Do you have children at home? If you do, they are bound to fall in love with Twizzlers candies, if they aren’t already. Also, it’s not like you, being an adult, can’t love them, too. These soft, sweet candies are a favorite of people of all age groups. In most households with (or without) kids, it is common to find a box of Twizzlers lying around. But is this sweet treat okay for your canine friend to eat?
Can dogs eat Twizzlers? You should not feed Twizzlers to dogs. While the candies are not lethal to your pet, there are too many risks involved with it. Twizzlers are not exactly healthy for humans either, therefore it is highly likely that they affect a dog’s health negatively. They are far too sweet for your pet’s good. The high sugar content can lead to several health issues and can eventually threaten their lives. Therefore, it is best not to feed these treats to your pet.
You must know that sugar is not a natural part of a dog’s diet. From ancient times, these canine breeds have had nothing to do with sweet food. It was only when humans started keeping dogs as pets and sharing their meals with them that dogs were first introduced to sugar.
Therefore, while dogs are suckers for everything sweet, their digestive systems are not ideal for digesting it. Sugar does them more harm than good.
What are Twizzlers made of?
Twizzlers are sweet candies manufactured mainly for kids but are equally loved by adults as well. Do you want to find out what Twizzlers are made up of?
Although most ingredients could vary in different brands or flavors, the following ingredients are basic to Twizzlers.
Wheat flour
Wheat flour acts as a binding agent in Twizzlers. Most pet owners consider wheat flour to be healthy for their dogs and use it while making homemade dog treats.
However, wheat flour consists of a special kind of protein known as gluten, which can instigate an allergic reaction in some dogs. If your dog is grain intolerant, it might not be a good idea to feed them anything made of wheat flour.
Sugar
As mentioned earlier, Twizzlers are candies. What candies are made without sugar? Sugar has the central role in making Twizzlers the delicious candies that they are.
Corn syrup
In addition to sugar, corn syrup is also used as a sweetening agent in Twizzlers. It also helps in adding slight moisture to these candies. Moreover, corn syrup is also essential for the final texture of Twizzlers.
Corn starch
Corn starch is another essential ingredient in Twizzlers. While corn starch is not particularly bad for dogs, many dogs suffer from an allergy to corn. If your corn-allergic dog consumes Twizzlers, they might display symptoms of diarrhea and itching.
Glycerin
Glycerin is used in Twizzlers to maintain the water content in the candies. Along with these ingredients, there are also other ingredients that are used in smaller quantities, such as soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavors, palm oil, Red 40, etc.
How can Twizzlers harm your dog’s health?
Before moving on to the harmful effects of Twizzlers on your dog’s health, let’s make one thing clear: Twizzlers have no ingredients that can contribute to your dog’s health.
Would you want to feed your pet, something that makes zero contribution to their health? You probably won’t. Even if you are feeling confused or indecisive, you will soon make your mind about feeding Twizzlers to dogs.
Eating too many Twizzlers can cause diabetes in your dog
As we gathered in the last section, Twizzlers are rich in sugar and contain corn syrup as a sweetening agent as well. Both of these are toxic to your pet’s blood sugar levels and can lead to diabetes in them.
If your dog is diabetes, you will notice these symptoms in them: weight loss, excessive thirst, increased urination, etc. A simple urine test or a trip to your vet can confirm your suspicions.
What makes diabetes more difficult on your pet is other concurrent disorders such as.
- Cancer
- Severe Obesity
- Hyperadrenocorticism
- Hypothyroidism
- Chronic inflammation
- Cardiac insufficiency
- Hyperlipidemia
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Renal and liver insufficiency
Cataract due to diabetes
Like humans, diabetic cataract is also common among dogs. With the growing age, the risk of diabetic cataract increases in dogs. In many cases, dogs need to get surgery performed on their eyes in order to avoid blindness.
Obesity
Excessive sugar consumption is one of the leading causes of obesity in dogs. In many cases, it is too late before pet owners realize that their dogs are obese.
It is particularly common in large dog breeds such as Labradors, German Shepherds, Samoyed, etc.
Obesity can make your pet lethargic and inactive, incapable of movement. Sugar is also believed to reduce the lifespan of dogs.
Dental problems
Sugar affects a dog’s mouth cavity just as it does ours. Too much sugar can lead to bad breath, bacteria accumulation, and cavity in dogs.
Xylitol toxicity
Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in plants of corn, berries, lettuce, plum, etc. This alcohol is used as an alternative for sugar in a number of processed foods such as chewing gums, baked goods, candies, etc. While xylitol has no harmful effects on humans, it is highly toxic for dogs.
Even a little xylitol is bound to instigate hypoglycemia in dogs, which results in seizures, liver failure, and in some cases, death.
Twizzlers, being processed food, have a lot of chances of containing xylitol in place of sugar. Therefore, it is best to scan the packaging for any xylitol traces before bringing such treats home in your pet’s presence.
Can puppies have Twizzlers?
If Twizzlers can harm a dog’s health so fatally, feeding these to their younger ones is certainly out of the question. A puppy’s internal system is much weaker than a fully-grown dog. Therefore, even a small amount of sugar can prove to be fatal for their blood sugar levels.
Other human foods that your dog shouldn’t consume
We know that dogs have different dietary needs than ours and thus require separate food for themselves. Still, most of us can’t help feeding our pets some of what we eat. While not everything we eat can harm our pets, the following are some of the human foods you should think twice before feeding your dog.
Alcohol
Just as alcohol has a negative impact on our brains as livers, it affects dogs similarly. However, due to their smaller bodies, even a little alcohol can prove to be lethal.
If your dog consumes alcohol even by accident, it can display signs of vomiting, diarrhea, and breathing problems. Too much alcohol can potentially kill your dog, as well.
Onion or garlic
Both onion and garlic can destroy your dog’s red blood cells fatally, and lead to anemia. Even a sprinkle or pinch of onion or garlic powder is enough to do considerable damage.
Caffeine and chocolate
Both caffeine and chocolates contain methylxanthines that are dangerous for your dogs. They can cause hyperactivity in dogs, which leads to increased heart rates, tremors, seizures, and in many cases, death. Energy drinks or different flavors of sodas can have the same effect on your pet.
Grapes and raisins
No one has been able to find out yet why grapes or raisins are toxic to dogs. However, it is common knowledge both these cause kidney failure in dogs that ends up killing them. Early signs of poisoning that you can look out for are sickness, vomiting, sluggishness, and depression.
Milk and dairy products
The enmity between dogs and dairy goes way back in the past. All dog breeds are lactose intolerant to varying degrees. Consuming milk or its by-products can cause several digestive problems in dogs, such as vomiting, diarrhea, loose stool, etc. Its effects are even worse in puppies.
Raw eggs
While many pet owners believe that raw eggs make a protein-rich diet for their pet dogs, veterinarians beg to differ. Raw eggs contain bacteria that can lead to diseases like E. coli and Salmonella in your dog. Thus, it is best to stick to well-cooked eggs if you want to give your dog more protein.
To sum up: Can Dogs Eat Twizzlers?
To conclude, we’ll reiterate what we have been saying throughout the article: it is not good to feed your pet dog Twizzlers due to their high sugar content, which is very problematic for them.