Starburst is a famous sweet treat for many kids. Thus, it’s not a surprise to see such food in many houses. Of course, if you have one at home, your kid probably eats it anywhere to the point where your dog gets to share. While it’s safe for your kid, it begs the question:
Can dogs eat Starburst? Dogs cannot eat starburst. This sweet snack contains high amounts of sugar, which isn’t suitable for dogs. Moreover, it may even contain xylitol, which can be toxic to them. If you plan on giving your dog some as a treat, it would be best to look for healthier options.
Starburst is a famous snack and sweets for kids and adults. Still, while such a product is safe for us, it isn’t the same for our dogs.
In this article, we’ll give you all the things you need to know about this product and its effects on dogs. This way, you’ll be aware of the possible risks you’ll face if you plan on sharing this food.
Let’s get into it!
Contents
Can dogs have Starburst?
Starburst may be alright in small amounts. However, it can harm your dog in large quantities. For this reason, dogs cannot have such a treat, especially a whole pack.
Although some of its variants aren’t toxic, it’s not an ideal snack for your pet. Of course, a piece or two now and then shouldn’t cause any issue. The only worry about this product is that it contains way too much sugar.
While a piece or two shouldn’t harm your pet, it may induce your pet to ask for more, which is not alright.
Now, you may think that there are sugar-free candies or products. If you plan on giving sugar-free products, it’s a bad idea.
The thing about starburst is that they usually contain xylitol. It’s a safe component for us, but it is toxic for our pets. Thus, whatever type it is, it shouldn’t be our pets’ snacks.
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Can Starburst kill dogs?
While it’s not likely that starburst would kill dogs, it’s not impossible either.
If you offer too many starbursts to your pet, it may cause your pet to suffer extreme complications. Thus, even if your pet won’t die due to eating sweets, it can be a significant factor.
Another thing to happen is that candies may contain lethal ingredients such as xylitol. Thus, if your pet eats such sweets, it can also lead to their death.
As always, treat starburst as food only for us and not for our pets. As much as possible, don’t share these items, and if you want, check the components and look for any toxic items for them.
Risks of feeding your dog Starburst
Starburst isn’t a healthy option for your dog. Thus, sharing such food comes with many risks. It would be best to be aware of such threats to ensure you’re doing everything right.
Starburst contains too much sugar for dogs.
Sugar isn’t a bad thing for dogs. However, too much of it changes the story.
While a few starburst pieces contain tolerable sugar content, a whole bag of it may not be a good idea.
Thus, if you plan on giving starburst, always make sure you provide it in small amounts, and not too often.
Starburst may contain xylitol.
Since sugar is the problem, you’d probably ask if you would give a sugar-free one.
While the sugar-free starburst doesn’t contain sugar, it may contain xylitol, which acts as its sweetener.
Unlike sugar, xylitol is a toxic thing for dogs. Thus, it’s even worse than sugar.
For this reason, always avoid giving sugar-free products to your dog, as it may contain xylitol.
Starburst can cause health complications.
If you offer starburst to your dog all the time, it can lead your dog’s health to breakdown.
Since they don’t tolerate large amounts of sugar, their body may suffer from issues if you give sweet stuff all the time.
If you want to give your pet a treat, it would be best to go for natural food such as fruits.
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What to do if your dog ate Starburst?
Starburst shouldn’t cause any issue to your pet as long as it doesn’t contain anything toxic. Here are some things you can do if your dog ate such a sweet treat.
Prevent your pet from eating more starburst.
The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to eat more of this sweet candy. Thus, you should remove any remnants from the area. Wherever it came from, ensure the site is secure and no more remnants.
Understand what happened.
Understanding what happened is necessary for this situation. Thus, it would be best to gather all the information you can get.
Here are a few questions that you need to answer and understand from the scene.
- How much starburst did your pet eat?
- How long has it been since it happened?
- What are the ingredients?
- Does it contain anything harmful to dogs?
Getting such information would make you understand how worse the incident is.
Moreover, it will help you report what happened if you visit the vet and ask about what happened.
Take your pet to your vet.
If your dog shows no signs of complications, it’s unnecessary to take it to the vet. However, if your dog shows poisoning symptoms, the vet is your first option.
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Summary
In general, Starburst is an all-time favorite of kids and even adults. Thus, it can be tempting to share it with our dogs. However, such a thing contains way too much sugar that makes it unhealthy for our dogs.
As pet owners, we always want to ensure our dogs eat only the right food for them. For this reason, it would be best if you stop giving Starburst to your dog. If you still want to share some, you can limit it to a piece or two, but don’t provide any more than that amount.
This way, you can prevent any unwanted incident from eating this food. It would be better to offer natural treats and snacks such as fruits or veggies.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
