If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “How much pumpkin is ok for dogs?” then you’re not alone. Canned pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie filling, and fresh pumpkin are all items that are commonly found around a house, but can a dog eat any of this food?
If you’re interested in knowing about pumpkin-related foods that can be incorporated into a dog’s diet, then continue reading to find all of the answers that you seek!
How Much Pumpkin Can I Feed My Dog?
We will soon discuss the types of pumpkin products that are acceptable for dogs, but first, let’s go over the topic that many of you are interested in reading about. How much pumpkin is acceptable for dogs?
Some pumpkin products provide a wide array of health benefits for your dog. As a result, you may think that it is ok to feed your dog as much pumpkin as they desire. While your dog may be thrilled with this idea initially, feeding too much pumpkin could make a dog sick later.
So what gives? If you can feed pumpkin to a dog safely then why would dogs get sick? Well, the thing to remember about pumpkin is that it is a healthy snack-not meal. Though pumpkin is beneficial for a dog, it should not be an entire meal for your dog.
Feeding pumpkin to your dog in moderation is key. If canned pumpkin added to a homemade meal makes your dog happy, then by all means-make pumpkin a component of your dog’s meal. However, if your dog’s diarrhea suggests that they’re eating a bit too much pumpkin, it’s time to pump the brakes on the pumpkin consumption.
Can I Feed Pumpkin To My Dog Every Day?
Some owners may want to know if pumpkin can be fed to dogs on a daily basis. Feeding a little pumpkin to your dog every day is unlikely to be detrimental to the health of your furry friend. In fact, a small amount of pumpkin in a dog’s daily meals could support many health benefits.
However, if a dog’s digestion does not seem to be responding well to the plain pumpkin that an owner offers to their dog, then pet parents may want to cut back on the amount of pumpkin that is offered to a dog.
What Pumpkin Products Can A Dog Eat?
Before you feed pumpkin to your dog, you will first want to know if your dog will enjoy pumpkin or get an upset stomach from eating this food.
A dog’s digestive system is capable of processing some pumpkin products, though certain foods derived from pumpkins are bad for the digestive health of a dog. Here are some of the pumpkin products that are ok for dogs:
Canned Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin is the type of pumpkin that is most commonly fed to a dog. This product is usually a type of pumpkin pulp that has had the seeds and skin removed, leaving only the flesh of the fruit.
A pumpkin puree such as canned pumpkin is optimal for dogs, as the food requires minimal chewing on a dog’s part. Another benefit of pureed pumpkin is that the food is quite versatile. Owners can readily incorporate canned pumpkin into homemade dog food, or they can freeze this food in an ice cube tray and give their pup a chilly, nutritious treat on a hot day.
Raw Pumpkin
Raw Pumpkin contains most of the same nutrients as freshly baked pumpkin, but this fruit may be even more nutritious than plain canned pumpkin because not all nutrients are retained during the baking process.
Neither humans nor dogs frequently consume pumpkin that is not cooked beforehand, but feeding a dog fresh pumpkin that is not yet cooked is perfectly acceptable.
While feeding pumpkin in this state to a dog does not pose a risk to their health, dogs may have a hard time chewing raw pumpkin and swallowing it safely. Larger dogs may not have a problem with chewing raw pumpkin, but small dogs may be at risk of choking on pumpkin that is not softened by the cooking process.
Pumpkin Seeds
Can a dog eat pumpkin seeds? Some owners will be hesitant to feed their precious pooches this part of a pumpkin, but dogs are fully capable of eating pumpkin seeds.
Dogs can consume either raw or roasted pumpkin seeds within their diet, but owners should supervise their furry friends when they are consuming pumpkin seeds.
Dogs do not have teeth that are designed to flatten and crush foods as humans do. Instead, dogs have sharp canine dog teeth that have evolved to accommodate their diets that historically were focused largely on meat. Therefore, dogs may have a hard time processing pumpkin seeds before swallowing them.
