Can Dogs Eat Flan? (The Facts) (2023)

The wonderful, sweet, creamy custard cooked with caramel till soft is often referred to as crème. It is incredibly well-liked and adored by all. Can dogs eat flan, though?

Although flan is edible for dogs, it is not ideal for them. Eggs, milk, and sugar are used to make flan. Although chocolate, coffee, or fruit can also be used to flavor it, vanilla is the most common flavoring.

So, while flan is edible and even loved by dogs, it is not a nutritional food. Dogs require a diet low in sugar and high in protein.

In this article, we’ll discuss dogs and flan. We’ll go over the various ingredients and examine the reasons why the dessert isn’t regarded as dog-friendly.

Before you read a more in-depth answer to this question, “Can Dogs Eat Flan,” check out: Can Dogs Eat Pita Bread? (2023) and Can Dogs Eat Hot Chips? (2023).

What Is Flan?

Flan is a classic Spanish dessert often enjoyed with a spoon and prepared with eggs, sugar, and milk.

Flan is a simple dish that can be prepared quickly with very few items. Making it doesn’t take much time or expertise. Flan can be prepared as a savory or sweet dessert. It is also a well-known dish in the Philippines, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Can Dogs Eat Flan?

If your dog eats flan, he can have digestive problems. Vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain are possible symptoms.

In addition to having trouble breathing and having a faster heart rate after eating a lot of flan, your dog could also exhibit other symptoms. Contact your veterinarian right away if your dog exhibits these signs.

Call your vet immediately if your dog is having trouble breathing or if his heart rate has risen. Although flan is not toxic to dogs, eating a lot of it might irritate their stomach.

Watch for signs including vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal discomfort, and trouble breathing if your dog has consumed a lot of flan. Don’t hesitate to contact your veterinarian.

Common Flan Ingredients

Next, let’s take a closer look at each of the components included in the most well-known flans.

Leche Flan

We picked a leche flan recipe since it has a sweet egg custard, which is what most people consider to be a flan. This will be a brief analysis because there are just five components: sugar, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla essence.

Sugar

While not poisonous to dogs, sugar is rarely a healthy food option. There are several adverse sugar problems. The primary one is that dogs, like people, can acquire a sweet tooth that results in cravings for meals high in sugar.

Dogs can sense fundamental flavors like sweet, sour, and salty even though they have fewer taste buds in their tongue than humans do.

The idea that consuming too much sugar would result in weight gain is the second problem. The third problem is that sugar is extremely bad for dogs’ teeth and speeds up tooth decay.

Eggs

Although eggs are packed with nutrition and make a great occasional snack for dogs, they should not be consumed when they have been covered in a mixture of sugar and fatty dairy products. Eggs are fairly low in calories and high in proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

For your dog, sweetened condensed milk is not hazardous. Sugar and fat are the two primary ingredients involved.

Any portion of this milk has 10% fat and about 73% sugar. You could claim that its one saving grace is that it has a lot of calcium, however, we would suggest you offer them a chew bone instead.

Evaporated Milk

A great option for those trying to lose weight is evaporated milk since it has far less sugar and fat than condensed milk. Evaporated milk, however, has a similar one-dimensionality as condensed milk. There are incredibly few good nutrients.

Eating too much sugar has other negative effects than weight gain. These include possible hyperactivity and diarrhea. What negative impacts might consuming too much fat cause?

The worst that may happen if your dog accidentally consumes a whole leche flan is that it might become dehydrated. Regular access to fatty meals will increase the risk of obesity and pancreatitis. The good thing would be that contrary to people, a high-fat diet for dogs won’t result in cardiovascular disease.

Vanilla Flavoring

In the amounts used for a flan, vanilla extract is quite safe for your dog, but because it includes alcohol — approximately 34% of it is pure alcohol — raw vanilla extract can be highly harmful to dogs. To put it in perspective, it has roughly the same amount of alcohol as vodka.

After examining a flan without a pastry case, it is time to consider flans that do have pastry cases.

Fresh Fruit Flan

Fresh fruit flans are exceptionally well-liked. Three components make up a fresh fruit flan: fruit, pastry or crust, and filling.

Pastry Ingredients

The pastry is made using flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, and butter. Even baking soda shouldn’t bother your dog because neither of these items is poisonous to dogs. Baking soda is harmful, but your dog would have to consume far more than what is found in pastries.

Filling for Flan

Although the filling’s components are all highly toxic for dogs, your dog likely won’t be killed. The traditional recipe calls for cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla essence as the main items.

Vanilla extract and sugar have previously been mentioned. Because 34% of cream cheese is just fat, it is extremely harmful. To give context, it has nearly the same number of calories as heavy cream.

Fruit

The topping is the last step. Most fruits provide your dog with terrific vitamin and mineral boosts. But keep in mind that they are highly rich in sugar, so the dog shouldn’t consume much fruit.

But the traditional recipe tops the flan with kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries. Furthermore, neither of these fruits will harm your dog. Grapes, whether white or black, pose the most risk to your dog.

While some dogs may survive grapes, others can die after doing so. Vets are puzzled as to why. Due to the cyanide in the seeds, cherries can also cause problems for dogs, although for cyanide poisoning to become a concern for your dog, a sizable punnet of cherries would have to be consumed.

So, two flans down, one to go. The amount of sugar in this next savory dish will also be drastically reduced.

Savory Flan

The veggies used for the filling of savory flans are the main ingredients worth addressing. An egg custard (milk or cream) mixture and pastry shell make up a savory flan. And the selection of veggies you may use is limitless.

However, there are a few veggies that might cause trouble for your dog. And those to be on the lookout for come from the same family.

The offenders are members of the allium family, with onions and garlic posing the two greatest risks. You should also avoid using scallions or onions in your savory flans.

What Sweets Are Dogs Allowed to Consume?

Dogs can consume a wide range of sweets, including but not limited to candy, cupcakes, cookies, and frozen yogurt. The majority of sweets are okay for dogs to eat in moderation, with a few exceptions like chocolate and xylitol, which can be poisonous to them.

To be sure the treat is suitable for dogs, carefully read the ingredients label.

Dogs should avoid consuming theobromine, a methylxanthine molecule. Chocolate has been linked to fatalities, seizures, irregular cardiac rhythms, vomiting, and diarrhea. Despite being a safe alternative to chocolate, carob chips should not be consumed in large quantities.

Sweet potatoes that have been finely cut make a chewy snack that also contains manganese and vitamins A and C. Apart from fruits and vegetables, your dog can also consume peanut butter and yogurt as tasty organic treats.

Peanut butter is rich in vitamins B and E, while yogurt is packed with calcium and live bacteria that help your dog’s digestive tract. Dogs who like sweets can also choose from a variety of commercial pet treats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion for “Can Dogs Eat Flan”

So can dogs eat flan? Flan and other desserts are heavy in sugar and unhealthy for dogs. Only dog food designed explicitly to meet their nutritional demands should be consumed by dogs.

Contact a veterinarian if you are unclear about the diet your dog should be eating. They will be able to suggest the food that will best meet the specific health requirements of your pet.

If you find this guide, “Can Dogs Eat Flan,” helpful, check out: 

• Can Dogs Eat Banana Bread? (2023)
• Can Dogs Eat Clementines? (2023)
• Can Dogs Eat Watermelon? (2023)

Learn more by watching “22 Common Foods That Will Kill Your Dog” down below: