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You might have heard warnings against giving your dog table scraps if you’ve looked into the ideal diet for dogs. But it’s difficult to ignore those cute puppy eyes. The good news is that dogs can eat a wide variety of human foods, some of which are even excellent additions to your dog’s diet.
You might be wondering if dogs can eat bananas if your dog is side eyeing the one you’re eating. Is it okay to give your dog a few nibbles? Our experts have all the answers you’re looking for.
Nutritional Benefits of Bananas for Dogs
As pointed out by various works of research, bananas are foods with many nutrients that are essential to maintain the health of dogs.
- High in Potassium: The common household banana fruit is known to contain potassium. They also play the vital role of maintaining the muscles and heart of the dogs.
- Source of Vitamin C and B6: The Vitamin B6 in bananas helps your dog to grow healthy. It maintains their hormones and keeps them active. Vitamin C works as a great supplement to boost antioxidants in the body. This helps reduce inflammation in senior dogs.
- Filled with Fiber: You already know that fiber is good for your gut. In this case, it would benefit with problems related to digestion and has a positive impact on your pet’s gut.
Read more about 6 Best Dog Foods for a Healthy and Shiny Coat on VetGen Pharmaceuticals.
Potential Health Concerns
Bananas are wonderful food for your pet but they should be served in limited quantities since they pose some risks if fed in large amounts.
Risk of Obesity and Diabetes: High Sugar Content
Bananas contain sugars like other fruits do. These sugars may be natural and less harmful than refined sugars, but they still have the tendency to make your dog become overweight or develop diabetes. This is especially true in case of overweight dogs or dogs that may be genetically sensitized to diabetes. Let me say once again that it is always more about moderation when it comes to feeding your dog bananas.
Digestive Issues: Risk of Gastrointestinal Upset
If you provide too many bananas to your dog, it may lead to diarrhea due to stomach upset. They require a balanced diet otherwise they will feel constipated. You could remove bananas from your small dog’s diet as even little portions might lead to digestive upsets in your pooch. You should include this fruit gradually in their diet since their body needs some time to acclimatize.
Choking Hazard: Proper Preparation Required
Feeding your pet a whole banana is wrong both because it upsets the tummy of your pet as well as poses a chocking hazard to them. It is essential to peel the banana and cut it into small pieces as a preparation before feeding your pet. This will help you prevent your dog from eating large pieces of pet food at a time, thereby minimizing the chance of your pet getting choked on the food.
How To Feed A Banana To Your Dog
It is important to follow some basic guidelines to make sure that your dog can enjoy snacking on the banana without any problems.
The portion size of the banana plate depends on your dog’s size and weight. Just because something is healthy, doesn’t mean you can give a large portion of it to your pet. Your dog has fixed dietary needs that need to be fulfilled on a daily basis. Bananas are high in sugar, so they should only account for 10% of their total calorie intake. Additionally, smaller dogs need smaller portions than larger dogs.
Dogs love it when you give them treats but the problem is that when you give them fruit, they also get natural sugars which can be harmful. You should only give banana treats 2 to 3 times a weekly. Offsetting the product with regular dog food is key to a nutritionally balanced diet.
Starting with a little portion of banana is a good idea to observe your dog’s reaction. Some dogs might get upset stomach while consuming bananas as compared to the other ones. If there are no side effects such as digestive discomfort issues, you can slowly increase the amount. However, you should never exceed the amount recommended by your vet.
How to Properly Prepare Bananas for Dogs
You should peel the banana off the skin before sharing it with your pet dog. Specifically, the banana peel is neither toxic nor pliable. Rather, it has complex compounds which make them problematic with the digestion of dogs. Ingesting banana skin can block their gastrointestinal system.
Cut the banana into the bite-sized pieces so that your dog can easily chew and swallow them. You can use frozen bananas in the summer to give some cool to your dog. Frozen bananas also help teething puppies ease their pain.
Safe Ways to Add Bananas to a Dog’s Diet
Banana slices can be used as a high-value treat during training sessions. Their sweet taste appeals to dogs, making them a good choice for motivational rewards. Mash bananas with your dog’s regular food or other safe fruits and vegetables to create a nutritious and appealing meal topper.
Bananas can be used to prepare homemade dog treats. Try to combine mashed bananas with peanut butter and dog-friendly yogurt for some healthy treats.
However, we should avoid banana peels. You might wonder why. As mentioned, while banana peels aren’t toxic, they are hard for dogs to digest. Eating them can lead to digestive disturbances or even a blockage requiring veterinary attention.
Ensure that banana peels are disposed of in a place where your dog can’t access them. This prevents your dog from trying to eat them out of curiosity.
Conclusion
To answer your question: are bananas good for dogs, yes there are but only when given in moderation. Since they have a high sugar content that can cause obesity and diabetes in your dog if given excessively. Make sure you peel and mash your bananas properly to avoid any choking hazards.
If you want to learn about the proper ways of feeding your dog with different fruits and vegetables, please do visit Vetgen Pharmaceuticals. This platform is designed for pet parents to understand different tips and tricks for your dogs.
