Sometimes we like to treat ourselves, and of course our four legged friends as well. A sweet frappachino here and there isn’t going to leave you feeling deathly ill after all. However, the same might not be able to be said about the treats often handed out at a certain well known coffee chain.

Starbucks “Puppichino” is a secret menu item offered as a treat for puppers. The item consists of a small swirl of whipped cream, which sounds harmless enough right? After all what could be so dangerous about a little bit of sweetened dairy? Well as mentioned in a previous article, it’s exactly that!<https://healthyhappycritters.health.blog/2020/01/09/not-just-chocolate-not-just-dogs/ >

Whipped cream at Starbucks has dairy as its base, which is a stomach upset and diarrhetic to most canine and other animals. But aside from upsetting your best buds tummy or making them a bit on the chunky size, there hides a more deadly issue for most pets. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in many sweets, the vanilla syrup used to make the whipped cream being one of those.

Xylitol is extremely toxic for dogs, cats, and many other animals. Why is this? Xylitol does not release insulin from the pancreas, however in non primate animals like dogs and cats Xylitol releases a large burst of insulin from the pancreas. This burst causes the animal to go into a state of hypoglycemia that can be life threatening. Causing things like seizures or liver failure.

Is a Starbucks “Puppachino” truly that detrimental to my pets health? Maybe not, the dose might be minute enough to not pose serious risk to most larger pets, however when there are many perfectly safe treats you can reward your best animal friend with, why take such possible risks?

Curious about healthy pet treats?

Healthy Safe Treats for Fido and Friends

Information used provided by:

What is in a Starbucks Puppuccino ?

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/xylitol-toxicity-in-dogs