As a dog parent, you’re excited about introducing Chewy to new foods now and again. Ideally, variety is the spice of life. While you’re preparing sandwiches for brunch, Fido gives you that begging stare while drooling over the strawberry jelly jar. You are thinking of giving it a spoonful or tossing it over a sandwich, but you’re unsure if strawberry jelly is safe for your dog.
Dogs are scavengers in nature and will munch on almost everything. Strawberries, spring’s most coveted fruits, are delicious, healthy snacks for Fido. But are you trying to figure out if strawberry jelly is safe to feed your four-legged best friend?
This article examines if strawberry jelly is good for dogs. We also look at how much is okay to feed your pup as a quick treat.
Let’s dive in!
Is Strawberry Jelly Good for Dogs?
No. we don’t recommend feeding your furry friend strawberry jelly. Most processed strawberry jellies contain high amounts of preservatives and sugar, which have the potential to be toxic to your pooch. Your dog can only have a teaspoon or two of homemade strawberry jelly if it has no pectin, sugar, or added preservatives.
After all, strawberry jelly doesn’t offer any nutritional benefits to your fur baby, so it’s best to avoid feeding it to your pup. While most people love strawberry jelly on their bread, cookies, ice cream, and yogurt, the sweet, citrusy flavor is only suitable for human consumption.
Is Strawberry Jelly Bad for Your Dog?
There are plenty of nutritious and safe treats you can give your doggo as a reward for good behavior. But, strawberry jelly is a no-no because it contains harmful ingredients to your pup’s health. Let’s explore what’s in strawberry jelly that’s earned a vote of disapproval in the canine community.
Strawberries (only safe in moderation)
Strawberries are rich in fiber, vitamins B1, C, and K, all of which are healthy nutrients for your canine. The citrus fruit also contains an enzyme known as malic acid that helps to whiten your fur baby’s teeth. Additionally, the strawberry skin has tiny seeds which sweep away plaque and tartar from your pup’s teeth.
Nonetheless, strawberries are loaded with sugar and are mostly contaminated with pesticide residues, so it’s best to feed them to your canine family member-only as an occasional treat.
High sugar
Strawberry jelly, especially the store-bought one, is loaded with sugar. While it’s okay to indulge your Fido’s sweet tooth once in a while, making it a regular habit can make it pack on extra pounds and increase its risk of developing metabolic diseases.
Store-bought strawberry jelly is one of the unhealthiest foods for dogs. It is loaded with sugar that your Chewy doesn’t need. Would you spoon more than four teaspoons of sugar into your mouth for a snack? That’s what you’ll find in strawberry jelly.
Remember, strawberries are naturally sweet. With the addition of cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and plain sugar when making strawberry jelly, you’re staring at a sugar disaster. Even worse, zero fiber content to help stabilize your canine’s high sugar levels. Too much sugar is toxic to your pup and can cause the following:
- Weight gain
- Obesity
- Inflammation
- Diabetes
- Tooth decay
Citric acid
Naturally, most dogs don’t like citrus fruits because they find the citric acid taste unappealing to their taste buds. But if your puppy likes citrus fruits, ensure you only give them in small doses. A small strawberry or two is enough. Too much citric acid can harm your doggo since it causes:
Pectin
In moderate doses, pectin is good for your dog’s gut health and helps to reduce the risk of diarrhea. The indigestible fiber absorbs liquids naturally and quickly to promote a healthy GI tract.
While fruit pectin is fine since it’s a highly soluble fiber, too much of it can cause pectin toxicity. Signs of pectin toxicity are as follows:
- Stomach upset
- Difficulties in breathing
- Fluid build-up in the chest
When Shouldn’t I Feed My Dog Strawberry Jelly?
While a little sugar now and again won’t hurt your pup, you should still be wary of how much sugar your dog consumes regularly.
You shouldn’t feed your furry companion jelly if it needs to shed off extra pounds, is diabetic, has dental issues, has heart disease, or finds the taste of citric acid unappealing.
How many Calories are in Strawberry Jelly?
Strawberry jelly is packed with lots of calories. Let’s look at the calorie and nutrition profile of one of the top notable strawberry jelly brands.
Nutritional Information of Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly (1 tablespoon/20 g)
Calories – 50 Cal
Total Sugars – 13g
Total Carbohydrates – 12g
Keep in mind that your canine should consume no more than 25 calories per pound of their body weight daily. For instance, a 5-pound small puppy should consume 125 calories every day. Whereas, a 100-pound big dog should consume 2500 calories in a day.
