Can Dogs Eat Sour Patch Kids? Keep Your Dog Healthy!
In this article
View 2 More +If your dog begs for any food you put in your mouth, it probably won’t stop just because you’re eating something unsafe for them. That’s why it’s important to know which human snacks dogs can eat. Sour Patch Kids candy may be the perfect balance of sweet and tart for you, but your dog shouldn’t eat them regularly.
Regular Sour Patch Kids aren’t technically toxic to dogs, but they aren’t healthy for them either, and eating too many could make your pup sick. In this article, we’ll talk about why dogs shouldn’t eat Sour Patch Kids. We’ll also cover some real dangers eating candy could pose for your dog.
Here’s Why Dogs Shouldn’t Eat Sour Patch Kids
As you probably already know, eating too much candy and other high-sugar foods, including Sour Patch Kids, isn’t healthy for people. Eating too much sugar is linked to health concerns such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.1 Excess sugar also causes some medical concerns in dogs.2
Sugar, or other forms of sweetener, make up the first three ingredients in Sour Patch Kids.3 Just 12 pieces of candy contain a whopping 24 grams of sugar, or almost half of the recommended daily amount for humans. Stealing the occasional Sour Patch Kids probably won’t have much impact on your dog, but eating too many at one time or regularly consuming them over time could cause problems.
Eating a lot of sugar at one time can cause digestive upset, including vomiting and diarrhea, in dogs.
Other Risks of Eating Sour Patch Kids
Xylitol
Sugar may not be healthy for dogs, but artificial sweeteners are even worse, particularly one called xylitol. Often used to sweeten sugar-free gum and candy, xylitol is toxic and can be fatal to dogs if eaten. If you like to chew any of the sugar-free Sour Patch Kids gum varieties, be extra cautious about keeping them away from your dog.
Eating even a small amount of xylitol leads to a dangerous drop in a dog’s blood sugar, potentially causing seizures. It may also cause liver damage and failure. If you suspect your dog has eaten a product containing xylitol, get them to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Candy Wrappers and Packaging
If your dog swallows the package and the stolen Sour Patch Kids, it could experience a different risk. Plastic bags and wrappers could get stuck as they try to pass through your dog’s digestive tract. This may irritate your dog’s intestines or lead to an obstruction.
If your dog cannot completely pass the plastic wrapper, it may need surgery to remove it.
Conclusion
While eating the occasional Sour Patch Kid probably won’t harm your dog, you should avoid feeding this candy regularly due to the potential health concerns. Keep all candy safely stored away from your dog’s reach, especially if it contains xylitol or other toxic ingredients, like chocolate or raisins.
Before feeding any human food to your dog, check the ingredients to determine if it’s safe and healthy. Remember that treats of any kind should make up only about 10% of your pup’s daily calories, with the other 90% coming from nutritionally-balanced and complete dog food.
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Elizabeth Gray is a lifelong lover of all animals great and small. She got her first cat at 5 years old and at 14, she started working for her local veterinarian. Elizabeth spent more than 20 years working as a veterinary nurse before stepping away to become a stay-at-home parent to her daughter. Now, she is excited to share her hard-earned knowledge (literally--she has scars) with the readers. Elizabeth lives in Iowa with her family, including her two furry kids, Linnard, a husky mix and Algernon, the worldʻs most patient cat. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching all sports but especially soccer, and spending time outdoors with her family.
