Fruit snacks are popular amongst people of every age. We have all enjoyed them for at least once in our life. However, these sugary snacks are common among kids. Small children often love to have them as an afterschool snack. Small kids or even adults must have fed fruit snacks to their dogs. This is simply because dog parents and siblings love sharing food and snacks with their fur babies. Also, after giving them some, most wonder ‘Can dogs eat fruit snacks or not’?
Dog parents usually feed their fur babies whatever they eat. It is because they cannot resist the blackmail that comes with those puppy eyes (it doesn’t make a difference if it is an adult dog or a teenager). Additionally, all dog parents have one thought in common. We think that our fur babies should also taste the food we are enjoying. Though this isn’t wrong, it isn’t completely correct either. Let us tell you why.
In this blog, we will first discuss what are fruit snacks. Also, we will discuss the health effects of feeding fruit snacks to our fur babies along with the respective considerations. After considering everything, we will further answer whether or not can dogs eat fruit snacks. So are you ready for it? If yes, then let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What are fruit snacks?
You must be wondering about the need to include this question in this blog. Most of us probably know what a fruit snack is. But wait. There are different types and meanings of the term fruit snacks.
Some dog parents will associate the word fruit snack with chewy gummy fruit-flavored candies. Whereas, the other might assume it to be snacks made out of real sun-dried fruits. Also, other dog parents would think of a fruit snack as a fresh fruit snack. We decided to include this section in our blog.
To be specific, fruit snacks are basically chewy gummy fruit-flavored packaged candies. They are available in many different shapes, sizes, flavors, and colors. There are four commonly used colors in all fruit snacks. Green for watermelon flavor, red or pink for strawberry flavor, orange for orange flavor, and yellow for mango flavor. However, these colors are only sometimes natural. Many fruit snack companies add artificial colors to attract children to buy their products.
These chewy little gummies are called fruit snacks. Ironically, sometimes they might not contain any fruit. They are generally made up of fruit extracts or fruit purees. Along with synthetic color, there is a possibility that the fruit snacks might contain artificial fruit flavors.
What are fruit snacks made up of?
The common ingredients in fruit snacks include fruit puree, mainly made of grapes, oranges, strawberries, and other juicy fruits, sugar, xylitol, gelatin, corn syrup, artificial flavors and fragrances, citric acid, palm oil, etc. Also, you might be surprised that these snacks contain 50 to 60 percent sugar in a single serving. Hence, we think that it should be called a sugar snack instead of a fruit snack. (LOL)
Can Dogs Eat Fruit Snacks?
Deciding whether our fur babies can eat fruit snacks should be based on various considerations. Those considerations will include the following points.
- Considering the amount of sugar present in fruit snacks.
- The concentration of fruit puree in fruit snacks.
- The presence of excessive xylitol in sugar-free fruit snacks.
So let us discuss all those things before moving on to the final answer.
1. Considering the amount of sugar present in fruit snacks.
As discussed in the above paragraph, sugar is the main ingredient in fruit snacks. We all know that sugar is not good for our fur babies. However, it is not a toxic ingredient as well. But too much sugar is not good for dogs. It can result in problems like obesity and diseases like diabetes.
Also, consuming too much sugar can lead to dental problems in dogs. This might result in severe consequences like losing teeth, bad breath, plaque and tartar, tooth fracture, and even worse, benign oral tumor. Hence, from this point, it is clear that fruit snacks are neither healthy nor toxic for dogs.
2. The concentration of fruit puree in fruit snacks.
All dog parents know that grapes and raisins are highly toxic for our fur babies. Even small amounts of grapes can lead to severe consequences. Even if consumed in small quantities, they might still lead to the death of a dog. Hence, dog parents should never feed grapes and raisins to their dogs.
Even though they are called fruit snacks, they do not always contain real fruits. These chewy snacks are mostly made up of sugar and fruit purees. These fruit purees might be made up of juicy fruits like oranges, grapes, strawberries, etc. So, you never know that the fruit snack you are feeding your fur baby might be made up of grape puree. If this case holds, feeding fruit snacks might lead to your dog’s death.
