Good nutrition is an essential aspect of the physical, cognitive and social development of all dogs. Regardless of breed and gender, a dog should receive a complete and balanced diet that perfectly meets the nutritional needs of their age.
Fortunately, more and more tutors are encouraged to go beyond the industrialized diet and decide to offer a more natural and varied diet to their best friends. During this food transition, many questions arise, and many of them are related to which fruits a dog can eat and which are most beneficial, for example, “can the dog eat banana?”, “Can the dog eat strawberry?” Can a dog eat watermelon and melon? “. Here are some of the many questions you might ask yourself before deciding to offer your pet a healthier diet.
- In this Animal Expert article.
- We’ll share helpful information to help you provide a balanced diet and the best care for your most loyal partner.
- In this article.
- We will explain in more detail one of the most delicious and popular fruits in Brazil.
- Watermelon.
- You will understand if your puppy can eat watermelon and what are the benefits and precautions to take to include this fruit in your puppy’s meal.
Before responding if your dog can eat watermelon, it is essential that you know the nutritional composition of this delicious fruit. If you know the nutrients of watermelon, it is much easier to understand what are the benefits of its introduction into your dog’s food and precautions to avoid side effects. In addition, knowing food helps to create a greater awareness of our own nutrition.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) database [1], 100 g of fresh watermelon have the following nutritional composition:
As you can see from the nutritional information above, watermelon is rich in vitamin C, a powerful natural antioxidant that combats the action of free radicals and cellular damage. In addition, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is also critical to strengthen the immune system, helping to prevent the most common diseases in dogs. Therefore, the consumption of watermelon for puppies can be very positive, as they are in the middle of the growth phase and natural defenses are still forming.
In addition, watermelon is one of the fruits richest in water, helping to keep the body well hydrated and prevent damage and pathologies associated with insufficient fluid consumption, such as kidney problems. Water contained in fruits such as watermelon and melon has a diuretic and purifying effect on dogs’ bodies, helping to eliminate toxins and keeping metabolism stable.
The combination of a high percentage of water with natural antioxidants, such as vitamin C and carotenoids, makes watermelon an excellent ally for skin and hair health and aesthetics, preventing the symptoms of aging and dehydration.
Finally, and equally important, watermelon provides fiber to the body, facilitating digestion and preventing digestive problems, such as constipation in dogs.
If you’re wondering if a shih tzu dog can eat watermelon or if this fruit is suitable for dogs of other breeds and stray dogs, the answer is: yes. Fiber, vitamins, natural antioxidants and the purifying effect of this fruit can have a very positive impact on your pet’s body. However, the introduction of this fruit into the diet should always follow the necessary precautions to ensure a beneficial consumption for your health.
To provide your dog with a complete and balanced diet, you should always remember that dogs should consume a healthy dose of protein daily. Although dogs are omnivorous and have developed the ability to digest certain foods that their wolf ancestors cannot digest, meat remains the most appropriate source of protein.
Therefore, it is not appropriate to base a dog’s diet solely on fruits, vegetables and proteins of plant origin. Therefore, although watermelon is one of the fruits that dogs can eat, it should not be the center or mainstay of nutrition, as this would lead to nutritional deficits that would weaken the dog’s immune system, making it more vulnerable to all kinds of food. . Diseases.
In addition, watermelon and all fruits are rich in a type of natural sugar called fructose that is metabolized in the body into glucose molecules. Excessive sugar intake can lead to rapid weight gain, promoting canine obesity and symptoms of related diseases such as diabetes. On the other hand, excessive fiber consumption can also cause digestive problems, such as gas and diarrhea in dogs.
Para garantir um consumo seguro e benéfico, consulte um veterinário antes de incluir melancia ou qualquer novo alimento na dieta do seu cachorro. Este profissional é devidamente capacitado para te ajudar a determinar qual quantidade e a frequência de consumo mais adequada segundo o tamanho, a idade, o peso e o estado de saúde do seu cachorro.
Now that you know that watermelon is one of the fruits that dogs can eat, to offer your pet it is necessary to remove the seeds and skin, including much of the white meat that is harder to digest than red ripe fruit. . If it is the first time that your dog has tried watermelon, it is ideal to offer only a small piece and look at it for 12 hours after eating, to see if this fruit causes an adverse reaction in the digestive process, such as gas or diarrhea. .
The amount of watermelon a dog can consume will depend on its size, weight and health. But in general, it is recommended to give only between 3 and 5 pieces of watermelon to an adult dog, always after making sure that this fruit does not cause digestive problems. But, if you choose to mix it with other fruits, it is ideal to reduce this amount, to prevent your dog from consuming too much sugar at once.
An excellent way to incorporate watermelon into your puppy’s nutrition is to use it as a positive boost in your education. That is, every time your dog has positive behavior or reproduces a canine obedience order, you can offer a piece of watermelon to reward him and encourage him to continue learning.
Watch the video from our YouTube channel about 8 fruits for dogs, benefits and dosages below:
Since fruit is very beneficial for human health, it tends to think that its consumption will also have a positive impact on the health of dogs. However, it is essential to remember that there are prohibited fruits and vegetables for dogs, which can cause various damage to the body, ranging from digestive problems, such as vomiting and gas, to an image of poisoning.
Many caregivers wonder if their dog can eat avocado and grapes, for example. Although these foods have many beneficial properties for human health, they are very dangerous to canine organisms. Then, again, we emphasize the importance of consulting a veterinarian before including any new foods or deciding to change the type of diet you offer to your best friend.
If you don’t know if dogs can eat eggs, check out this Animal Expert article.
If you want to read articles similar to Can a dog eat watermelon ?, we recommend that you visit our Balanced Diets section.