Small dogs, in particular, may struggle to eat pumpkin seeds. Rather than feeding whole seeds to a dog, it may be best to roast pumpkin seeds and pulverize them prior to feeding a dog pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin Topper
If owners are interested in giving their dogs all of the benefits of pumpkin without worrying about them eating too much pumpkin product, then a pumpkin topper could be a good option.
Pumpkin toppers can simply be incorporated into a dog’s normal food, as they are often a powder-like substance that can be easily added to food.
Benefits Of Pumpkin For Dogs
You’ve now read about the benefits of pumpkins several times, so you may be wondering about the exact benefits that pumpkin products can offer to dogs. Here is a list of some notable benefits that dogs can experience when they consume pumpkin:
- Vitamin E
- Promotes healthy skin
- Soluble fiber
- Beta-carotene
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Magnesium
As you can see, there are many benefits for dogs associated with the consumption of pumpkin products.
Additionally, different pumpkin products offer different benefits. For instance, cooked pumpkin is rich in vitamin E, soluble fiber, and beta-carotene, while pumpkin seeds have zinc, copper, and magnesium.
The fiber contained within pumpkins is beneficial for a dog’s digestive tract, while the assortment of vitamins within pumpkin help to improve skin health.
Is Pumpkin Good For Constipated Dogs?
You may have heard someone mention that pumpkin is good for constipated dogs. You may think that this statement sounds too silly to be true, but is there any sincerity to this assertion?
It turns out that pumpkin is good for constipated dogs! Pure canned pumpkin is good for dogs with mild constipation because it contains a fair amount of fiber. The fiber within the pumpkin aids a dog’s digestive system and allows stool to pass through more readily.
Therefore, if your dog seems to be having a difficult time with going to the bathroom, try offering them a small amount of pumpkin.
Is Pumpkin Good For Dogs With Diarrhea?
Given that pumpkin is good for dogs with mild constipation, you may assume that pumpkin will also be good for dogs with diarrhea. It is sensible to believe this, but it turns out that this notion is wrong.
If you feed your dog pumpkin and you notice that it has dog diarrhea, this could very well be a result of the pumpkin within a dog’s diet.
We’ve already mentioned that pumpkin contains lots of fiber, but pumpkin pulp also contains a bit of water. These components in pumpkin are enough to induce diarrhea if a dog consumes too much pumpkin.
Therefore, if you notice that your dog is having diarrhea after eating pumpkin puree, you may want to cut back on the pumpkin and see if the dog’s stools become normal once again.
What Pumpkin Products Are Bad For Dogs?
Before feeding a dog any food product that has “pumpkin” in the name, you should know that there are some pumpkin products that are not necessarily good for your pooch. Let’s take a look:
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Can dogs eat pumpkin pie filling? This is a popular question that pet parents wonder about during the fall season and holidays such as Thanksgiving when pumpkin pie is abundant.
During instances in which dog owners have a little bit of leftover canned pumpkin pie filling, they may want to give a little taste to their dog. Is this filling an acceptable treat for dogs?
While there is nothing in pumpkin pie filling that is inherently dangerous for dogs, these fillings are often loaded with sugar and preservatives that are not good for a dog’s health.
Your dog will be okay if it accidentally eats a small amount of pie filling made from pumpkins, but owners should not intentionally feed their dogs this food.
Human foods like pumpkin pie filling are created for human consumption, so they should not be incorporated into a dog’s food.
Pumpkin Bars
Just as dogs should not eat pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars are another sugary dessert that should not be consumed by your canine companion.
Though pumpkin bars are delicious for humans, all of the sugar in the frosting and pumpkin is bad for a dog. Pet parents should follow the guidelines that no pumpkin dessert should be consumed by a dog.
Pumpkin Whipped Cream
Pumpkin-flavored whipped cream is a popular topping for desserts and drinks in the fall, but should dogs consume this product?
Pumpkin whipped cream is another product that is not healthy for dogs. Though a little spray of this whipped topping won’t hurt a dog, the substantial amounts of sugar contained in pumpkin whipped cream means that it is not a great choice for dogs.
