What Is A Puppuccino And How Much Does It Cost?

There’s not much better than a barista-style coffee from your favorite coffee shop, right?

There’s just something about the foam/milk/coffee ratio that we simply cannot recreate at home. Starbucks is one of the market-leading coffee houses, with an average of 750 customers per store every day. 

They offer a number of specialty coffee drinks, as well as teas, hot chocolates, and even puppuccinos. Yep, you heard us right – puppuccinos. But what is this infamous drink that we cannot stop hearing about nowadays? 

Today we’re going to be answering all of your burning questions about the puppuccino and how you can get your hands on one. Much to the disappointment of many, puppuccinos are not, in fact, designed for humans but for our beloved furry friends.

What is this puppuccino you speak of? 

A puppuccino is a very simple beverage served in a small espresso-sized paper cup without a lid. Inside the cup is whipped cream. That’s it, that’s the drink. A simple dog-sized serving of whipped cream with zero added sugars, caffeine, or syrups and sprinkles.

The whipped cream is the same that Starbucks uses for the toppings of our human drinks, which is safe for consumption with dogs as long as it’s in a small amount. The cup that the puppuccino is served in also just happens to be the ideal size for eager dog tongues.  

The puppuccino is not commonly found on the menu but will be available if you ask for it. It’s important to note that almost every other drink on the Starbucks menu is toxic to your dog in some way or another and, therefore should not be offered to your pet. 

This is due to the fact that caffeine is found in almost every drink at Starbucks, even the ones that aren’t explicitly coffee-based. Hot chocolate still features 50mg of caffeine, and teas will have around 80mg of caffeine. 

However, as the puppuccino does not contain any caffeine, it is perfectly safe for your dog. Just don’t go feeding them too many at once, as whipped cream contains more calories than you might think. 

How much will you need to pay for a puppuccino? 

Starbucks, along with many other coffee chains, is known for its expensive drink prices. It makes sense with the amount of training and work that the baristas have to put into each order, but many of us quickly find that this total adds up to an embarrassingly high amount each week. 

Due to this, we dog owners will be thrilled to discover that the puppuccino is free to order and does not require any additional payment to your order. The beverage might be shown on the bill, but it won’t cost you anything or add to your outstanding balance. 

The reason why a puppuccino is free is due to the fact that it is not an official menu item and, therefore cannot be charged for. The team at your local Starbucks will offer you the puppuccino for free if they know what it is.

Some baristas do not know what a puppuccino is and therefore will either not give you one, or simply need an explanation beforehand. 

If it’s not on the menu, then how do you order a puppuccino?

Dogs are often banned from Starbucks locations unless they are service dogs. So, it can be rather tricky to order a puppuccino while trying to prove that it really is for your dog. That being said, you can sit outside with your dog or have someone wait with them while you go into order. 

Starbucks employees often need to see the dog before accepting your request for a puppuccino, and if the store is quite large or busy, they might not be able to see your pooch waiting out front. So, there are some other ways that you can order them their own drink. 

Firstly, you can use the Starbucks app to place an order to collect outside the store. When the barista arrives outside with your order, you can ask them for a puppuccino while gesturing to your pup next to you. Hopefully, the barista won’t mind going back into the store to whip you up a quick puppuccino. 

Secondly, you can use a drive-through if your local Starbucks has one. To make life easiest on the barista, have your dog on the front seat if you can. This stops them from having to strain their necks to see in the back window if you actually have a dog. 

If you have a service dog, ordering a puppuccino is a much easier and quicker process. Simply bring them into the Starbucks and order a puppuccino along with your drink order. The barista will be able to see your dog right away. 

Just make sure to bring some identification for your dog to be allowed into the coffee shop. Some Starbucks require you to show this before allowing a dog onto the premises.

You cannot order the puppuccino on the Starbucks app because it is not an official menu item. You will need to ask the barista specifically for a puppuccino if you want one. 

What is inside a puppuccino? 

Some owners are particularly interested in what they put into their dog’s bodies, as it is just as important that they get all of the correct nutrients to avoid obesity and other health conditions related to an unhealthy diet. 

