Strawberry jams are made-up of strawberries, so it’s healthy for dogs to have jam, right? Wrong! Any kind of Jams, Jelly, or Jell-O is not recommended for dogs at all.
One of the main reasons is its high sugar content. In fact, the official labeling requires jam to have 65% sugar. This roughly translates to two teaspoons of sugar per tablespoon of jam. That much sweetness can easily result in obesity and diabetes in dogs.
Second, jam contains other additives like artificial coloring, Xylitol, and preservatives that can be highly dangerous to a dog’s health.
Let’s dig a little deeper to learn why dogs can’t eat jam, shall we?
What Is Strawberry Jam Made Of?
Strawberry jams are of two types: Homemade and Store-bought:
- Homegrown fruits are heated up and mixed with sugar and pectin. This is the homemade jam.
- Fruits are heated up with sugar, pectin, some artificial preservatives, and maybe even colorings and flavors. This is the store-bought jam.
Almost all fruits can be used to make jams for canines. But remember, fruits like grapes, cherries, lemons, and limes are toxic to dogs and so, must be avoided at all costs.
Although strawberry is highly beneficial for your dog’s health, those nutrients are insignificant when compared to the adverse effects of artificial preservatives and a high amount of sugar. Moreover, when heated at a high temperature, the nutritional properties of the strawberry itself diminishes by a huge margin.
Also check out: Can Dogs Eat Strawberry Jelly?
4 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Feeding Strawberry Jam to Dogs
When you give strawberry jam to your dog, different health issues can be seen. Let’s look at the four reasons why you should avoid feeding strawberry jam to dogs:
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Obesity:
Your dog will gain a lot of weight if you feed them foods with high sugar content, such as jam. This can result in a disease called Obesity. Obesity, in turn, can cause stress in the joints and lead to other problems in long run.
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Diabetes:
Strawberry jam can increase the blood sugar level of your canine friend. As a result, your dog can suffer from diabetes. Even small amounts of sweet food can contribute to canine diabetes.
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Pancreatitis:
Too much sugar can cause inflammation in the Pancreas and that can result in Pancreatitis in dogs. Your dog will be in a lot of pain and immediate vet attention will be required if this is the case.
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Cavities:
As with humans, excessive sugar can cause cavities in your dogs too. This can result in loose teeth, bad breath, and swelling in the gums.
If you find your dog licking a can of strawberry jam, the first thing to do is check the list of ingredients from the label of the can. If you see Xylitol or any artificial flavors on the list, contact your vet immediately. Xylitol poisoning is a very dangerous condition. But if you only see sugar, your pooch might recover just fine, but there is still a risk of vomiting and diarrhea.
Conclusion
Well, it’s safe to say that strawberry jam should be avoided even as an occasional treat. Instead, strawberries can be served best in the most natural form. You can slice the berry up into small bite-sized pieces and let your pup munch on the juicy taste.
Now that you know why you should avoid feeding strawberry jam to dogs, here are other strawberry-related articles that you might be interested in.
Have you ever tried sharing a crumb of bread with strawberry jam with your dog? How was their immediate reaction? Was there any serious health issue? We would love to hear from you. Please share with us by leaving a comment below!
I learned that strawberry jam is bad for dogs’ health when my dog ate a little bit of it and he was very sick.
I usually avoid strawberry jam because it contains a high sugar level, but my dog loves it. I ocassionally let her lick a small amount off a spoon.
I am normally not a fan of strawberry jam, but my dog LOVES it. I think she likes the strawberry flavor. I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to avoid buying it because of the high sugar level. However, I finally gave up and just buy it for her. She gets so excited when she sees the jar.
When I was a child, my family had a dog. One day, I was eating a strawberry jam sandwich and the dog came over and licked the bread. The next day, the dog was sick and had diarrhea. It turns out that strawberry jam is bad for dogs’ health.
My dog, Barkley, loves strawberry jam. I try to avoid it because it has high sugar level. One day, when I was making breakfast, I put some strawberry jam on my toast. Barkley came over and licked the jam off the toast.