--- title: "Can Dogs Eat Candy Canes? Check for Xylitol First" url: https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-candy-canes/ description: "Blue Cross names candy canes among the sweets that can contain xylitol, which is poisonous to dogs. What the ASPCA says xylitol does, and what to check on the label." source: Paw Multiverse (https://pawmultiverse.com), free to cite with a link --- # Can Dogs Eat Candy Canes? Check for Xylitol First Published by Paw Multiverse (A.I.T. Multiverse Consulting Ltd) · Last updated 7 November 2026 Quick answer Keep them away from dogs. Blue Cross says sweets, including candy canes, can contain xylitol, which is poisonous to dogs, and the ASPCA says xylitol can cause low blood sugar and liver damage. Sugar-free candy canes are the ones to worry about most; if a dog has eaten any, check the label and phone your vet. Taken from this page and its sources. Not veterinary advice. If your pet has already eaten some and seems unwell, [see who to call](https://pawmultiverse.com/pet-emergency/). **Has your dog already eaten some?** Phone your vet, an emergency vet or your [national animal poison line](https://pawmultiverse.com/pet-poison-control-by-country/) now, even if your dog seems fine. Keep the packet or recipe, and note roughly how much was eaten and when. [Find an emergency vet](https://pawmultiverse.com/find-emergency-vet/) · [What the vet will ask](https://pawmultiverse.com/before-you-call-the-vet/) **This page is not veterinary advice.** Paw Multiverse is not a veterinary practice. We cannot examine, diagnose or treat your animal. There are no doses here, no portion sizes, no feeding amounts and no treatment steps, on purpose. If your pet has eaten something you are worried about, or has changed in a way you cannot explain, ring your vet or your nearest emergency clinic and let them decide. [Full disclaimer](https://pawmultiverse.com/disclaimer/). Candy canes hang on trees at exactly dog height for weeks. The question that matters is not the sugar but what kind of sweetener is in them. ## What is published Blue Cross lists sweets, including candy canes, among the Christmas dangers for dogs because they can contain xylitol, which it says is poisonous to dogs. Source: [Blue Cross, Christmas dangers for dogs (reviewed 22 November 2022)](https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/christmas-dangers-dogs). The ASPCA says xylitol can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and potentially liver damage, depending on the amount eaten. Source: [ASPCA, People foods to avoid feeding your pets](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets). ## Sugar-free is the one to check Ordinary candy canes are sugar and flavouring; sugar-free ones replace the sugar with sweeteners, and xylitol is one of them. The label is the only way to tell. More on what xylitol does and why it matters: [xylitol and dogs](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-xylitol/) and the [xylitol page](https://pawmultiverse.com/xylitol-toxicity-calculator-for-dogs-how-much-is-dangerous/). ## On the tree Blue Cross warns that tree decorations can cause a dangerous stomach blockage if swallowed, and edible decorations are the ones a dog is most likely to go for. The [Christmas pet safety](https://pawmultiverse.com/christmas-pet-safety/) page covers the tree as a whole. Source: [Blue Cross, Christmas dangers for dogs (reviewed 22 November 2022)](https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/christmas-dangers-dogs). Advertisement ## What we could not source for this page - No publisher we read addresses the plastic wrapper or the hooked shape of candy canes specifically. - No publisher we read gives an amount of ordinary, sugar-sweetened candy cane that is safe for a dog. ## Where these facts come from - [Blue Cross, Christmas dangers for dogs (reviewed 22 November 2022)](https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/christmas-dangers-dogs), read 6 November 2026. - [ASPCA, People foods to avoid feeding your pets](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets), read 6 November 2026. Sources last checked 6 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? [Tell us](https://pawmultiverse.com/contact/). ## Where to go next Every food on this site is on [the dog food colour chart](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat/), and the whole holiday table is on [Thanksgiving pet safety](https://pawmultiverse.com/thanksgiving-pet-safety/) and [Christmas pet safety](https://pawmultiverse.com/christmas-pet-safety/). If your dog has already eaten something, go to [my dog ate something](https://pawmultiverse.com/my-dog-ate-something-what-to-do/) and [the poison control directory](https://pawmultiverse.com/pet-poison-control-by-country/). ## More foods in the same group - [Can dogs eat cherries?Better to avoid](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-cherries/) - [Can dogs eat gingerbread?Better to avoid](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-gingerbread/) - [Can dogs eat ham?Better to avoid](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-ham/) - [Can dogs eat chocolate?Dangerous, never feed](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-chocolate/) - [Can dogs eat grapes & raisins?Dangerous, never feed](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-grapes/) - [Can dogs eat onions?Dangerous, never feed](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat-onions/) [Every food for dogs, on one colour chart →](https://pawmultiverse.com/can-dogs-eat/) **Putting the tree up?** What Pet Poison Helpline and Cats Protection say about needles, tree water and tinsel: [Are Christmas trees poisonous to cats and dogs?](https://pawmultiverse.com/are-christmas-trees-poisonous-to-pets/) **Advent calendars and selection boxes?** Why chocolate cases peak in December, and the xylitol check: [Chocolate and xylitol at Christmas](https://pawmultiverse.com/christmas-chocolate-and-xylitol/). **Is your pet's food on a recall list?** Check the barcode on the bag against five official registers in the US, UK, Canada and France. [Check your bag](https://pawmultiverse.com/check-your-bag/) · [Recalls this week](https://pawmultiverse.com/pet-food-recalls/this-week/) Advertisement