Though pumpkin whipped cream could be given occasionally to dogs, it is best to simply avoid giving a dog this product and instead choose to give them other pumpkin snacks such as healthy pumpkin dog treats.
Pumpkin Treats For Dogs
If you’re not sure you’re ready to commit to pumpkin being a regular part of your dog’s food, perhaps you can try giving your dog pumpkin treats. Dog treats made from pumpkin can be both nutritious and tasty for your furry friend.
A quick internet search will reveal a wide array of pumpkin dog treats featuring pumpkin as one of the main ingredients. It turns out that pumpkin is among the most popular whole, non-meat ingredients that can go into a dog treat thanks to the health benefits, good taste, and versatility of pumpkins.
In most cases, dogs eat pumpkin treats only occasionally. Therefore, owners should be sure that they limit the number of treats made from pumpkins that dogs consume. Failure to do so may result in an overweight pooch.
If you can find a pumpkin pie filling without any sugar, this would essentially be the same as canned pumpkin puree. This product would not be as detrimental to dogs as pumpkin pie filling, but owners should still be sure to verify that the preservatives within pureed pumpkin are acceptable for their furry friend.
What Type Of Pumpkins Can Dogs Eat?
Anyone familiar with pumpkins will know that dozens of different pumpkin varieties exist. Considering this, which pumpkin types are good for dogs and which are not?
Good advice to follow when considering the types of pumpkin that dogs can and cannot eat is that dogs can eat any type of pumpkin that humans can consume.
Dogs eat a few different types of pumpkin that are widely used for human consumption, but there are many additional types of pumpkin that are inedible for human and dog consumption.
Inedible pumpkin types are not dangerous to consume, but they are unpalatable and possess a bad texture and flavor. Perhaps your dog would enjoy gnawing on a pumpkin used for decoration purposes, but it is best to simply keep dogs away from pumpkins that are not edible.
Therefore, pet parents should seek to make sure that a pumpkin variety is okay for human consumption before feeding it to their dog.
How To Safely Feed Your Dog Pumpkin
If you’re interested in introducing your dog to pumpkins and curious about how to safely feed pumpkin to your pooch, there are a few guidelines that you can follow.
As long as you’re feeding a dog pumpkin products that are safe for dog consumption, you can safely feed pumpkin to your dog no matter what you do. However, an owner may want to start by offering their dog a small amount of pumpkin before they give an entire serving of pumpkin to their dog.
Beginning with a minimal amount of pumpkin will ensure several things. First, it will ensure that a dog enjoys eating pumpkin products.
If they like the pumpkin product, then it will be wise to wait for a short amount of time before offering them additional pumpkin products. Doing this will ensure the pumpkin agrees with a dog’s stomach and does not offer them any digestive troubles.
Another important thing to consider when feeding your dog pumpkin is that you’ll need to be cautious of the pumpkin seeds. Leaving the pumpkin seeds in a pumpkin mixture fed to a dog can pose a choking hazard.
Small dogs are especially prone to choking on pumpkin seeds. If you wish to feed these seeds to your pooch, try crushing them up before giving them to your precious pooch.
What If My Dog Eats Too Much Pumpkin?
An owner will easily be able to tell if a dog eats too much pumpkin. Dogs that eat too much pumpkin may act nauseous or simply act a bit differently than typical.
One common occurrence for dogs that eat too much pumpkin is digestive troubles and diarrhea. Checking your dog’s stools after they have potentially eaten too much pumpkin is a good way to tell if they’ve overindulged.
In other instances, dogs that eat too much pumpkin may puke if they’ve consumed too much of this fruit.
As with most food items that can be given to dogs as treats, moderation is key. Dogs will not know when to stop eating a food, so it is up to owners to cut them off before an accident takes place.
Therefore, provide your pooch with sparring amounts of pumpkin to prevent an undesirable reaction from your dog.