You must be wondering whether carrots are safe for your puppy or not, isn’t it? It’s quite obvious that vegetables are healthy for human beings but can dogs have carrots? Yes, of course.
Let’s cut to the chase and take a deep dive into the dilemma.
Can Dogs Eat Carrots?
First things first, undoubtedly, Carrots Are Healthy Dog Treats. Yes, you heard that right. You can feed carrots to your puppy. Carrots are a protean and crunchy vegetable.
It can be served either raw or you can also steam them, boil them for your canine. Just ensure it isn’t too hard for them to chew. Few Statistical data states that puppies not only eat carrots but also enjoy their flavour.
Most importantly, your puppy will decide whether carrots are their cup of tea or not. Before jumping to a conclusion, let your puppy decide whether they would like you to include carrots in their diet or not.
Benefits Of Carrots For Dogs-
If you dig deeper, you will get endless benefits from having carrots in your puppy’s snack. Eating carrots can help your doggy in several ways. We have listed some benefits of feeding carrots to your doggy.
Let’s take a look at the Reasons To Include Carrots In Your Dog’s Diet–
- Carrots are rich in vitamin A
Vitamin A is good for health. It compensates for several nutritional needs in our body. Including vitamin A in your doggy’s diet can be a brilliant idea. It will not only provide nutritional support but also boost up their immune system. Never try to overfeed your dog.
Being a water-soluble vitamin, it starts to store in the body after a certain point of time. Overfeeding as well as overeating might lead to toxicity and can be a cause behind several health issues.
- Carrots are rich in β-carotene
Haven’t you heard in your childhood that carrots are good for eyesight? The same goes for your doggy too. It improves eyesight because of one of its important contents: β-carotene.
- Carrots are a low calorie, low-fat food
Each serving (a baby carrot) carries only 4 calories. If your puppy loves to eat sweets, then carrots can be one of the best choices to fulfil their cravings. It’s also a low-fat food. Let me tell you, low calorie and low fat is a great combination.
- Carrots improve bowel regularity
If your puppy has loose stools then the wise choice is to feed them some fibre rich foods. Carrots can improve your puppy’s bowel movement. It helps to increase the bulk of the pop due to its high fibre contents.
But, stick to the recommended amount only, overfeeding can lead to diarrhea. Try to feed raw carrots to treat loose stools. Because cooked carrots sometimes lead to constipation.
- It’s good for teeth
You must have heard that dogs are a part of the canine family and they have sharp pointed teeth. Is it not important to take care of their dental health? All you have to do is feed your puppy with carrots because it’s beneficial for their teeth. Carrots take care of teeth.
How Do You Cook Carrots For Dogs?
The very next question that might pop up in your mind is ‘’how to feed carrots to dogs? ’Through your puppy’s mouth, obviously.
Jokes apart, well, there are several ways to cook carrots. Let’s check out some carrot recipes for dogs–
- You can grate a carrot into pieces and feed it to your puppy. Otherwise, you can go for so many alternatives
- For your baby pup, you can simply steam it before feeding. Place the sliced carrots over the boiling water and wait for a few minutes. Steaming enhances the flavour
- You can also feed your puppy boiled carrots. Make sure to mash it after boiling
- Feeding carrot juice is also a good idea. Although, the fibre contents drop down while making juice but the mineral and vitamin contents remain the same.
- For teething puppies, you can freeze the carrot overnight before feeding. Frozen carrot may decrease their discomfort of chewing.
- Peeled skin is also nutritious. You can boil and blend it into a smooth carrot puree.
- Baked carrot is a quick recipe.
- You can add flavours to your puppy’s taste buds by feeding them carrot sticks and chips.
Now, you might come up with two questions- can a dog have raw carrots and can a dog have cooked carrots.
To be honest, both can be healthy options. Raw and cooked carrots almost add equal nutrition to your puppy’s diet. If you have a grown-up doggy then you can feed raw carrots to them. It’s easy for them to digest raw carrots.
Quite a few times, your puppy might like to eat raw carrots. In that case, you can cut it into pieces or slice them. If your puppy doesn’t like raw carrots, you can boil and mash them.
Boiling does not alter the nutritional value much. It brings some minimal changes only. So, you need not worry about that. In the case of carrot juice, the vitamin and mineral quantity remains the same but while squeezing and blending carrot might eliminate the fibres in it. Frozen carrots provide the same nutrients as raw carrots.
How Many Carrots Can I Give My Dog?
As stated earlier, carrots are low-calorie food. Each serving (a baby carrot) carries around 4 calories. If your puppy is diabetic, try not to feed more than one carrot a day. Otherwise, you can feed around 2 carrots a day. The serving size might differ from puppy to puppy.
You should consider your puppy’s age and size beforehand. If you still struggle to jump on a decision, then it’s better to consult your puppy’s vet.
Are Carrots Hard For Dogs To Digest?
Generally, it’s not difficult for your puppy to digest carrots. Make sure to cut them into the right pieces, otherwise, they may choke in their esophagus.
Sometimes, puppies find it difficult to digest raw carrots. You can conclude this by inspecting their stool. Hard undigested chunks in their stool is an indication of indigestion.
Long story short, your puppy is unable to digest raw carrots. In that case, you have to look for an alternative. Consult a vet before jumping to a conclusion.
Can Carrots Give Dogs Diarrhea?
Carrot is undoubtedly good for your pup’s health but carrots can give dogs diarrhea as it’s rich in fibre. Feeding carrots to your puppy sounds healthy unless you start to overfeed. Overeating is not a healthy choice. It gives rise to so many problems over time.
Eating the right amount of carrots is not alarming but overfeeding can let your puppy suffer from diarrhea as well as vomiting. Consult a vet to know the amount of carrots that you should feed to your puppy. Stick to that recommended amount whenever you feed your pup.
Do Carrots Clean Dogs Teeth?
A big yes! Carrots can clean your puppy’s teeth. Chewing raw carrots help to clean teeth as well as gums. It helps to take out the residual food particles as well as remove the plaque.
Is It OK To Give Your Dog Carrots Every Day?
It’s completely okay to feed carrots to your puppy regularly. All you have to do is to stick to a fixed amount. Try to feed the recommended amount only.
Also Read: Is It Safe For The Dogs To Have Nuts?