Not all food that humans love is safe for your dog. Among the worst fears of any pet owner is unwittingly sharing food they like with their dog and causing major health issues or even death. If you love watermelons, your question might be: can dogs eat watermelon? Read what our animal experts have to say below.
Can Dogs Really Eat Watermelon?
According to our experts, the answer is yes. However, you need to know some important things before you give your dog this fruit.
Benefits of Watermelon For Your Dog
Is watermelon good for dogs? Yes, it contains several health benefits for dogs. The high nutritional value of the fruit makes it a healthy snack for your dog.
It is low in calories but rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, antioxidants, and potassium. This fruit prevents free radicals. It contains lycopene and high fiber content, which can aid healthy digestion in dogs.
Although watermelon is high in sugar, when you feed your dog watermelon, it doesn’t trigger an unhealthy rise in blood sugar because the fiber in watermelon helps dogs to absorb the sugar slowly into their bloodstream.
Watermelon maintains the immune system and also contains 92% water. This makes this tasty snack an amazing way to make your dog stay hydrated and cool, especially during the hot days. This health-food powerhouse for your dog is fat-free and doesn’t contain sodium and cholesterol.
What Not to Feed Your Dog
Though watermelon is refreshing, especially on a hot day, our experts recommend leaving out the seeds and rinds (the hard green skin). These aren’t safe for your dog and can cause serious health problems if consumed.
A dog’s size also matters. While swallowing one or two seeds of watermelon may not cause any health issues for larger dogs, it may lead to serious health problems in small dogs because they have smaller intestines. If your dog swallows too many watermelon seeds, your smaller dogs may encounter an intestinal blockage or other digestive problems, which may require surgery to correct.
Feeding watermelon to your dogs with its rinds can cause your dog to have gastrointestinal distress, which may trigger vomiting or diarrhea. Moreover, too much of everything is bad. If your dog eats too much of this juicy fruit, it can get an upset stomach due to the high fiber content in your dog’s body. Therefore, the recommendation from our team of experts is to feed your dog the watermelon in small quantities, and don’t let your dog eat watermelon rind and seeds.
What are the Best Ways to Feed My Dog With Watermelon?
Here are a few tips on how to prepare watermelon for dogs:
- Before you feed your dog watermelon, consult your vet. Your vet would guide you on how much of the fruit you should give your dog. Your dog may have some health issues that may be complicated by watermelon.
- Remove all the seeds from the watermelon before feeding it to your dog.
- Remove the fleshy part from the rind and cut it into small bites – be careful not to give your dog the rind.
- Only feed your canine friend with real watermelon. Avoid artificially-flavored watermelon candy or treats. These may contain artificial sweeteners, added sugar, or other ingredients that may be harmful to your dog.
Mixing Watermelon With Other Treats
Watermelon is a tasty treat that you can mix with other treats for your dog. You can mix watermelon with other treats like apples, carrots, or other fruits and veggies.
Other creative ways to make watermelon more appealing to your dog include making it into frozen watermelon treats. Dice the fleshy part of a seedless watermelon (make sure it’s fresh fruit) into small chunks, blend two cups of these with one cup of water or coconut milk and ice the blend in ice cube trays. The cubes are healthy for both you and your dogs and contain essential vitamins. However, ensure that your dog’s teeth are able to chew frozen foods.
If you prefer chewy treats, then a favorite trick from our experts is to use a dehydrator to make a watermelon chewy and essentially create watermelon jerky.
Health Precautions
Feeding your dog with too much watermelon can be harmful. As confirmed by the American Kennel Club, Make sure that watermelon or any other treats do not make up more than 10 percent of your dog’s daily diet intake as one cup of diced watermelon contains 45.6 calories [1], irrespective of the size of your dog.
A dog’s diet should contain all the necessary nutrients for its health. However, if you want to give your dog frozen watermelon treats or any other human food, our team of experts suggest that you consult with your vet to ensure that the new food won’t affect your dog’s digestive tract negatively.
FAQ
How much watermelon can a dog eat?
A dog can eat a cup of diced watermelon with the seeds and rind removed. Swallowing too many seeds can cause an intestinal blockage and the rind may cause gastrointestinal upset.
Can watermelon make a dog sick?
Natural or plain watermelon does not make a dog sick. However, dog treats that are artificially watermelon-flavored may contain substances that can make your dog sick.
Can watermelon give a dog diarrhea?
Yes, watermelons can give a dog diarrhea and gastrointestinal distress if you feed them with the rinds. It can also trigger vomiting. Carefully dice the watermelon and remove the seeds before you give your dogs watermelon.
Conclusion
Can dogs eat watermelon? The short answer is yes. Watermelon can be good for a dog’s health. You can share a few bites of watermelon with your dog the next time you take your dog along to a picnic, as long as you have removed the rind and all the seeds.
