A pets’ digestive systems are very delicate and can easily be affected by foods that shouldn’t be fed to them.The same is the case for dogs. There are some foods that you can safely give to them, some that need to be fed to them in moderation and others that must be avoided at all costs.
A lot of pet owners are concerned whether fruits are safe for their pet or not. Amongst these questions, one of the most frequently asked is, can dogs eat bananas?
Many people are wandering if they can? This article will be your guide to answer this question with the help of facts and figures regarding the constituents of a banana.
Well, in short, can they or can they not eat bananas?
Dogs can eat a banana since they don’t contain any harmful nutrients. On the contrary, feeding it to your dog might be a good idea since it is a fruit rich in nutrients that are beneficial for your pets’ health. Two major nutrients that are good for a dog’s health are magnesium and potassium.
Other constituents include fiber, copper, biotin, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. These nutrients help boost your dog’s energy levels as well as improve the quality of its fur and skin. Additionally, they improve their immune system and help fight anemia too.
So rest assured, you can give your dog bananas. It is safe (not toxic) and has numerous health benefits.
We’ll list the qualities and effects of the two major ingredients so that you can better understand the working of the nutrients in bananas.
Potassium
Potassium helps avoid any sort of gastrointestinal problems your pet might face. An excess of potassium can, however, have the opposite effect. Too much of potassium in the body can lead to messy complications such as heart problems.
It is advised by vets that bananas be fed to your dog in moderation. Too much of potassium content in your dog’s system can prove to be fatal.
Magnesium
Magnesium aids in the growth of bones, absorption of vitamins, and production of protein. All in all, the ingestion of bananas by dogs is recommended by vets. It also reduces your dog’s blood pressure levels and calms down pets to a large extent.
Modest Portions
Now that you know that an excess of any nutrient can backfire on your dog’s health, you must remain vigilant of the amount you feed it. The amount to be given depends on the size of your friend. Small dogs should only be given a few pieces per day. Puppies too can only eat a banana in moderate amounts – only a few pieces per day.
Large and moderately-sized dogs, on the other hand, can be fed a half one a day at the most. You must not forget that other nutrients are important for your dog too, such as carbohydrates.
Hence, you need to make sure that your portions are made according to the dog’s size. Try to consider them as a snack for you best friend.
How to make your dog eat bananas
Before you feed your pet bananas, you need to know how exactly to prepare it so that your pet can eat it. The best way is to mash it up and mix it with the food you feed it anyways. You can also mix it with other ingredients such as peanut butter, yogurt, and cheese to make it tastier.
However, before you start mixing it with other foods, make sure these foods are safe for your dogs and don’t cause any complications in their health. You can freeze up the mashed pieces to use them later, too. You can fill banana mash or slices into a Kong to feed your dog.
Avoid the peels
As far as eating bananas is concerned, your dog can do that without your worrying for its wellbeing. However, feeding it peels is a very bad idea that can cost you a visit to the vet. Banana peels are bad for digestion.
Although they are edible and aren’t poisonous to dogs, they can cause stomach problems because they are not easy to digest. It is, therefore, best not to feed peels since you don’t want your dog getting sick.
The blockage in digestion is dependent on the size of the dog, but even then, it is advised that you consult your vet before feeding your dog anything.
Avoid processed banana foods
There are a number of sweet processed forms of bananas available on the market. They may have a high sugar content or an excessive amount of preservatives which are not good for your pet.
Avoid feeding your dog banana chip and other such processed foods at all costs. These preservatives can cause complications in health.
Final Verdict
Now you know the answer to the question, can dogs eat bananas? There is sufficient evidence present, mainly in its composition, that they can be eaten by them without causing them any pain.
In fact, taking into account the opinion of most vets, a banana is good for its health and should be fed to it to resolve any digestive problems. You can feed them to your dog without any fear of affecting its health adversely while keeping in mind that they should not be fed banana peels.
It is possible that you might never be in a situation where you would have to think about whether you should feed them or not. Not every dog likes bananas – while some might enjoy eating them, others will turn their nose up and not eat them at all. If yours is part of the latter, then you need not worry about this at all.
