Can Dogs Eat Fruit Roll-Ups? Detailed Explanation

Fruit Roll-Ups are a fun, fruity snack for humans. However, pet parents are usually curious about sharing their food with their furry friends and often do so. Can you share Fruit Roll-Ups with your dog, though?

No. Dogs should never be allowed to eat Fruit Roll-Ups since they are incredibly harmful to your canine companion’s health. The sugars included in Fruit Roll-Ups have the potential to cause your dog’s blood glucose levels to become dangerously high. This can cause your dog to become lethargic as well as become overweight if consistently eating sugary foods, also even resulting in diabetes.

Apart from that, the artificial colors used to color the Fruit Roll-Ups can be detrimental to your dog’s general health, too. These snacks also incorporate GMOs, such as corn syrup, into their products, which can be carcinogenic in some instances. Dogs may very likely get gastrointestinal problems or acquire other disorders due to consuming these snacks.

Dogs require a variety of nutritious protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources. If you want to give your canine buddy a healthier alternative, search for treats that are prepared from natural foods, including chicken, salmon, and beef. You may also experiment with including different fruits and vegetables into your dog’s diet that have been deemed as dog-friendly and safe for consumption. These foodstuffs are good sources of antioxidants, minerals, and fiber, among other nutrients.

What is the Calorie Content and Composition of Fruit Roll-Ups?

Fruit Roll-Ups may be low in calories, but they also lack nutritional content; hence, they are not recommended for pups. They are only 50 calories per roll-up, but none of it is beneficial even to a human’s health let alone their canine companions. The worst issue with Fruit Roll-Ups is that they contain sugar along with all of the other ingredients that aren’t suitable for canine consumption.

Fruit Roll-Ups Ingredients

To reinforce the lack of proper nutrition when wondering if you can feed one of the chewy snacks to your pup, Fruit Roll-Ups are composed of the following ingredients:

• Sugar
• Corn syrup
• Palm oil
• Pear concentrate
• Maltodextrin
• Monoglycerides
• Fruit pectin
• Sodium citrate
• Citric acid
• Acetylated monoglycerides
• Natural flavor
• Colored dyes: Red 40, Yellows 5 & 6, Blue 1

The Consequences of Feeding A Dog Fruit Roll-Ups

The precise and immediate effects of a dog consuming Fruit Roll-Ups depends on the amount of Fruit Roll-Up they actually ate and the size and overall health of the dog.

If a healthy dog consumes a tiny amount, it will most likely be able to handle the consumption of such a snack with no significant negative consequences in the best-case scenario. If a dog consumes excessive amount of Fruit Roll-Ups, it will typically experience gastrointestinal distress.

However, these are only the short-term consequences of your dog eating Fruit Roll-Ups. If you intentionally give your pet this snack—especially in larger quantities and on a more frequent basis—the effects are considerably more significant and can include unfortunate results such as obesity, diabetes, dental decay, pancreatitis, and other health problems.

How Can You Keep Your Dog from Eating Fruit Roll-Ups?

Now that you are aware of the hazards of Fruit Roll-Ups for canines, you should hopefully care enough to no longer feed them these sugary human treats on purpose. Accidental ingestions, on the other hand, are still a possibility. 

Here are some suggestions for how to avoid such mishaps in the future:

• If you have just put a Fruit Roll-Up on the counter or kitchen table and need to walk out of the room, you must not leave the snack unattended with your pooch while you are gone. You should either keep the Fruit Roll-Up in a safe spot or bring the dog out of the room with you. Additionally, if you’ve only half-opened the snack, there is the added risk of your dog eating the roll-up with the plastic backing still attached, which can cause even worse digestive and other health issues and require a vet trip.
• Cabinets are not always safe for storing your snacks as some pups have even learned how to open cabinets and pantry doors on their own. As a result, you must exercise caution and choose a location where your dog will not be able to get to it, especially if your dog is large or intelligent and has the means to figure it out.
• If you have visitors over regularly, you will need to establish specific ground rules. This may seem unusual at first, but it is necessary to make sure your dog stays safe. Specifically, you should notify all guests that they are not permitted to feed your dog. If they insist on giving your dog treats or feeding him, give them dog-friendly snacks to use instead.

Related Reading: Can Dogs Eat Dates Safely?

What Should You Do If Your Dog Consumes a Fruit Roll-Up?

If an accident occurs and your dog eats a Fruit Roll-Up while you are not looking, the first step is to analyze the situation and establish how much your dog consumed while you were not looking. If your dog is huge and consumed only a tiny amount, you are generally going to be perfectly fine not taking any action.

On the contrary, if your pup is small but manages to consume a significant number of Fruit Roll-Ups, they are likely to experience some significant stomach upset. Milder cases of this type of digestive disturbance can be treated at home with a bland meal and plenty of water. More severe gastric distress cases necessitate veterinarian intervention to achieve faster stabilization and a more comfortable recovery.

If your furry companion has a pre-existing disease such as gastritis or diabetes, it is advised that you take him to the veterinarian as soon as possible after he has accidentally ingested significant amounts of Fruit Roll-Ups. As a result, dogs with such diseases are at increased risk of developing complications, necessitating a more professional approach to the situation.

What Should You Give Your Dog Instead Fruit Roll-Ups?

There are a variety of fruits that dogs may consume instead of opting for a nearly fruitless, sugary snack like Fruit Roll-Ups. Bananas, apples, watermelons, and strawberries are just a few of the fruits that are good for your dog if given in moderation.

Bananas

Bananas are a good source of Vitamin K, which is essential for heart health. They also include a significant amount of Vitamin B6, which is vital for brain activity. As an added bonus, bananas have a lot of fiber, which is beneficial for maintaining a healthy digestive system too.

Apples

As a source of fiber and antioxidants, occasionally feeding some chopped apple is beneficial for dogs. This is a sweet and refreshing way to give your dog some healthy vitamins.

Watermelon

Watermelon is one of the best sweet treats to feed your dog thanks to its delicious taste and great ability to hydrate those who eat it. The high vitamin content makes it an excellent method to keep pups hydrated and healthy during the hot months of the year.

Strawberries

Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and A, along with being loaded with antioxidants that are beneficial to one’s immune system. It’s no wonder that these are a favorite treat amongst pups!

FAQs

Can Fruit Roll-Ups be fatal to a dog?

Yes, but not exactly immediately. They can be fatal to your canine buddy, but they often cannot kill your dog immediately. This is because they do not include any directly lethal substances. However, if they are ingested often or in excessive quantities, they can undoubtedly have a significant negative effect on dogs by resulting in some severe health problems. Overall, Fruit Roll-Ups are not inherently poisonous, but they can be harmful to canines in the long run.

Is it possible for Fruit Roll-Ups to cause my dog to behave strangely?

Yes, actually. Fruit Roll-Ups can cause canines to behave strangely after they’ve been ingested. High sugar consumption by dogs, just like in children, can cause abrupt episodes of hyperactivity in a dog. Sugar can cause an excessive amount of energy, and if your dog does not have a good physical outlet for the surplus energy, it will become hyperactive in order to get rid of it.

Is it okay for dogs to eat Froot Loops?

Even though Froot Loops are theoretically okay for your pup to eat, they are not nutritious. Froot Loops are also rich in sugar and additives, both of which can be difficult for your dog’s digestive system and lead to unneeded weight gain in your dog. In general, it’s best to avoid giving Froot Loops of any other sugary, processed cereals to your dog.

Related Reading: Can Dogs Eat Persimmon Fruit?