Your dog is healthy and getting everything his/her body needs if you are feeding him/her premium
kibble. But did you know there are other foods besides kibble that is beneficial to your dog? Some
‘human foods’, vegetables and fruit are truly great.
It is also nice to mix things up every once in a while and spoil your pet with something different. One of the foods that I did not expect on the list is bananas. Is this for real or just monkey business? I know that this fruit is fantastic for us but can dogs eat bananas? YES! Once I discovered the benefits for canines of this wonder fruit I now make sure that my dogs eat bananas regularly.
Why Can Dogs Eat Bananas?
Bananas are healthy and wholesome. They contain many important nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that will promote the health of man’s best friend. These are just some of the most important ones:
Bananas are the great food for dogs
- Magnesium: Magnesium improves bone growth. It also facilitates better absorption of vitamins, transference of energy, and the body’s production of protein.
- Potassium Potassium: packed bananas prevents bones from weakening, stimulates blood vessel and muscle functionality and regulate the body’s acidity.
- Calcium: Calcium strengthens bones and teeth and builds a resistance to bone related diseases. It is essential that your female dog is getting enough calcium if she is expecting too.
- Fiber: The high fiber content of this fruit helps with both constipation and diarrhea.
- Vitamin C: Dogs naturally produce their own Vitamin C but for others where it is lacking, bananas will give them that extra oomph. Vitamin C builds cartilage, lowers stress and protects against cell damage.
- Vitamin B: Vitamin B boosts oxygen levels to the brain and muscle as it affects the function of the blood cells.
- Antioxidants: The high antioxidant count in bananas makes sure that your furry friend has a shiny coat and a healthy skin.
- Carbohydrates: When dogs eat bananas their energy levels will be boosted by the soluble carbohydrates.
- Ascorbate: This strengthens dogs’ immune systems as does Vitamin C.
- Natural enzymes: This banana ingredient soothes irritation of the intestine. Additionally, colon inflammation, also known as colitis and other bowel problems may improve particularly when the banana is ripe. Spasms of your dog’s colon will be aided when they eat bananas that are rip too.
How Much Banana Can I Let My Dog Eat?
As with most things in life, the rule of thumb here is everything in moderation. This is why bananas should be given to your dog to eat as a treat especially when you are rewarding him/her through positive reinforcement training methods. Just ask your vet and he/she will confirm that this is a better treat alternative than those that are salty and fatty.
Too many bananas in your canine friend’s diet could adversely affect him/her. For example, although the intake of potassium is desirable, too much of this could lead to problems of the heart.
Medium to large sized canines can safely eat about half a banana on a daily basis.
In addition, bananas are high in sugar and calories so you definitely want to limit your dog’s intake. An excess of banana consumption, just like any other fruits that dogs can safely eat could cause your dog to have an upset tummy.
If small breed pooches eat bananas it should only be a few small pieces. Medium to large sized
canines can safely eat about half a banana on a daily basis.
However, you will need to monitor this and adjust accordingly as hyper dogs will be able to eat more than inactive dogs. Moreover, your dog may be one of the few that doesn’t like the smell and would therefore not want to eat bananas. A small percentage of canines are allergic as well.
When Is It Bad If Dogs Eat Bananas?
Besides eating too much of this, avoid the following:
- Banana peels: This part of the banana must be removed because not only can your four-legged choke on this, it can result in blockages in his/her bowels depending on the amount consumed.
- Banana chips: This is a no-go. If you are going to feed your dog a banana it must be fresh and ripe.
How Can I Introduce Bananas to My Dog’s Diet?
The option that makes the less mess is to freeze the banana. You can then peel it and slice it up into 1-inch thick slices. This method is also the best when using bananas as a treat. If you enjoy baking, you make your dog some peanut butter and banana biscuits as treats too. These will surely please your pooch very much.
Another alternative is to mash the banana up and mix it into their meals. Greek yogurt peanut butter are good for dogs as well so you can make up quite a tasty dish by mixing these ingredients.
You can also use a dog toy that you can fill and freeze it if you really want to spoil your pet. Whichever method you choose, make sure that you give your don’t feed your dog the whole banana or in large pieces as they might have difficulty in digesting this.
Conclusion
So can dogs eat bananas? Most definitely! They are the perfect snack or treat which your best will enjoy. It is also actually healthy for your pet. If you have any doggy recipes of how your dog likes to eat bananas please feel free to share in the comment box below.
References
http://canigivemydog.com/banana
https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/nutrition/dog-approved-people-food
