In the last couple of years, many people have become vegetarian, meaning they are not consuming meat. Instead, they opt for the soy-based meat alternative tofu. With the tofu wave came also many questions. One in particular strikes out the most, can dogs have tofu?
It’s natural that vegetarians would want to share a bite or two of tofu with their furry friends. But it would be irresponsible if they just gave tofu to their canines without doing research if tofu is actually safe for dogs.
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If you’re here to find out whether tofu is safe for dogs or not, then you’re in the right place! In this article, we’re going to answer that exact question!
Can dogs have tofu – Benefits of tofu
In order to answer the question can dogs have tofu, let’s first see what tofu even is. According to our friend and helper, Google, tofu is also known as bean curd. It’s basically a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness.
Tofu itself doesn’t really have a taste, it’s quite neutral. That’s why it can be used in savory and sweet dishes. Depending on how you prepare it, how you season or marinate it can suit any dish you’re making. Because tofu has kind of a spongy texture it absorbs flavor very well!
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So, now onto answering if tofu is safe for canines. You can in fact give your pooch tofu, it’s safe! Of course, just like with any human food, moderation is important! Even though tofu is healthy, too much can have negative effects on your dog’s health!
Also, please keep in mind that dogs are considered obligate carnivores. This means that while dogs do need meat to survive, they can also benefit from plants in their diet as well. Only because you are vegetarian or vegan, doesn’t mean that your dog should be (terrible idea!).
Benefits of tofu
Tofu is very high in nutrients, meaning it has many benefits for our body and health. Besides being a great source of protein, tofu contains a number of important nutrients such as:
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- Manganese
- Calcium
- Selenium
- Phosphorus
- Copper
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Zinc
All of these are not only important for your health, but for your dog’s health as well! But how does tofu benefit your dog and its health?
Well, tofu can be a great substitute for meat in certain cases. For example, if your dog has allergies to certain dog products like processed meat proteins found in kibble. In this case, it would be smart to give your dog tofu, because it won’t cause an allergic reaction.
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Besides this, if your dog has liver or kidney problems, then they might benefit from the tofu as well. If your dog has liver problems then your veterinarian has probably already told you that your dog’s diet needs some changes. In most cases this means removing animal protein. Even though you can’t feed your dog tofu regularly, it can still be a good substitute, together with other alternatives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tofu is safe for dogs. So the answer to the question can dogs have tofu is definitely yes. However, please keep in mind that your dog should eat meat in order to stay healthy and get all the needed nutrients. Besides this, too much tofu (meaning if you fed it to your dog every day) can have negative effects on your dog’s health!
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So please, if you want to share some tofu with your dog, try to keep the portions in moderation and don’t feed your dog tofu more than once or twice a week (a couple of pieces).
If you worry about your dog getting all the needed nutrients, just make sure you get them a nice brand of dog food, something that is high-quality, and you should be good to go!