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Can dogs eat jelly beans?

For over a hundred years, a lot of children have grown and got children of their own that eat jellybeans and fell in love eating them. Who’s not attracted to jellybeans’ color and taste? It’s hard not to give to this tiny, sweet, colorful, and iconic treat that generations of both children and adults love over the decades.

Can dogs eat jelly beans? Can you pop some treats for your dog and not feel bad after doing it? If children and adults would love it, why not dogs? How could something that tastes so good, maybe bad? As we move along and examine the jelly beans, we can be unbiased in answering that question, “Can dogs eat jelly beans?”.

Can dogs eat jelly beans
Can dogs eat jelly beans?

Can dogs eat jelly beans?

Dogs should not “accidentally” consume jelly beans. “Accidental” ingestion of several pieces of jelly beans should not even cross your mind. Vets and other dog health experts would outrightly frown on “accidental” consumption and ingestion of dogs with several pieces of sweet and colorful jelly beans you might “accidentally ” drop.

Vets would not even recommend of thinking giving a few treats of jelly beans to dogs. To begin with, jelly beans are sweet treats that are for humans and not for dogs. You and your dog can safely share some food items but sad to say, jelly beans are not one of them.

Giving your dog some treats that are high in sugar content, colorings, and other toxic ingredients like xylitol or caffeine is just plain depressing. Xylitol and caffeine are simply not fit for dog consumption. Both substances are fatal and raise red alarms for dog enthusiasts and dog lovers groups.

When a dog ingested several pieces of jelly beans, expect them to experience mild stomach upset. Even if you can see that your dog is just behaving normally, call your vet and explain what happens so that your vet can assess the situation carefully and recommend something safe for your dog and prevent any damage.

How bad are jelly beans for dogs?

Jellybeans do not provide any nutritional value that will improve your dog’s overall health. There is practically no logical reason aside from carelessness and wanton disregard of your dog’s welfare and safety when you feed them jelly beans. Simply, jelly beans are not the food of choice for dogs.

Jelly beans are harmful when your dog is already having diabetes or is experiencing a heart condition, liver disease, gut problems, skin allergies, or even obesity. Canines are simply not very tolerant to sugar and other harmful ingredients jelly beans may contain. The serious complications would always be a consequence of being not too careful.

Ingredients like xylitol, caffeine, pectin or starch, sugar, and several flavorings are not ideal food items for your dogs. We will explain and highlight in detail the ill-effects of such items so you would be careful and not keep on dropping a few pieces of jelly beans “accidentally“. We hope you would follow closely.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sweetener for most candies. Jelly beans use xylitol to create those sweet-tasting treats. A tube of toothpaste and a bottle of mouthwash uses xylitol to give users a more desirable taste. Dogs consuming food products that are used with xylitol are in danger of hypoglycemia.

When your dog suffers hypocalcemia, his sugar level drops too low levels. There are dogs that, after ingesting xylitol after 30 minutes, can develop some symptoms. For some dogs, it may have to take longer, like 18 hours, after consumption of xylitol. Call your vet when upon learning of your dog’s ingestion of the xylitol-containing product.

Here are the signs of hypoglycemia resulted from xylitol ingestion:

  • drowsiness
  • vomiting
  • too much or excessive drooling
  • staggering
  • slow to respond or loss of consciousness
  • seizure
  • coma

Xylitol can cause liver failure in some dogs when not treated immediately. It could even result in your dog’s death if not treated right away. If you suspect your dog ingested a product that contains xylitol, please call your vet.

Caffeine

We also found caffeine in jelly beans and it is fatal when consumed by dogs. You can find caffeine in coffee, chocolate, tea, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and some medicines. Known as a stimulant, caffeine is also an ingredient of some candies. Caffeine has the same effects as theobromine, a chemical in chocolate that causes toxicity in dogs.

Caffeine can have devastating effects on humans, but it can have more serious effects on dogs. Small consumption of caffeine by your canine can induce some toxic effects. Your dog’s system does not tolerate well the ill effects of caffeine. When your dog ingested some caffeine-containing food items, please watch for the following symptoms.

  • Restlessness
  • High body temperature
  • fast heartbeat
  • seizures
  • shaking
  • abnormal sensitivity to touch or movement.

Just like xylitol, caffeine can also cause death in dogs.

Sugar

Your dog must not consume any food product or food item that has sugar on it. Simply, sugar does not have any nutritional value, your dog must not eat it. Most candies contain sugar and lots of it. Dogs once tasted sugar, can find it very irresistible. And too much sugar consumption is dangerous and can cause several problems for your dogs.

When your dog has eaten too much sugar, it may cause him to vomit or experience diarrhea. If your dog would get a lot of sugary treats, it will cause obesity. And most obese dogs will develop diabetes and heart problems. The added weight puts a lot of pressure on their joints and bones and often leads to developing arthritis.

Sugar consumption is bad for your dog’s teeth and gums.

Pectin or starch

Jelly beans use starch to have that jelly consistency. Pectin is a starch that is found in most candies. In fact, pectin is present in some veterinary products that are used in the treatment of diarrhea. Pectin is not really toxic, but your dog gets constipated when it ingests large quantities of pectin.

Flavorings

Jelly beans come in different colors and flavors. Artificial flavoring can upset your dog’s stomach if it consumes several pieces of jelly beans. Some flavorings like chocolate-flavored jelly beans and grape-flavored jelly beans are not fit for dog consumption. Your dog should not eat all of those flavored candies at all costs.

If you suspect your dog to be eating food items that have those flavorings, please call your vet and don’t wait for anything serious to happen. Your dog’s life and health depend on your fast response.

Don’t feed your dog any jelly beans treats

Can dogs eat jelly beans? Absolutely no, there is no reason for you to have your dog taste a few jelly beans. We hope we have explained to you why you should not give your dog any jelly beans treat. Please visit us more often and always stay tune for more tips on how to make your dog live happy and healthy.

Can dogs eat jelly beans?
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