Is it Safe for Dogs & Puppies to Have Fig Newton Cookies Bars?
Very few of you may not like to have fig newtons. With its crunchy citrus undertone filling and a soft outer covering, it is one of the most delicious food items for most of you. There must be many of you who have grown up having fig newtons and still love to eat the tasty snack whenever you get the time. Having this snacking item is safe for humans. However, when it comes to dogs, is it equally safe for them? This is surely something that you should try and find out before you decide to feed fig newtons to your pet dog.
It is generally seen that dog owners like to share their foods with their pets. This is all good and sweet. However, there are some foods that may prove to be dangerous for the general health of dogs. When it comes to fig newtons, it is good to know whether your pet mutt is capable enough to consume and digest the snack without any trouble. Most of you may be wondering whether it is safe to feed fig newtons to dogs. The answer to this question is affirmative. It is somewhat okay for you to give fig newtons to your pet dog. However, it will still be a good idea to refrain from feeding your dog with fig newtons. This food contains a high amount of sugar that may be dangerous for your mutt.
Why Are Fig Newtons Dangerous For Dogs?
It will be a good idea to go through the list of ingredients used to make fig newtons.
Ingredients
- Figs
- Whole grain wheat flour
- Unbleached enriched flour
- Fructose corn syrup
- Invert sugar
- Canola oil
- Salt
- Palm oil
- Baking soda
- Malic acid
- Calcium lactate
- Soy lecithin
- Sodium benzoates
- Sulfur dioxide
- Artificial flavors
- Hydrogenated cottonseed oil
The high concentration of sugar, invert syrup and fructose corn syrup, is about 5% in a single fig newton cookie. This means around 12gm of a cookie consists of sugar. Although it is not healthy for humans, when it comes to dogs this amount of sugar can prove to be disastrous. Apart from sugar, a fig newton cookie also contains artificial flavors, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, added preservatives, and sulfites. All of these are quite unhealthy for dogs. Thus, it will be a good idea not to feed them fig newton cookies at all. However, if you must then one cookie in a blue moon will be a good idea.
What Happens If A Dog Consumed Fig Newtons?
Even if your dog consumes a fig newton cookie, there is nothing for you to panic. As discussed above, these cookies are not exactly toxic for dogs. It will be fine if it has one. However, it may soon become a big trouble if eating fig newtons becomes a habit. If the dog eats the snacks in large quantities or on a daily basis, it may give rise to several health complications in the long run.
The high amount of sugar may easily cause hyperactivity in a dog. This may lead to long-term diseases, including diabetes. Some of the major symptoms of diabetes in a dog is increased thirst, weight loss, and excess urination. If you ever notice such symptoms, it will be a good idea to get the animal’s blood checked for blood sugar levels.
Fig newtons also contain a high percentage of calorie. Consuming high amounts of calorie may give rise to increased body weight. Some of the common symptoms include inability to exercise properly. As a result of this, your dog will eventually become obese. This factor will not just hurt the general weight, it will also cut down the lifespan of the dog by almost two and a half years.
Fig newtons also contain partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, which is also another dangerous ingredient. Consuming this may give rise to gossypol poisoning in dogs. This disease affects several systems inside the body. These include the cardiac system, reproductive system, and renal system all at once. The end result may be death due to cardiac failure.
Is Fig Newtons Good For Puppies?
When fig newtons may prove to be unhealthy for grown up dogs, there is no question of you feeding it to a puppy. As discussed above, these cookies can cause large scale damages to the general health of a grown up adult dog. Now you can imagine the amount of damages it can cause to puppies. This means that if you have puppies at home, do not even feed a single fig newton cookie to them by mistake.
