There are lots of fruits and vegetables that are safe for your dog to eat and can be used as a tasty addition to your dog’s diet.
Before you start raiding the fridge though, it’s important to know that some fruits and vegetables can upset their tummies and are even toxic for our dogs. Don’t worry though. We’ve put together this handy guide of which fruits and veggies are safe for dogs and which ones need to be avoided.
How much fruit and vegetables should you feel your dog each day
As long as you’re feeding your dog a balanced and nutritional diet, you don’t actually need to add fruit and vegetables to their daily diet. Instead, fruits and vegetables can be given as tasty treats for your dog to enjoy. Lots of treats that you’ll find in the pet store can be fattening and filled with additives, so fruits and vegetables make a great healthy alternative!
Here are our top tips for feeding fruit and vegetables to your dog:
- Fruits, especially bananas and strawberries, have a high sugar content so should be given in very small quantities as part of a balanced diet to avoid weight gain and impacting their dental health. If you are concerned about your dog’s weight or dental health, avoid adding fruits to their diet.
- Keep portions treat sized.
- Vegetables should be raw, steamed or boiled.
- Cut larger vegetables into bite sized pieces to avoid choking.
- No extra oils, butters or seasonings.
Fruits safe for your dog to eat
- Apples – de-seeded and cored
- Bananas – in very small amounts as they are high in sugar
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Mango – remove hard stone/pit and skin
- Nectarine – remove the stone/pit
- Orange – remove the skin and any seeds.
- Peach – remove the stone/pit
- Pears – remove the seeds/core/pit
- Pineapple – remove the skin
- Strawberries – very sugary so only very small amounts
- Watermelon – remove rind and seeds
Vegetables safe for your dog to eat
- Broccoli – in small amounts, raw or steamed
- Brussel Sprouts
- Carrots – many dogs enjoy them raw, but they can be given steamed, boiled or even frozen (great for teething puppies!)
- Celery
- Green beans – steamed, boiled or raw
- Peas – sugar snap peas, garden peas and mangetout, but avoid tinned peas
- Sweet potatoes and potatoes – plain, boiled or steamed (not raw)
- Sweetcorn – fresh cooked corn with nothing added can be given to dogs but it must be cut off the cob first!
What fruits and vegetables are not safe for dogs?
There are a number of fruits and vegetables that you really shouldn’t feed your dog because they can be toxic, cause a blockage or just really upset their tummies.
Fruits and vegetables you shouldn’t feed your dog:
- Avocado – can cause very upset stomach
- Cherries – pits/stones contain cyanide which is toxic to dogs
- Corn on the cob – the cob can cause blockages
- Garlic – toxic to dogs
- Grapes/raisins – toxic to dogs.
- Grapefruit – very acidic and can upset your dog’s stomach
- Leeks – toxic to dogs
- Lemon – very acidic and can upset your dog’s stomach
- Lime – very acidic and can upset your dog’s stomach
- Mushrooms – certain types are toxic to dogs, so best to steer clear
- Onion – toxic to dogs
- Plums – stone/pit can be toxic or cause blockages and can often get left in the plum
- Potatoes (raw) and potato plants – when raw they can be toxic, and the plants and leaves can also be dangerous
- Rhubarb – toxic to dogs
- Unripe tomato (the green flesh) and tomato plants – toxic to dogs
What fruits and vegetables does your dog like eating? Let us know!
