My Dog Ate A Sour Patch Kid

Reviewed By Kim •  Updated: 02/22/21 •  3 min read
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Do you like to have a Sour Patch Kid (or a handful) every once in a while? We don’t blame you! Who doesn’t like these candies? But are they good for your dog?

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What are Sour Patch Kids?

Sour Patch Kids are candies are soft, with a coating of sugar, and then another coating of sour sugar on top of that. The sour sugar is made with a combination of citric acid, sugar, and tartaric acid. The slogan for these candies says, “Sour. Sweet. Gone.” And that seems to be true, for these sweets go pretty fast when they’re on the table!

Sour Patch Kids come in a wide range of colors, including lime, lemon, orange, red, and blue. While we may love these sweet and sour candies, are they OK for a dog to eat?

Sour Patch Kids & Dogs

Fortunately, the candy is not toxic to dogs; however, it’s best not to give in if your fur baby would like one, too. Even too much sugar can make a dog very sick.

It is strongly recommended to contact a Pet Poison Helpline or your veterinarian.

Sugar can wreak havoc on a dog’s system if he has too much. For instance, sugar can lead to weight gain and obesity, heart problems, electrolyte imbalances, and more. And sugar can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Disclaimer: It’s simply not a good idea to give your dog candy of any kind.

Xylitol could impact your dog’s health and although a gummy might be sugar-free it certainly isn’t dog food. Dog owner should avoid treats with sweetener and stick to meat, vegetables and fruits like watermelon. A bag of sour patch kids impacts blood sugar and has a high calorie count due to corn syrup. The same way you keep your dog safe from dark chocolate keep your dog’s teeth and a healthy dog by avoiding human food.

Ingestion of high amounts of candies or large amounts of peanut butter could impact heart rate specifically in small dogs. Even a small quantity of sour gummy or skittles will have some toxicity and should be avoided.

Can the Citric Acid in Sour Patch Kids Make my Dog Sick?

Yes, it’s possible; however, citric acid is not toxic to your dog. It could, however, cause some digestive problems if a dog eats too much of it.

Thankfully, Sour Patch Kids, while they are sour, don’t contain enough citric acid to make a dog sick unless he ate a good portion of the bag!

My Dog Ate a Sour Patch Kids, Will He Be OK?

If your canine companion has eaten only one or two Sour Patch Kids candies, he’ll be just fine. Just don’t let him have more.

On the other hand, if you find that he’s eaten an entire bag (or more), then you may want to call the vet. They will be able to give you the information on what to do next.

The good news is that Sour Patch Kids aren’t toxic for dogs. While a dog shouldn’t eat them on a regular basis, maybe one or two as a rare treat would be OK, but only once in a while.

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Kim

Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.