But ... dogs are not carnivores? Do they have to eat fruit and vegetables? Yes Although the basis of their diet is meat, there are fruits and vegetables that dogs can eat, and in fact, they must do so so that their diet is more complete in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Don't you know what fruit or vegetable to choose? Not worth anything, in fact some fruits and vegetables are harmful and even toxic to dogs. But if you want to give your dog the best of nature, here are enough fruits and vegetables that dogs can eat.
List of fruits and vegetables that dogs can eat
Dogs should supplement their meat diet with 10-15% fruits and vegetables to stay healthy and get all the nutrients they need. They are much less vegetable than we eat, but that does not mean you have to ignore them! If you want to know what fruits and vegetables a dog can eat, read on!
Fruits that dogs can eat
The most beneficial fruits for your dog are:
The apple is one of the best fruits for dogs, they also love it! It's juicy, sweet ... and it's full of vitamins! Yes, Be careful not to give them your heart, since the seeds have poisonous substances. Do not worry! Just remove it, there is no danger in the heartless apple, quite the opposite.
2. Peach
As with the apple, Always remove the bone. In this case, not because they are poisoned, but because they could choke. But the peach is delicious and is very healthy for your dog!
The pear is 80% water, it is a great source of hydration, In addition to providing vitamins and being very appetizing as a treat for dogs.
Maybe Banana is one of the favorite fruits of dogs. In our article on homemade dog food we teach you how to prepare a canine banana and peanut butter ice cream. Cheer up!
Pineapple has fiber, water, vitamin C and B... is full of advantages!
Its texture is soft, soft and has a very sweet taste, so dogs love it.
This other Tropical fruit also likes our canine friends. It has fiber, vitamins and brings health and strength to the hair. Remember to also remove the bone!
9. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
These fruits, taken occasionally, they also have many vitamins and antioxidants. Yes, get ready to clean your dog's whiskers later!
Both pulp and coconut oil are very tasty and nutritious, antioxidants and source of vitamin E.
11. Watermelon and melon
These two classic summer fruits are sweet, refreshing ... Taken in moderation they provide many vitamins and they love them. In addition, being almost all water are very satiating, which is interesting if your dog is somewhat overweight. Try not to exceed yourself in quantity or it could cost you a little to digest them.
Vegetables that dogs can eat
As usual, The best way to give dogs vegetables is to cook it first, since it is easier to digest than raw. But there are some exceptions, such as lettuce or carrot, that you can give raw to your dog without any problem. Do you want to know what vegetables your dog can eat? All of these:
1. Carrot
The carrot It is excellent for dogs! You can give it as a reward or complement to your diet, or as part of it if you have decided to move from conventional feed and feed your dog with the BARF diet.
You can give it cooked in small pieces, or grate it raw and add it to your food. As a reward, raw carrot chunks are also a good option. Try not to give your dog whole raw carrot if it has small teeth, it could be very hard for him!
In small pieces or slices, Dogs love cucumber! It has water, fiber, antioxidants and lots of vitamins. Of course, cucumber can be given raw.
4. Peas
Vegetable proteins, vitamins, magnesium... what peas won't have!
The potato is also good for your dog, but never raw! Raw potato can be poisonous, but once cooked (it can be cooked or baked) it is an excellent and nutritious food for dogs.
Sweet potatoes are very digestiveThey are an ideal ingredient for the BARF diet.
7. Pepper
Both green and red have vitamins and antioxidants. It is best to cut them into very small pieces or crush them and mix them with your food.
Lettuce is also very healthy and refreshing, but not all dogs like it, since it has no flavor! Try yours, it is an excellent complement to meat dishes.
10. Pumpkin
The pumpkin It is one of the most recommended vegetables for dogs. In addition to being tasty and having vitamins, it is very digestive. It is also an excellent home remedy for dogs with constipation.
Vitamins, mineral salts, calcium ... Celery is full of good things. It is best to give it to your boiled and diced dog.
14. Spinach
The last of our fruits and vegetables that dogs can eat are Popeye's energy source, spinach. (By the way, did you know that Popeye's name is actually two words? "Pop eye", "bulging eye" in English. You know why it's called that).
What we were going to, Spinach has lots of vitamins and minerals, so they could not be left out of our list of fruits and vegetables for dogs. The best thing is to eat them cooked.
You already know what fruits and vegetables dogs can eat. But as we said, some of them are toxic, such as grapes. Want to know more about toxic dog food? Read our article!
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
Strawberries and berries They are great for dogs and they love them. They provide many vitamins and antioxidants. Just give it one or two pieces.
In addition to liking them a lot, Pumpkin is a good natural remedy against constipation. It has vitamins, helps digestive transit and is very nutritious.
Depending on its size, you can give it one three tablespoons pureed pumpkin, or roasted pumpkin taquitos.
(Photo via: misanimals)
Melon and watermelon
The two queens of summer are fruits that dogs can eat, they provide vitamins, water, minerals, fiber, potassium ... One or two taquitos are enough as a reward, always without pips or crust.
It provides vitamins A, B1, B6 and C. In addition, fiber, calcium, iron and lots of nutrients. Give it peeled and without seeds, just half a slice.
These are the fruits that dogs can eat, but some others can be dangerous. There are also vegetables and vegetables that you can give your dog! If you want to give healthy and natural rewards, you have many options.
Benefits of fruits and vegetables for dogs
In general, quality dog feeds have the proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats and oils that our dog needs in a balanced way. However, they also have nutritional deficiencies that, in the long run, can affect the health of our dog, such as the lack of fiber and antioxidants.
