Can Dogs Eat Sugar?

Sugar is even found in dog food. Then it can’t be harmful, can it? So, can dogs eat sugar or not?

Take a closer look at different types of food and treats. Then you will quickly notice that sugar is also very present in dog nutrition. That’s completely unnecessary.

We learn as children that sugar is unhealthy. Nevertheless, it is contained in almost every food. It has become really difficult to live without sugar.

About our four-legged friends, we hear again and again that sugar is dangerous and has absolutely nothing to do with dog nutrition.

Why is there sugar in dog food?

In dog food, sugar has the task of enhancing the food and improving the taste. Because many dogs eat food with sugar rather than food without sweet additives.

For you as a dog owner, however, it is often difficult to determine whether dog food contains sugar. Because sugar is often hidden in the list of ingredients.

Then read fructose, glucose, or molasses. Designations such as “bakery products” or “dairy products” also indicate a sugar content.

Different types of sugar

Sugar is a food used to sweeten food and drinks. It can be made from sugar cane or sugar beets.

You can now even buy coconut blossom sugar or palm sugar.

When it comes to sugar, a very rough distinction can be made between raw sugar and refined types of sugar:

• You can recognize raw sugar by its yellowish-brown color. It still contains molasses.
• White sugar, on the other hand, consists of pure sucrose. It is refined and devoid of any nutrients.

Sugar is used to improve the taste of food. As gelling sugar, it is used for preservation.

How bad is sugar for dogs?

However, sugar is generally not dangerous for dogs. Rather, it depends on the amount of sugar and over what period your dog consumes sugar.

A little sugar, a few times a week, won’t hurt a dog.

However, if the feed contains sugar and the animal receives this feed every day, this can lead to considerable consequential damage.

Because dogs only need a small number of carbohydrates. The dog’s body can make enough carbohydrates to meet daily needs.

However, carbohydrates are important in the form of roughage, which is essential for digestion.

Sugar is unnecessary for dogs

Therefore, sugar is a completely unnecessary carbohydrate for the dog. Sugar only provides superfluous energy.

If the dog eats too many carbohydrates, these are stored as fat in the body. If this happens regularly over a longer period, it leads to obesity.

Being overweight puts a strain on the dog’s organism. The internal organs have to do a lot more. This leads to consequential damage such as difficulty breathing, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes.

In addition, the higher weight puts a strain on the joints. Damage cannot be ruled out here.

Consequences of being overweight

Other consequences of being overweight quickly escalate into a vicious circle. The dog becomes sluggish, easily exhausted, and tired quickly. He will move less.

This leads to even more obesity. A veritable weight spiral ensues, which increasingly damages the health of the animal.

Once you do, it is difficult to break out of this cycle. That’s why it’s easier if you don’t get that far in the first place.

Sugar damages dog teeth

As with us humans, sugar has a very negative impact on dental health.

If the dog eats sugar, it is converted into acids by bacteria in the mouth. These acids attack the teeth. Dreaded caries occurs.

Holes develop in the teeth and inflammation spreads in the mouth.

The dog is in pain and the teeth need to be cleaned. This is uncomfortable for the dog and expensive for the owner.

Look for sugar-free dog food

On the face of it, sugar is acceptable as long as you keep it very low.

Sugar becomes dangerous with regular administration and in larger quantities.

As a dog owner, you should therefore first take a close look at your dog’s food. Only use dog food that does not contain sugar.

In most cases, dog food with sugar is inferior food that is supposed to be improved by adding sugar. In addition, sugar is a comparatively cheap raw material for the food industry.

Access high-quality feed with no added sugar. How to save empty calories. You should also make sure that no grain is included.

Because grain is also converted into sugar by the organism. After that, it has an effect similar to pure sugar. The same goes for any treats that the dog eats regularly.

Sweets are taboo for dogs

Refrain from feeding your dog from the table. Never give your dog cakes, biscuits, or other sweets.

Chocolate is taboo for dogs. Because it is pure poison for the dog.

Rather, you should feed vegetables. Although fruit is very healthy for dogs, it contains more sugar than vegetables.

Sweeteners can be deadly

You should be particularly careful with calorie-free products. Because sugar substitutes such as stevia or xylitol are much more dangerous for dogs than sugar.

Just because it doesn’t contain sugar doesn’t mean it’s healthy. On the contrary: birch sugar or xylitol is often used to sweeten foods without calories.

Xylitol is life-threatening for dogs. Because this substance deceives the organism from a high sugar supply. The body produces the appropriate amount of insulin. This causes life-threatening hypoglycemia in the dog and, in the worst case, leads to death.

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