Lemons are fruit that belongs to the family of citrus fruits. His main characteristic is his yellow peal, and strong sour taste. There are a lot of videos that you can find online in which dogs eat lemons, and react to it. Although it might seem funny and amusing, in reality giving your dog citrus fruit is not a good idea.
So even though your pet friend seems to be interested in lemons, it is best to keep him away from them. But, as well as it has it’s bad side, lemons can sometimes be used for a good purpose.
So, the real answer to the question, can dogs eat lemons, you will find in the rest of the article. Alternatively, you can also read our article on feeding pork to your dogs.
Down side to lemons
Some foods can be poisonous to our furry friends. In that category we can also include lemons and other citrus fruits. Lemons, or their peal, seeds and pith can irritate our dogs digestive system, especially if they consume it in large amounts. Citrus fruits peal can contain toxic compounds that can be even fatal for our puppies.
Toxic compounds that can be found in lemons and other citrus fruits are called psoralen and also aromatic oils. These ingredients can cause diarrhea, throwing up, depression and sensitivity. It can also cause rash on your dogs skin, and trembling. There are many others you can give dogs though, including soybeans.
Bright side
Lemon and lemon juice, taken in small amounts are not poisonous. So if your dog happens to eat some lemon, or other citrus fruit you shouldn’t be too worried. Unless of course he shows any signs of sickness or if you notice something is wrong. In that case you should call your veterinarian.
There are a lot of videos in which we can see dogs eating lemons, or reacting to their taste, so that in some way proves that some serious and fatal cases are rare. If of course you are worried that something might happen to him, than check with your vet.
Other bright side is also using lemon juice on your dog, when he has fleas. You can mix lemon juice with water and apply it on your dogs body to get rid of these nasty pests.
Training tehnique
If your dog has been missbehaving or barking a lot, there is a tehnique which you can use to tame him a little bit. Every time when he is barking or not behaving properly, give him a little bit of lemon juice, as a reminder when he does something wrong. This way he will remember that gesture, and won’t repeat it. This training tehnique is used by a lot of trainers, when they get a hold of a dog that is not trained.
You can also spray lemon juice, or water and lemon juice on your furniture and things to keep your dog away from them. You can make this spray by using 2 cups of lemon peal and 4 cups of boiled water, and leave it to cool down. It will definetely help with calming your pet from biting around the house or barking.
Home remedies
Other bright side is also using lemon juice on your dog, when he has fleas. You can mix lemon juice with water and apply it on your dogs body to get rid of these nasty pests. This is one of the best natural products that you can use for fleas. Fleas mosty attack dogs in the spring, so you can try this remedy to help him.
Other alternative is lemon oil, and both of these natural cures are better than using flea-collars or other harmful supstances which can hurt your friend over long period of time. Lemon juice is also used to cure bad breath in canines, known as canine-halithosis. Just put a little bit of lemon juice in your dogs water, and this will be enough. Don’t put too much lemon, because in that case, he won’t drink the water and you don’t want that to happen. Lemon can also be used as a tear strain solution. You can put a little bit of lemon juice in water and clean your dog’s tear strains.
However, this hasn’t been approved by the vets, since sometimes lemon can be acidic for dogs skin. So, for this advice check in with your vet.
In the end lemon, as a citrus fruit, can sometimes be a treat to your furry friend. You certanly don’t want it’s peel or seeds to get in your dogs digestive system, since it can be dangerous. As I said earlier, they can have toxic effect on your pet. With all the home remedies, always check in with your vet to be sure, before you do something you can regret.
Don’t be fooled by all the videos you can find on the internet, where it seems like dogs are ok with eating lemons. Even though, they seem okay, you never know what can be the final outcome. It is best to give your canine pet things that you that are safe for him, and foods that his digestive system can process without being harmed in the end. And for all those who have filmed their pets eating lemons, just see his reaction to this fruit, and take it as a clear sign that they DON’T like them, and spare them this harsh treatment, and find another safer way to enjoy your pets funny reactions.
Learn more about your pooches’ preferred food and read about feeding dogs with eggs here.
