One of the most popular candies among kids is candy canes. Especially when the holidays are around. And maybe you were not going to share those sweets with your pup, but dogs can come across them when they are lying on the floor and take a bite. So how bad would it be? Will your dog be safe?
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Are candy canes good for dogs?
Candy canes are not suitable for dogs for various reasons. One is because candy canes are made of sucrose, which is simply table sugar.
According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Food Database, the 100g serving of candy canes contains 429 calories,100 g of it are carbs, including 78.5 g of sugars.
And it doesn’t have any other nutritional value.
Upon ingestion, sugars are converted into carbohydrates and later these turn into fats. Fats are harmful to your dog’s body since they could lead to heart-related diseases and obesity
Can dogs eat candy canes safely?
While chewing, the candy cane may also split into smaller pieces with sharp edges. Just like sharp chicken bones, these are dangerous because they may injure the pup’s gums as well as bruising the tongue. They may also damage the intestines or the stomach walls if they find their way into the alimentary canal of the dog.
Also, they may be lodged in the dog’s throat, thus impacting breathing and swallowing of food.
Candy wrappers are also harmful to the dog. These may cause blockage in the throat or the intestines, as well as the stomach walls. Sometimes your pup can even choke on it. Most of the flavors in candy canes are not so good for the dog. They may cause loss of appetite and diarrhea. Sometimes they may cause short-lived hyperactivity then sudden fatigue in dogs, a condition known as lethargy.
Is there xylitol in candy canes?
Although most of the time candy canes are made of sugar and peppermint flavorings Sometimes sugar-less candy canes may contain some other ingredients.
For instance, holidays candies by Fun Express are made of sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, artificial colors and flavors, titanium dioxide and water.
So some manufacturers can definitely include xylitol as an alternative sweetener. And you have to be careful when purchasing any product that has even the slightest chance to be eaten by your pup.
My dog ate a peppermint candy cane, what should I do?
It doesn’t matter how hard you try there’s always a risk that your pet will find those candy canes and eat it. If that happened and you’ve noticed any troubling or unusual symptoms in your pup’s behavior, you should contact or take the dog to the vet immediately because the effects may lead to severe problems depending on the ingredients of the candy eaten.
