My Dog Ate Skittles: Our Vet Explains the Risks, Signs & Next Steps

Who doesn’t love the massive amounts of chocolate, sugar, and other bad-for-you goodies found in every store.  But what us veterinarians don’t love are the dogs who get into the candy stash. Even if you think you have all of the candy out of reach and/or hidden, leave it to your dog to find a way to get to the food. One of the more popular candies is Skittles. Skittles come in all size packages and multiple different flavors. There’s even Skittles Gummies on the market. While eating a small, fun size pack of Skittles may be harmless, ingestion of a larger quantity could cause some problems for your dog. We recommend monitoring your dog and contacting a veterinarian if they ingested a lot of Skittles or show any unusual signs.

Potential Risks of Dogs Eating Skittles

For the purpose of this article, we’ll be talking about the different Skittles candy products, not the powdered drink mix. It’s important to note this because the powdered drink mix does come in a sugar-free option. Many people may know that xylitol, an ingredient in many sugar-free products, can be extremely toxic and even fatal to dogs. However, the powdered drink mix contains aspartame, and no xylitol at this time. If your dog ingests the powder, we recommend calling an Animal Poison Control center as the ingredients may change at any time.

As for the candy, there may be no potential risk if a small package or amount is ingested. This is especially true if your large dog ate one or two of the fun size packets. The main ingredient in Skittles is sugar. And while we absolutely don’t want our dogs ingesting large amounts of sugar all of the time (just like us), there may be no harm in a one-time event from your dog eating a package. Skittles themselves are not toxic to dogs.

The unfortunate thing is that many dogs will ingest everything in front of them when they find your candy stash. There are even some packages of Skittles that contain more than 3 pounds of Skittles in one container! Eating this large amount could cause problems. The first problem we may see is obstruction. Skittles are known to become chewy before they dissolve. There are also gummy-style Skittles that are chewy right off the bat. If your dog ingests a large quantity, the Skittles may all become stuck together within the stomach, and be unable to pass. This, or a glob of the gummies, could cause an obstruction.

The other concern with an acute ingestion of sugar is electrolyte imbalance. If your dog ingests a large amount of sugar in one sitting, water accumulation can soon follow. This can cause a severe electrolyte imbalance in the body, and may also cause your dog to urinate frequently. If your dog is vomiting on top of all of this, dehydration can further exacerbate the electrolyte abnormalities. This can be fatal in some cases.

And finally, ingestion of a large quantity of any abnormal food may cause pancreatitis. The signs of pancreatitis can mimic the signs of an obstruction. If your dog is vomiting, lethargic, has abdominal pain, has diarrhea, or is otherwise not acting themselves, they should be taken to a veterinarian.

Signs of Ingesting Skittles

The most obvious sign is finding remnants of the package, or finding your candy stash has been raided. Some dogs will eat all of the evidence, including the package. Others will leave clues that they're guilty. You may even catch your dog red-handed eating your Skittles.

Your dog may show absolutely no signs of ingesting Skittles. It completely depends on the type ingested, how much was ingested, and how large your dog is. Other times your dog may have a decreased appetite or mild nausea as the Skittles are being digested. Due to the large amount of sugar in the candy, your dog may act extremely thirsty. You may notice them drinking a lot and/or wanting to urinate more frequently because of this.

If an obstruction and/or pancreatitis occurs, some of the more common signs are vomiting, nausea, lack of stool, anorexia, and abdominal pain. If your dog is straining to defecate and not passing anything, not attempting to go to the bathroom, or otherwise unable to keep anything down, you need to seek veterinary care for them as soon as possible. Even if the obstruction ends up passing and/or dissolving, it may still cause significant irritation to the GI tract, needing treatment.

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The 4 Steps to Take If Your Dog Ate Skittles

1. Estimate How Much Your Dog Ingested

If you find remnants of the package, or multiple packages of Skittles that your dog ingested, try to estimate how much they ate. Also pay attention to the kind of Skittles it was – i.e., was it just the original candy, or the chewy/gummy kind?

2. Call Your Veterinarian or a Vet Telehealth Company

Skittles themselves are non-toxic, so you may not need to call Poison Control. However, it is always good to check in with a veterinarian and discuss how much your dog ate, the type of candy they ingested, and how large your dog is. All of these things will determine if you should take your dog in for evaluation.

3. Monitor Your Dog For Increased Thirst & Urinations

As discussed above, increased sugar intake may cause a transient increase in your dog’s thirst. This will often result in excessive drinking and/or urination. If your dog is otherwise acting normal, eating well, and defecating normally, then monitor them. If the behavior of drinking and urinating frequently lasts more than 12–24 hours, you should seek veterinary care.

If your dog is exhibiting this behavior in addition to vomiting, having diarrhea, acting weak, and/or abnormal, then seek veterinary care immediately. These may be signs of a severe electrolyte imbalance in your dog that requires immediate attention.

4. Monitor Your Dog For Vomiting, Anorexia, Abdominal Pain, Inability to Defecate

All of these signs may be pointing towards an obstruction, or even pancreatitis from the candy ingestion. At minimum your dog should be seen by a veterinarian for symptomatic care. Depending on the exact signs, your veterinarian may want to complete bloodwork and radiographs to best help your dog.

Conclusion

Skittles candies are a delicious staple for any candy eater. Especially around the holidays, many people will have fun-sized bags of this and many other sugar-filled treats in their house. While Skittles are non-toxic, the large amount of sugar can cause issues. You may notice your dog drinking and urinating more frequently, which can lead to electrolyte imbalance. Depending on what type of Skittles your dog ingested and how much, the candy may also stick together and cause irritation or even an obstruction in your dog’s GI tract. Always monitor your dog after you find out what they ate for any abnormal signs. Contacting your veterinarian or bringing your dog to the local veterinary urgent care for any concerns is never wrong. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

• See also: My Dog Ate a Wasp: Our Vet Explains the Risks, Signs & Next Steps

Featured Image Credit: GLandStudio, Shutterstock