Calories

Let’s start with the calories in a puppuccino. For reference, professional veterinarians recommend that dogs should only consume 25 calories for every pound of their weight each day. 

• Small dogs weigh between 0 and 20 pounds, meaning they should only consume up to 500 calories per day. 
• Medium-sized dogs weigh around 20 to 60 pounds, meaning that they should consume between 500 and 1,500 calories each day. 
• Large dogs up to 100 pounds should eat no more than 2,500 calories a day. 

Mini breeds will have a daily calorie intake of even less than 500 per day, while extra-large dogs will require more than 2,500 calories per day. 

So, now that you know roughly how many calories your pooch should be consuming in a day, how does that compare to the amount in a puppuccino? 

Depending on whether the barista offers you a small or large cup of whipped cream, the puppuccino can include between 120 and 240 calories. The smaller your breed of dog is, the higher this amount of calories will take from their food consumption. 

Treats are meant to be small in calories, with veterinarians often recommending that a dog should be fed no more than 100 calories in treats per day. So, the puppuccino can increase your dog’s calorie intake by quite a bit. 

Not to mention the fact that whipped cream is not going to fill your dog up in the slightest. A puppuccino is essentially full of empty calories that do nothing for your dog’s well-being. 

The small puppuccino will have 120 calories in it, while the large has 240. Bear in mind that as the barista has no measurements to go by with this drink, the puppuccino might feature slightly more or fewer calories than these numbers. 

It’s important to ask the barista for the correct size of puppuccino based on your dog. Miniature breeds and small dogs should only consume a small puppuccino to avoid their calorie intake being too high. Larger dogs can consume the large puppuccino without worrying too much about it, although you should still keep an eye on their diet for the rest of the day. 

Ingredients

Starbucks does not use pure whipped cream for their drink toppings, but rather a blended whipped cream mix. This means that there are more ingredients than just pure whipped cream.

Below are the ingredients that a puppuccino includes: 

• Cream: An obvious start, the cream is the base for the puppuccino. The cream contains calcium which is beneficial for your dog’s bone health and teeth. However, it’s rather fatty and therefore should be avoided in large quantities. 
• Milk: Similar to cream, milk does have a few benefits for your dog. However, it can also be too rich on your dog’s digestive system and leave them feeling unwell. 
• Mono and diglycerides: These are added for no other reason than to make the texture of the cream better. 
• Carrageenan: This is an additive used to make the cream thicker and hold its shape better. In large quantities, there has been research conducted to indicate that it could cause cancer in animals. 

As you can see, the ingredients within a puppuccino don’t have any major health benefits. Although calcium is beneficial for a dog’s bones and teeth, the cream is not the best way to ensure that your dog is getting enough of it. Cream and milk contain fat that can upset your dog’s stomach and leave them feeling ill. 

Nutritional Information

Dogs require a high-protein diet with small amounts of fats and healthy carbohydrates.

Every food that you feed them should be high in protein, which is why dog treats are often packed with proteins and amino acids. 

Let’s see the nutrition that a puppuccino will offer your pooch. 

• Protein: 1 to 2 grams
• Sodium: 10 to 20 milligrams
• Sugar: 3 to 6 grams
• Cholesterol: 40 to 80 milligrams

Again, this isn’t the most nutritional snack that you could be giving your dog. If a puppuccino is their only treat for the day due to the calories, your dog might not be getting enough nutrients as they need to feel on top of their game.

Is it safe to feed your dog a puppuccino? 

Overall, puppuccinos are safe for dogs to consume. Just like humans who don’t always eat the healthiest of snacks, dogs can enjoy an occasional sweet treat as well. However, some dogs have a dairy intolerance, and a puppuccino can make them very sick through this. 

Puppuccinos should not become a regular part of your dog’s diet, as they can lead to dental problems, weight gain, stomach problems, and more. However, use your own discretion to determine whether you would allow your dog to consume their own puppuccino. They’ll love it, but their body might not.

Frequently Asked Questions