Have you ever wondered – can dogs eat jellybeans? It can be tempting to want to share our human food with our pet dogs, whether it is a bit of the fruit that we have cut for ourselves or the leftover scraps at the dinner table.
Children especially love to share their food with their pet dogs, and this is usually what poses the most risk.
Children are often unaware of what foods are safe for dogs to eat, and it is children that are most likely to offer a dog a few sneaky sweets from their sweetie bag, or accidentally drop them on the floor for your dog to hoover up.
In this article, we will look at why it is not a good idea to feed jellybeans to your dog, and what to do if your dog accidentally eats them.
In this article, we will discuss the following:
- Is it safe for a dog to eat jellybeans?
- What are the health risks of jellybeans for dogs?
- What is xylitol, and why is it toxic for dogs?
- What will happen if my dog consumes jellybeans?
Is It Safe For A Dog To Eat Jellybeans?
It is probably best to assume that most artificially produced human foods and sweets are in some way harmful to dogs.
They contain a wide variety of artificial ingredients that are detrimental not only to your dog’s health but also to your health and the health of your children.
Most of us let our kids eat sweets, though, and traditional jellybeans are often a favorite. They taste good because they are super sweet, and this is our first clue in deciding whether or not a food is good for us.
When food tastes unnaturally sweet, the chances are that it contains a variety of unhealthy ingredients to sweeten and add flavor or color.
Jellybeans are not only extremely sweet, but they are also very colorful, and they have a long shelf life, meaning they contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavorings, artificial coloring, preservatives, and more.
These are not a treat that you should want to offer your dog, as they are awful for your dog’s health.
What’s more, they contain ingredients that are considered toxic for dogs, which means that the consumption of jellybeans could put not only your dog’s health at risk but also your dog’s life.
What Are The Health Risks Of Jellybeans For Dogs?
The most prominent health risk that comes to mind when we think of jellybeans, and many other sweets, is sugar. Sweets of all kinds, including jellybeans, are very, very high in sugar.
This high sugar content can cause both short-term and long-term problems for your dog’s health.
The immediate effects may well be that the high sugar content disrupts your dog’s digestive system.
This can lead to gastrointestinal issues, causing your dog discomfort and leading to an upset stomach. Some dogs may experience vomiting and/or diarrhea as a result of this.
The long-term health effects and repercussions of feeding jellybeans and other high sugar content human foods to your dog may include expensive dental problems, obesity, stress on the joints caused by weight gain and exacerbated arthritis symptoms, and diabetes, amongst other sugar-related ailments that can result in high and ongoing vet bills.
It is easy to overfeed sugary foods to dogs because it doesn’t take overindulgence very much overtime to cause obesity.
This is especially true for small dogs, elderly dogs, and dogs that are not able to get the amount of daily physical exercise that they need to burn the extra calories.
Can Dogs Eat Jelly Beans
Many people’s lifestyles don’t account for the amount of daily exercise dogs should be getting. For example, older adults who own dogs might not be able to walk far enough or long enough; some dog owners lead hectic lives and are not able to walk the dog every day.
Others may live in built-up city areas where the opportunities for exercising a dog are limited. Some dog owners are also very lazy or don’t realize how much exercise their dog needs to stay fit and healthy.
The dogs in all of these situations will suffer, especially when they are consistently offered unhealthy snacks, treats, and human food titbits outside over their mealtimes.
Aside from sugar, jellybeans also contain an ingredient called Pectin. Pectin is a fiber product that is used in dogs to treat diarrhea, working to regulate stool by helping it to become firmer.
However, if too much of this ingredient is consumed, like through the overconsumption of jellybeans, it can lead to severe constipation, depending on the number of jellybeans eaten.
Caffeine is another toxic ingredient found in some brands of jellybeans. Caffeine may overstimulate your dog’s central nervous system, making them extraordinarily hyper and restless.
