bitter, sweet and sour flavours, they don’t value taste like we do.

“Smell matters much more to dogs, so if something smells good a dog will eat regardless,” says Ball. While us puny humans have six million olfactory receptors in our noses, a dog’s snout has 300 million. Like cats, their mouths are connected to their nasal passage though the vomeronasal organ, meaning they can even pick up pheromones.

Essentially, giving your dog something that sounds delicious to you is a waste of time. However adorable your pooch may seem, it’s a blood-thirsty carnivore at heart and would much prefer something that smells meaty. It can even tell the difference between chicken, fish, and pork, says Ball.

Instead, you should think of your dog’s health when giving them a treat. A chewy dental stick, or a carrot which is both low in calories and helps their teeth, would be a better bet.

And of course, never give your dog actual human treats, particularly chocolate as it contains a compound that is toxic in certain doses.

“You’re better off giving them some lean meat in moderation,” says Ball. The best diet for a dog is just like a human’s. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but high quality and balanced.