You have probably heard how important it is for us to ingest antioxidant rich foods to eliminate free radicals and prevent premature aging, but did you know that animals are also very beneficial? A lack of antioxidants will not be reflected in the dog in the form of wrinkles, but cellular oxidation will manifest itself through cellular lesions that will decrease its immune system and favor the appearance of degenerative diseases of old age, cardiovascular diseases or cancer.
For its part, the fiber It helps prevent constipation in our dog and favors the digestive system provided it is provided properly. We must keep in mind that the percentage that our body needs fiber is not the same as the one our dog needs. Veterinarians recommend that fiber does not exceed 3.5% of the diet, as an excess could result in an obstruction of the digestive tract, among other problems. However, properly consumed can be very beneficial for our dog.
If the feed we provide to our dog has no antioxidants or fiber, the best way to provide it is through raw fruits and vegetables. In addition to supplying the deficiencies of the feed, we will break with the eating routine of our partner, offering a varied diet that will help him not to get tired of the food, and we will prevent him from stopping eating the feed.
Fruits good for dogs
Although there are many fruits recommended for dogs, you must keep in mind that not all of them are worth it, as many others are highly toxic to them. Check out our article on banned fruits and vegetables for dogs and avoid eating them at all costs. The best fruits for dogs are the following:
- Blueberries. One of the most outstanding properties of blueberries is its high content>
Vegetables good for dogs
In general, the best vegetables for dogs They are those of green leaf, for the great variety of vitamins they contain, antioxidant properties, fiber and endless benefits. However, they are not the only ones, because within the vegetables suitable for them there are also other rich in beta-carotene recommended.
- Spinach. This vegetable helps our dog to regulate the bowel movement thanks to its content>
How to give fruits and vegetables to my dog
As we said at the beginning, dogs are carnivorous animals, so fruits and vegetables they must be a complement that helps them to fill the lack of feed. Experts and veterinarians recommend that the 15% or20% of the diet of our can be composed of fruits and vegetables, no more!
We must keep in mind that the dog's organism is not the same as ours, so it does not require the same amounts of food as we do. Thus, if our diet should be composed of a considerable percentage of fruits and vegetables, yours should not. The high level of sugar in fruits, for example, is not as digestible for dogs as it is for us, being toxic in large quantities for them.
If the feed we provide to our dog already contains fruits and vegetables, the amount of these raw foods should be less. If it is not made up of these products, then we will have to give it 15% in its natural version. How? We must provide our dog with all peeled and chopped fruits, without seeds or bones. The vegetables, on the other hand, you will have to be washed and chopped too, remember that not doing so our dog could suffocate.
It is not advisable to give natural fruits and vegetables more than once a week, or always provide the same product. We will have to vary them and insert them.
If you want to read more articles similar to Fruits and vegetables recommended for dogsWe recommend that you enter our section on Homemade Diets.
Can dogs eat tangerine, pineapple or peach?
There are many caregivers who get in touch with us telling us that a fruit that has, in principle, not bad for them has sat badly. The reason is that a dog is not fruit-bearing or omnivorous, it is a carnivorous being that, by evolution, has accepted the consumption of plant foods. However, if you abuse them, you will cause gas, diarrhea or irritation.
To prevent this from happening, do not abuse the fruit. We recommend that you give fruits such as bananas or apples as a goody to reward you. Others such as tangerine, pineapple or peach, only occasionally. To do your calculations, you must know that the amount of plant-based food you can eat is about ten percent, but to know exactly, you should check with our online dietitians.
Can dogs eat grapes?
Although dogs can eat any type of fruit in general, there are some that have an excess of sugar that can harm them greatly. This is the case with grapes. If you are at the end of the year, do not share them with him. Nothing will happen if you eat a small one, but several, especially if it is a small dog, could cause major failures in your body. It is best that you do not give him one to eat.
There are other fruits, such as pomegranate, which are very good for us but that do not give them anything because their digestive system does not know how to process them. That's why apple and banana point out as the best fruits for dogs, while the grapes are the worst. Banana, by the way, is great for cases of diarrhea.
What fruit can not eat dogs
Another type of fruit that is not recommended to eat is any that has many bones or pips. We have told you that the apple is excellent for them whenever you eat it in an amount of 10% as part of the vegetable contribution of your diet, but whenever you give it to them, Peel and remove the nugget or bone from the middle.
Sign up for this recommendation for avocado or plums. Every fruit with a bone in the middle contains cyanide in it, which is a poison. Therefore, always chop the piece and give it piece by piece, so you can eat it comfortably. As you can see, we also recommend that you take the fruit from it. It is true that there are many vitamins on this skin, but also pesticides and chemicals. If you take it off, you will avoid this problem.
Can dogs eat plums?
That is why dogs can eat the meat of plums, but never the bone and we do not recommend that you swallow the skin. You can eat pineapple, but you will have to remove the peel and the hard ‘eyes’ that it brings in your flesh, and not in abuse, because it is very sweet. However, fructose from fruits is not the same as sugar from desserts. Still, it should not be abused.
The fruit in dogs has always been used to give you prizes for doing something right. It is used as a positive reinforcement and to optimize your diet. Many caregivers prefer to cut a few pieces of banana or other fruit instead of giving snacks for dogs. This is a good idea, but to save you allergies or problems, it is best that you contact our online canine dietitians to receive more information about human feeding on dogs.
Have you been left with doubts? Ask our veterinarians:
