Humans are not the only beings having a sweet tooth.
Sweets and treats are dog’s favorites, too.
Airhead candies are popular sweet treats during birthday parties, events, and holidays like Halloween similar to Mike and Ikes.
They are also accessible in convenience stores too.
In this article, we will address the common question, “can dogs eat airheads?”
Is it safe to give your dog your favorite candy?
What chemical ingredients do you have to look out for?
Read on to know more.
What is Airheads?
Airheads are popular, sweet, and chewy candies.
It comes in different flavors and in several variations.
There are airhead bars, airhead xtremes, airhead xtremes sourful, etc.
Each one has a unique set of ingredients, intensifying its flavor and making each variant distinct from one another.
A Closer Look at Airheads
Can dogs eat airheads? Yes, airheads and other candies are safe to eat in small quantities.
There is, however, a certain threshold for your pet’s sugar intake to keep in mind.
Also, note that sugar is the base component of airheads.
Sugar comes in many names. You should be familiar with:
- corn syrup
- high fructose corn syrup
- dextrose
- sugar
These variants of sugar are all present in airhead candies.
Remember that too much of the sugar from eating airheads can cause unwanted health complications in dogs.
- dental problem
- weight gain
- diabetes
Fortunately, airheads are free of allergens like peanut or tree nuts.
However, if your dog is allergic to wheat, then this might not be the right sweet treat for your dog.
Airheads contain the following wheat ingredients:
- wheat flour
- corn starch
- food starch made of corn
- food starch out of potatoes
Why Should You Avoid Airhead Gums?
We are only talking about airheads candies.
However, watch out for airhead gums.
These gums contain different chemical ingredients that are more dangerous for your dog.
Xylitol found in gums are toxic for your dogs.
Each airhead gum has 30% xylitol.
This is equivalent to 0.72 grams per 2.4-gram piece.
Learn More:
Why is Xylitol Dangerous?
Bubble gums that have xylitol are not cute treats for your dog.
These are instead health threats because xylitol is the lead cause of poisoning that comes with several symptoms:
- lower energy levels
- vomiting
- decreased blood sugar level
- seizure
If you suspect that your dog consumed xylitol, take it to the pet clinic right away.
The lowering of blood sugar levels can have health consequences for your dogs, which may not occur then and there.
It will take about two days. Hence, you need to monitor your dog.
What Other Similar Candies Should You Avoid?
Now, here is a bonus list for your dog’s safety.
Your dogs need to avoid eating over ten grams of the following sugar-filled candies, too:
- skittles
- Starburst
- Blow Pops
- Candy corn
- Smarties
- Jolly Ranchers
- sour candy
Conclusion
Can dogs eat airheads? Yes.
You can let them eat below 10 grams of airhead candies, but above it is detrimental to your dog’s health.
Airhead candies are safer than airhead bubble gums. The latter has xylitol, a poisonous substance for dogs.
Best avoid these products, if possible, and opt for a safer dog treat.