This side-effect may not be fatal for your dog, but it is not healthy and can cause many other problems in your dog’s behavior and personality if exposed to caffeine often.
For example, you may think that you have a high-energy dog that doesn’t suit your lifestyle.
You may even find that your dog is allergic to the artificial dyes used in creating the vibrant colors that jellybeans are well known for.
What Is Xylitol And Why Is It Toxic For Dogs?
Arguably the main reason that you should ensure that your dog is not fed jellybeans is that many brands of the sweet contain an ingredient called xylitol.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that is toxic and highly dangerous for dogs. It can cause your dog’s blood pressure to drop, and they may experience vomiting, but perhaps most alarmingly, xylitol has been known to cause seizures and lead to death in dogs.
You might be surprised to discover how many human products xylitol can be found in, as it is a ubiquitous artificial sweetener. Many sweets, chewing gum, and even toothpaste contain the ingredient.
If you are worried that your dog has consumed jellybeans that contain xylitol, you should look out for the following symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Seizures
If you know that your dog has consumed a significant amount of jellybeans, or that that the brand contains xylitol, you should not wait to witness these symptoms, however.
You must treat the incident as an emergency and take your dog to be checked over by a vet. Even a small amount of xylitol can have devastating effects on your dog if left unchecked.
What Will Happen If My Dog Consumes Jellybeans?
If your dog has consumed any jellybeans, your first instinct after reading this article or a similar one might be to panic, but you should try not to.
The first thing you should do is to check the ingredients list on the packet of jellybeans to see if they contain xylitol.
This will be the first piece of information you want to provide your vet with should you need to take your dog in.
Take the sweet packet to the vet with you so that your veterinarian can check the ingredients list for anything you may have missed. Your vet will also want to know how many of the sweets your dog has eaten.
If your dog has only eaten a few single jellybeans, then a visit to the veterinary clinic might not be necessary. You should call their helpline for advice first and follow their instructions.
Upon eating just a few of the sweets, your dog is most likely going to experience symptoms of an upset stomach.
After eating jellybeans, your dog may vomit or have diarrhea. You may notice that they are acting differently. Perhaps they are unusually quiet or withdrawn.
Some dogs, when they are ill, instinctively hideaway, so if you find your dog has taken himself off to bed or a quiet corner, they are probably not feeling too good.
Some dogs, when experiencing gastrointestinal discomfort, can be found stretching their bodies to relieve pain, so that they look like they are doing a “play bow.” Rest assured, this is not an invitation to play, though.
The best thing you can do is keep an eye on your dog and make sure that they have plenty of access to water so that they do not become dehydrated in experiencing any vomiting or diarrhea.
If you are in touch with your vet, you should keep them updated of any developments within 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are jelly beans dangerous for dogs?
Jelly beans are mostly sugar and unhealthy for dogs. Be aware that sugar-free jelly beans may contain Xylitol which is deadly to dogs.
What happens if a dog eats jelly beans?
If your dog eat a single jelly bean, there is not much to worry about unless it is sugar-free and made with Xylitol. Immediately take your dog to a Vet if your dog ate any product with Xylitol.
What Brand of Jelly Beans are made with Xylitol?
In my research, I have not been able to find any jelly beans made with Xylitol. A good site for food made with Xylitol is https://www.preventivevet.com/xylitol-products-toxic-for-dogs.
Summary
If your dog lives in a house with one or more children, you must educate them to understand that some food is dangerous for the dog.
Establishing rules around feeding the dog can save your dog’s life. It is always important to supervise children around dogs because even if the child knows the risks, the dog does not, and there may be nothing stomach your dog from stealing sweets for a young child or hovering up dropped sweets from the floor around your young child’s high chair or pram.
Don’t think you are safe if you don’t live with kids, though, because kids are everywhere, and they are in the park, at the bus stop, and in the garden next to yours.
Jellybeans and other sweets can quickly get into the paws of your dog, so always be on the lookout for potential food hazards.