So let’s say you’re feeling generous and reward your Chihuahua with a tablespoon of Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly, that’s already 50 calories of its daily intake with zero nutrition. So, it’s best to feed your pooch strawberry jelly as an occasional treat.
How Much Strawberry Jelly Can a Dog Eat?
If it’s the first time you’re introducing your pooch to strawberry jelly, you should start by giving it small amounts. It shouldn’t have too much to avoid any adverse health effects. New foods can cause gut issues in your Fido, which include vomiting and diarrhea.
Ideally, treats and extras should not account for more than ten percent of your canine’s daily caloric allowance. Too many snacks interfere with your dog’s health system and prevent it from getting sufficient nutrients. Stick to the 90/10 rule and ensure snacks don’t account for more than 10% of your dog’s complete and balanced diet.
To avoid guesstimating, you can use this food database by the U.S Department of Agriculture to determine your dog’s calorie count. For instance, a 20-pound dog will benefit from 325 to 400 calories per day, and a maximum of 32 to 40 calories should come from snacks. So, feeding your pup a tablespoon of strawberry jelly, which is 50 calories – is too much.
My Dog Ate Strawberry Jelly! What Should I Do?
Did your dog wolf an entire jar of strawberry jelly while you weren’t looking? Follow the below steps to safeguard the health of your dog.
1. Remove the product and secure your pooch
First, remove all traces of strawberry jelly from the surrounding. While you clean up, you’ll need to make your furry friend secure, perhaps in the kernel, bedroom, or bathroom. You want to prevent them from consuming more strawberry jelly and interfering with the clean-up process.
2. Examine your pup
Monitor your dog to ensure they aren’t showing any ill health or distress signs. Are they vomiting? Any lack of coordination, difficulty in breathing, or trembling? All these symptoms require immediate veterinary assistance.
3. Snoop for evidence
Do you know if your pup has eaten a bit-sized strawberry jelly sandwich or licked an entire jar? It’s best to gather all the necessary information useful to your vet.
Here are some questions to consider:
- How much strawberry jelly did your dog consume?
- How long since they ingested the strawberry jelly?
- Are there any toxic ingredients in the strawberry jelly-like xylitol or grapes?
Related: Can Dogs Have Grape Jelly?
This information will help you understand how serious the incident is and assist your vet in making a proper diagnosis of the situation at hand.
4. Contact your Vet
Call your veterinarian and inform them of what happened. Let them know of your dog’s size, weight, and all the information you’ve gathered concerning the incident.
If your Fido shows no signs of complication, you might not need to take it to the animal clinic. However, if your vet is concerned about your pup’s condition, they will ask you to bring Chewy over to the clinic.
5. Prevent future incidents
Plan on how you’ll prevent your pooch from eating strawberry jelly. For instance, you can keep strawberry jelly snacks and jars in locked cabinets out of reach.
Also, let your kids know the dangers of feeding your pooch strawberry jelly.
Finally, buy your pup dog-friendly fruity treats instead of giving them strawberry jelly.
What about Homemade Strawberry Jelly?
Homemade strawberry jelly can be dog friendly as long as your leave out the sugar, artificial sweeteners, citric acid, and pectin.
Like store-bought strawberry jelly, start by feeding your pooch in small doses. 1/3 a teaspoon is enough for puppies since their stomachs are still small. But an adult dog can handle up to 1 tablespoon without showing signs of ill health.
Dog-Friendly Alternatives to Strawberry Jelly
While a teaspoon or less of strawberry jelly will not harm your dog, it offers no nutritional benefit. You can consider the following healthy alternatives:
Alternatively, you can buy these nutritious dog-friendly fruity snack options that are bursting with nutrients:
- Fruitables Baked Pumpkin Dog Treats
- Wild Earth Plant-based Superfood Dog Treats
- Purina Prime Bones Knotted Natural Dog Treats
Final Thoughts
Riddled with sugar and artificial preservatives, we see no reason to feed your dog strawberry jelly. The sugary treat cranks the sugar up a notch with cane sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Yikes! Your pooch doesn’t need all that diabetes-spiking sugar.
The jelly is also a boatload of unnecessary calories and zeroes nutrients for your pup. So, can your dog eat strawberry jelly? No, thank you! Either make your own dog-friendly homemade strawberry jelly or opt for a nutritious fruity snack for your furry friend.
Further Reading: