Can dogs eat carrots? Carrot is a food that we are used to seeing in the diet of rabbits, and even in ours. However, they are increasingly present in dog food ingredients. But can dogs eat carrots? It is a question that you have surely asked yourself on more than one occasion.
From a COMO we want to talk about carrots as an ingredient in your dog’s diet because they CAN consume them. We will tell you all the properties and benefits of this food, as well as how and when you can feed your dog with them, with delicious and healthy carrots.
Index
- Can dogs eat carrots? – Yes
- The carrot for dogs: properties and benefits
- How to give carrots to dogs
- Recipes with a carrot for dogs – ideas
- Can a puppy be given carrot?
- When not to give carrots to dogs
Can dogs eat carrots? – Yes
As we have said, dogs CAN eat carrots. Like all vegetables and vegetables, these are food with excellent nutritional quality. A large amount of nutrients they provide to the body makes them very beneficial for us and, in adequate amounts, also for dogs, which are omnivorous opportunists and can assimilate certain vegetables.
For example, one of the virtues that this food has is that it has rapid assimilation in your dog’s digestive system. This ease of digestion is due to a large amount of amylopectin, a substance that is present in carrot starch.
In addition, a carrot for your dog can be a delicious natural snack that also cleans and protects your teeth. And since it has a very low-calorie intake due to the low fat intake, it is ideal for your hairy not to gain weight.
These are some of the benefits that carrots bring to dogs, but there is more. However, before mentioning them all, we want to show you what is the nutritional composition of carrots, so that you better understand where the properties that make them so beneficial come from.
Carrot Nutrients
Let’s see all the nutrients that makeup 100 g of carrot:
- 90% of the weight of a carrot is water, more specifically for every 100 of this vegetable there is 88.30 g of water.
- They provide a large amount of fiber to the body, specifically 2.8 g of fibers per 100 g of this food.
- As we mentioned before, carrots barely add calories. Specifically, the contribution is 40 kilocalories. These calories are obtained, mainly, from the carbohydrates that it provides, since its contribution of fats (0.25 g) in the form of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and proteins (0.93 g) is somewhat lower, with carbohydrates (or sugars) being the highest caloric intake (9.58 g).
- Calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc are the most abundant minerals found in these vegetables, the most abundant being potassium (320 mg).
- They are also known for all the vitamins they provide to the body: vitamin A, vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B3, B6, B9), vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
The carrot for dogs: properties and benefits
You have already seen the number of nutrients that carrots provide. And they are full of properties that benefit the health of your furry friend,
how not to include this delicious vegetable in your diet? These are the main properties and benefits of carrots for dogs :
It promotes hydration
Its consumption favors the hydration of the cells and this translates into better functioning of the organism in general.
Apart from the fact that a water can drink water directly,
it is necessary that the food provides natural moisture, which facilitates digestion and that the water is better distributed among the cells when it is acquired more space in more adequate quantities,
instead of just receive a large amount each time the animal drinks water,
which can lead to saturation and consequent waste of water. Therefore, we always recommend not only giving animals the feed but combining natural or homemade food with these compounds in their usual diet, although not mixing them in the same food or digestion.
A good source of energy
The carbohydrates that this vegetable contains are a great source of fast energy for the can. Therefore,
it is a good option to include in diets for dogs that exercise a lot, but never to replace animal protein.
On the other hand, they may be less beneficial for dogs that do not exercise, those that are more homemade or that due to health problems cannot run and jump so much.
Thus, it is a very beneficial source of energy because the body can spend it quickly, as long as there is a need for such energy expenditure, otherwise, it will accumulate increasing the weight.
Prevents and eliminates dental tartar
Biting raw carrots cleans the teeth, removing excess dental plaque and soft tartar about to become plaques of hard tartar, which can only be removed with oral hygiene. Therefore, giving this raw food will help prevent tartar and eliminate the one that has accumulated before. In addition, the chewing action, along with vitamins, also helps strengthen the gums.
Ideal for dogs with diarrhea and digestive problems
It is a perfect ingredient for soft or soft diets if boiled is included. Thanks to a large amount of fiber they provide to the body, carrots help in the intestinal transit and facilitate digestion.
Therefore, they are suitable to be part of the feeding of sick dogs with diarrhea or digestive conditions. Anyway, this is something generic, so in each case, depending on the condition and condition, the veterinarian may indicate if this type of soft diet is appropriate or if another is better.
Improves defenses, eyesight, and skin
The beta-carotenes contained in this vegetable are transformed into vitamin A when digested by the can, improving the immune system and fighting the oxidation of cells, that is, they are immuno-stimulants and antioxidants.
This favors, especially, eye health, fur, and skin. All this makes eyesight better, does not suffer from overexertion and helps prevent cataracts and other diseases by degeneration of the ocular system.
It also improves the structure of the skin and hair, slowing the aging of these cells, in addition to helping the sun harm the skinless when it is exposed in excess. Therefore, it is especially good to give carrots to dogs of hairless breeds or who have little for any condition.
Ideal for overweight and obese dogs
A carrot is an ideal food for dogs that have a few extra pounds, as long as they are given as a prize, other than the basis of their food. It entertains them at the same time that it doesn’t put on anything, because it has few calories and this is always better than giving them any snack that can contain a lot of fat.
In addition, by giving it as a snack or prize, it helps control your desire to eat at all times or because of anxiety, as many dogs can eat a lot at one time or spend the day eating, with hardly any control, and also usually happens in obese dogs or overweight.
You will notice that it is easier for you to lose weight if you include carrots as part of your balanced diet, which must have been prescribed by a veterinarian. Of course, for these dogs it is vital to start moving more slowly, to increase the exercise and lose weight.
It helps regulate cholesterol and triglycerides
Thanks to the large amount of fiber they provide, they help reduce triglycerides in your dog’s blood. In short, it helps reduce cholesterol levels.
It is rare in dogs, but some such as miniature schnauzer has more propensity.
It helps reduce anxiety
The fact of having to chew a raw carrot helps to spend accumulated energy favoring relaxation and, in this way, the levels of anxiety, nervousness or stress that the dog can have accumulated are reduced.
If you detect that your hairy has this problem, this vegetable can help you relax a bit at certain times,
but it is vital that you put yourself in the hands of veterinarians and ethologists to solve it.
How to give carrots to dogs
Dogs can eat raw and cooked carrots, boiled in water or baked in the oven. However,
it is always better for dogs to eat cooked carrots because in this way their digestion is easier and they better assimilate the starch it contains.
From a COMO we advise you to try to give a small amount of this vegetable to your furry friend and watch how he reacts. If you like both Kurdish and cooked, then you can combine both forms, since both have their advantages.
If your dog tolerates the digestion of a raw carrot well, you will be helping him clean his teeth as well as favoring the reduction of his anxiety levels and providing some entertainment.
Also, remember to always clean it, remove the part of the stem and remove the skin before boiling it and give it to the dog, as if you were going to eat it.
We do not recommend giving it sofrito, or in very elaborate stews with a variety of spices (especially if any is spicy), because this type of dishes could sit badly and cause diarrhea.
It is not convenient to mix this vegetable with the feed or the wet food with which you feed your dog, since the times of digestion are different, especially with the feed or croquetas. However, if you want to include carrots in your diet in a healthy way,
mix them with other natural foods to prepare homemade food for your dog.
Anyway, we advise you to be your veterinarian who tells you the amount and frequency with which you can give carrots to your dog because each case can be different, although a high and daily dose will never be appropriate.
Recipes with a carrot for dogs – ideas
Some of the best recipes with a carrot for dogs that you can offer your furry without problems, as long as you adjust the ingredients of the rest of the dish to your real needs, are the following:
- Carrot cookies for dogs.
- Rice with chicken and carrot.
- Beef stew with a carrot.
- Cupcakes, muffins or carrot cakes for dogs.
- Baked dried carrot snacks.
We even recommend that you give the whole frozen carrot in summer, so that it refreshes while entertaining you in licking and nibbling it slowly.
Remember that it is about cooking in a way very similar to when we do it for us, avoiding the fried ones, very heavy stews or spiced with a lot of spice, without adding salt or sugars, as well as following the veterinarian’s guidelines in each case.
In this video, you will see an example of how to make cookies for apple and carrot dogs.
Can a puppy be given carrot?
Yes, you can give a carrot to your puppy and we advise you to do it. The carbohydrates and calcium that are present in this food will help the development and growth of the can.
Of course, you must give it chopped and cooked. In this case, it is not good for raw coma to eat regularly because, because your teeth are forming and your digestive system continues to form and prepare to digest more variety of foods, your teeth and gums may hurt, as well as having more ease to accumulate gases. So, facilitate the way to eat these beneficial vegetables to your puppy by giving them cooked.
When not to give carrots to dogs
Most veterinarians specializing in canine nutrition claim that carrots are good for dogs in the form of snacks or as prizes,
but never as a regular food or as a basis for their diet. Despite all the good we have seen so far, carrots also have contraindications and some effects to take into account if we give them in excessive quantities.
Contraindications of carrots for dogs
- Dogs with diabetes can eat carrots in low amounts, always controlling the amounts of glucose to also know which dose of insulin is appropriate.
- Dogs with digestive problems, especially if they are chronic, should eat this vegetable always cooked, since raw is contraindicated because it requires more work from the digestive system for its decomposition and absorption.
- They run the risk of causing inflammation in the dog’s intestine. High consumption of carrots can lead to difficulties in correctly processing all its components and the consequence is intestinal inflammation and diarrhea.
Negative effects of excess carrots
- Secondary diabetes.
- Overweight and obesity.
- Heavy digestions and gases, especially if they are given these raw vegetables.
- Hypervitaminosis, which can lead to symptoms such as weakening of the muscles with muscle tremors, vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive drooling, polydipsia (drink more water), polyuria (urinate more times), mane or feces with dark blood, and so on.
However, these health problems usually occur for other reasons or, if the unbalanced diet that includes too many carrots and other vegetables,
and too little meat, has something to do with a specific case of these diseases, it will be because they have also occurred other factors, such as sedentary lifestyle.
From a COMO we advise you to give carrots to your dog, but in moderation. Like most foods, these vegetables are very beneficial, but excesses are always bad. Always consult your veterinarian before venturing to give your pet something different.
