Fruits and vegetables are healthy and delicious. Be it bananas, blackberries, or kiwi, for example, we humans love to enjoy them on a hot summer day, as breakfast, in a smoothie, or just fresh. But it’s a fact that not all human foods are safe for our dogs too. By now we’ve talked about several safe fruits, like blueberries, apples, or watermelons. However, let’s now focus on kiwi fruit. Can dogs have kiwi?
While fruits are a great way to add lots of vitamin C to your own diet, some fruits come with certain health risks for our dogs. So if you are wondering is kiwi safe for dogs, the answer is: Not necessarily. Before you feed kiwi to your pooch, know that even a little bit of kiwi could trigger allergic reactions in some dogs. If you are introducing new food to your pup, make sure you always start slow and only feed him small amounts.
In addition to that, kiwi skin is hard to chew and can therefore be a choking risk, especially to small dogs. So as a responsible dog owner, make sure you always peel the skin and remove the seeds before giving your dog any kind of fruit.
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Can dogs have kiwi?
What do we mean when we say that kiwi is not completely safe for dogs? Well, generally speaking, they are safe for them to eat. There is nothing in kiwi that could potentially be toxic for your dog, of course, this is if you remove the skin and seeds prior to feeding it to your dog.
However, there are a few things you need to be mindful of a few concerns before you give your dog kiwi. While this fruit does contain a high dose of vitamins and a high fiber content, that shouldn’t be enough of a reason to feed large amounts of kiwi to your dog. Our dogs should get all of their nutritional needs met by simply eating their regular puppy food. No extras should be necessary. We can’t stress this enough: Rather than giving your dog lots and lots of snacks, buy him premium dog food.
So while dogs can eat kiwi and a lot of other fruits as well, there isn’t really much of a reason as to why they should do that. We know how hard it is to say no to them, however, if you give in you could even cause more damage than good. Always give them just small quantities, and don’t give them fruit or other human food on a daily basis.
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Health benefits
It’s no secret that kiwis are healthy, at least to us humans. They are a great source of vitamins and fiber, and they are also delicious and very refreshing. However, this fruit is also pretty acidic, so it could cause digestive issues even in more sensitive humans.
But all in all, we could say that kiwis are a superfood, and if you as a dog owner want to enjoy a kiwi, know that there is no harm in it. At least not to you.
The health benefits of kiwi fruit are endless:
- prevent blood clotting and control blood pressure by reducing the amount of fat in our blood
- the high amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants in kiwifruit can help control the symptoms of asthma
- contain a lot of fiber, which is great to improve digestion
- can help lower high blood pressure and prevent diseases such as heart attack and stroke
- Kiwi contains zeaxanthin and lutein which are also called the “eye vitamins”. This means that consuming kiwi can prevent macular degeneration and vision loss
- This fruit contains a lot of Vitamin C too, which is important for cell function and protecting cells from free radical damage in the body.
- Kiwi fruit also contains bromelain, an enzyme that is also found in pineapple and green papaya that can break down proteins and heal inflammation.
After reading all of that you’re probably wondering “If it’s so healthy, why shouldn’t I give it to my dog?”. Well, we didn’t was that it wasn’t healthy, we’re saying that kiwi fruit benefits humans more than it does canines. We can get our daily dose of Vitamin C from kiwis, and for most people that would be more than fine. However, the digestive system of our dogs wasn’t really meant to eat fruit such as kiwis.
Why your dog shouldn’t eat kiwi
Firstly, the outer skin of a kiwi contains a lot of insoluble fiber, commonly known as “roughage.” it’s generally not toxic, actually it just stimulates the intestines, making food pass through more quickly. However, these high amounts of fiber aren’t bad for humans. However, if they are found in a dog’s diet it can result in an upset stomach or a bad case of diarrhea.
Then we have the inside of a kiwi, which is perfectly is safe. However, just like many other fruits, kiwis have seeds in them. Seeds of a kiwi, no matter how small they are can be toxic to your dog if ingested in large quantities. This is why you have to remove the seeds before giving your dog kiwi, just to be on the safe side.
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Besides all of the mentioned issues with kiwi, we also need you to know which physical symptoms your dog might have if they eat too much kiwi fruit.
So, too much kiwi can lead to stomach upset, and:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lack of appetite
- Painful or distended belly
- Lethargy
If your dog shows any of the above symptoms, please immediately contact your veterinarian.
Conclusion
To conclude, can dogs have kiwi? The short answer is yes, they can. But why do you feel the need to feed kiwi to your dog in the first place? While this little fruit is a great addition to your own diet, there are some potential risks your furry friends could experience. Your dog’s body should get all of its needed nutrients from regular dog food.
Sure, you can give your dog a few pieces of kiwi every now and then as a safe snack, but there really isn’t any need to give it to them regularly. The nutritional benefits of kiwi for dogs can be overlooked, as these small pieces won’t add too much to your dog’s diet. That doesn’t mean that you should give your pooch a whole kiwi either.
While many fruits and vegetables are theoretically safe for our pups, there are some potential health concerns connected with a lot of them. Like grapes of garlic for example, which are completely harmless to us, are actually highly toxic for dogs. So make sure you give any human food to your pup only from time to time, and only in small amounts.