Can dogs eat Pop-Tarts? Or It Contains Toxic Ingredients?

 When you love your dog, you take care of him in all aspects, including diet. Keeping your dog on a nutritious food maintains his health and weight. It also reduces the risk of various diseases, from cancer to cardiovascular disorders. Typically, you feed your dog with lean chicken, beef, fish, grains, and pasta, etc. But how about Pop-Tarts? Should those be included in the dog’s diet or on the list of occasional treat? Read on to know more!

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Which Pop-Tarts ingredients potentially can be dangerous for dogs?

Pop-Tarts have a wide range of ingredients including Wheat Flour, Niacinamide, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Cottonseed, and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil), Sugar, Cracker Meal, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Modified Wheat Starch, Gelatin, Soy Lecithin and much more. None of those is known to be fatal to dogs, but those aren’t the best ingredients for pup’s (or humans’) health either. 

Some Pop-Tarts contain chocolate, which can be very dangerous for your pet and can potentially result in life-threatening heart conditions. 

Are Pop-Tarts bad for dogs?

If your pet happens to eat a small piece of Pop-Tart, you are both going to be fine as long as treat’s formula doesn’t contain anything toxic to your pet’s health. E.g., chocolate, too much of the sodium, or an artificial sweetener like xylitol. So, check the labels before sharing the treat with your dog. However, generally, it is not a good idea to give Pop-Tarts to your dog. It’s high in sugar content, artificial colorings, and additives that can cause diabetes and other unpleasant health issues. 

Can dogs eat cherry Pop-Tarts?

One serving (104g) of cherry Pop-Tarts contains 410 calories, 10g of fats, 330mg of sodium, 76mg of carbs (including 1g of fiber and 33g of sugars), 4g of protein. And amongst its ingredients are sodium acid pyrophosphate, modified wheat starch, gelatin, caramel color, xanthan gum, dextrose, and more hardly edible ingredients. It’s high in calories, sodium, sugars, and a wide range of preservatives and other artificial components, so I recommend to keep your dog out of Pop-Tarts. 

My dog ate chocolate pop tart. What should I do?

Theobromine and caffeine are the two toxic ingredients in chocolate. At the same time, baking chocolate and dark chocolate are more harmful than white chocolate. Thus, you need to check the ingredients list of chocolate Pop-Tarts and determine the type of chocolate used in them. 

If Pop-Tarts are made with dark or baking chocolate, then, you have to watch your dog closely and spot any troubling signals.

The first signs of poisoning in dogs as mentioned veterinary surgeon Fiona Finlay from Child Health Department, Bath NHS House, Bath in her paper about dogs’ chocolate poisoning include vomiting, hyperirritability, excessive panting, and muscle twitching.

If your dog’s displays any of those, you should immediately consult with your vet.

Can dogs eat Pop-Tarts after all?

Yes, they can, but we don’t recommend them for your dog. The majority of treat’s components are not necessarily toxic for your dog, but not good either. The product’s nutritional value – high on carbs, calories, sugars, and sodium – is also not the best match for your pup.  

Credits: thanks for the photo to Canva.

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