By this point, it can be concluded that fruit snacks can be toxic for our dogs. Hence, there is no point in taking a chance of feeding them to our fur babies. Their lives hold much more importance than a one-time pleasure.
3. The presence of excessive xylitol in sugar-free fruit snacks
Let’s divide this point into three further subpoints.
3.1. What is xylitol?
Xylitol is a plant-based natural sugar alcohol. It is found in many fruits and plants. Due to its sweet nature, xylitol is often used as a substitute for sugar. It is added to various sugar-free drinks and dishes to give them a sweet taste. Unlike sugar, it does not cause any weight gain and dental problems in human beings.
3.2. Why is xylitol used in fruit snacks?
The sweet flavor is one reason why fruit snacks are such popular among kids as well as adults. They are often used as an after-meal dessert by people to satisfy their sweet tooth. Remember while listing the ingredients, we mentioned both sugar and xylitol as a part of fruit snacks? Okay, we get it. You don’t remember. But, never mind (LOL).
Sugar is the main ingredient of fruit snacks. However, there are a lot of companies that make sugar-free fruit snacks. Hence, instead of sugar, they tend to use xylitol for that sweet sugary taste. As mentioned, xylitol is not harmful to human beings. Instead, it is a healthier sugar substitute.
3.3. How is xylitol harmful to dogs?
Xylitol is the second most lethal ingredient after grapes and raisins for our fur babies. Things like grapes, raisins, chocolates, etc are always highlighted when talking about the most toxic substances for dogs. However, xylitol, being the second deadliest ingredient, gets eliminated from being a part of this discussion.
Xylitol, even when consumed in small quantities, can lead to the death of a dog. It can either cause low blood sugar, liver injury, or both in dogs. Hence, it doesn’t matter if you give sugar-free fruit snacks to your dog. It will be highly toxic for your dog. Instead, it will cause more harm than the regular sugary ones.
Final Words
Talking up straight, the final answer is no. If you want their well-being then you should not give fruit snacks to your fur baby. This is simply because they contain everything that can be toxic for our fur babies. They will negatively affect our babies in some way or other.
You probably must be thinking that one or two pieces of fruit snacks won’t cause any harm. Unfortunately, you are partially wrong. Even when given in a small amount, fruit snacks can do a lot of harm to your fur baby. These harms can be as small as a temporary loss of appetite. Or else, they can be as severe as the death of your fur baby. We know you didn’t like reading the previous line. Trust us, we didn’t like saying it. But, we must inform all of our readers about the severe health effects of feeding fruit snacks to your dogs.
Congratulations, as we all know the answer to ‘Can dogs eat fruit snacks’? Hence, for the well-being of our fur babies, we dog parents need to resist those puppy eyes. Let us all dog parents say no to fruit snacks for our babies. Instead, let us all get to researching dog-friendly fruit snacks from different brands. This way, both, our fur babies along with us will get to enjoy our favorite fruit snacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can dogs eat fruit snacks?
No! You should not give fruit snacks to your dog. They contain a lot of sugar which might lead to problems like obesity and high blood sugar in dogs. Additionally, grape puree can be toxic to your dog and lead to death. Hence, you should give fruit snacks to your dogs. Not even in small quantities.
2. Do fruit snacks provide the same amount of nutrients as present in fresh fruits?
No! Definitely not! Fruit snacks do not contain any nutrients as compared to fresh fruits. Instead, they can cause a lot of harm to our fur babies. Instead of fruit snacks, you should feed real fruits like bananas and apples to your furry baby.
3. Are fruit snacks made up of real fruits?
No. fruit snacks are not made up of real fruits. They are made using fruit extracts or fruit purees and sugar. Mostly, the companies use artificial colors and flavors to attract children.
4. Are sugar-free fruit snacks good for our fur babies?
No, instead, they are even more harmful than the sugar ones. Sugar-free fruit snacks contain xylitol. It is a plant-based sugar alcohol which is very toxic for dogs. Consuming xylitol in small amounts can lead to the death of a dog. Hence, make sure you never feed sugar-free fruit snacks to your dog. Not even by mistake.
