CAN DOGS EAT ALMONDS?

It is a popular belief that consuming a few soaked almonds every morning is good for our mental health as it sharpens the brain. The overall correctness of the previous statement is not one hundred percent verified by hard evidence, but it is a well-known fact that almonds do provide various health benefits to a human body like reduced blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels et cetera.

 So, what makes almonds good for the human body? To answer this, we should concentrate on the nutritional components that are present inside almonds as these are the hidden elements that make these nuts beneficial for a human body.

Nutritional Elements in Almonds

As it is abundantly clear Almonds do possess a good amount of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers but, it also can be seen that they contain a large number of calories and fats too. Hence, like the first line of this article stated, it is good to consume few soaked almonds (emphasis on the word ‘few’) for the benefit of our body but having these nuts in large quantities can be harmful to the overall body.

But what about our pets and in particular our dogs? Do almonds have the same effect on our sweet friends as they have on us? What are the pros of feeding almonds to our dogs? Or are there any, and, if not, what are the bad effects of this tree nut on our cute companions? Let’s get right to the answers.

Benefits of feeding Almonds to your dogs

1. Almonds help in the production of proteins inside a canine’s body.
2. These nuts are known to replace the lost electrolytes in the dog’s body and also helps in maintaining healthy blood vessels functions.
3. Almonds promote bone development and growth in young dogs and enable better absorption of vitamins and minerals by the body.
4. Good amount of Vitamin B2 which is present inside almonds can prevent cataract problem in dogs.
5. Almonds also assist in better hair and nail growth for a doggy and keep their skin healthy and fine as well.
6. The Vitamin E present inside the almonds is known to prevent cancer and heart diseases in dogs. It can also slow down the cell damage rate in their body.
7. It is also believed that almonds hinder the stone formation inside the bladder of a dog.
8. Almonds also contain potassium that helps in the strengthening of muscles of a canine.

Risks of feeding Almonds to your dogs

1. Feeding almonds in large amounts to a dog can cause Pancreatitis, in which the dog’s pancreas cannot function properly. It can lead to heavy vomiting and loss of appetite and also causes a significant amount of pain to a dog.
2. Salted almonds are highly harmful to both human beings and dogs as well. The high amount of sodium and salt present in these types of almonds can cause water retention in dogs.
3. Almonds contain a decent amount of sodium in them. Feeding dogs excess almonds will increase the sodium concentration inside their body. And, High levels of sodium can lead to gastrointestinal and circulatory problems in dogs.
4. A few almonds are fine for the sensitive digestive system of our four-legged friends but the digestion process can become hard if these nuts are being given in ample amounts to our dogs. It can easily lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
5. Dogs are known to swallow their food rather than efficiently chewing it especially if it is something small and thus tiny food items like almonds pose a choking threat to dogs.
6. Excess intake of almonds can also cause intestinal pain, discomfort and even bloat in our dogs.

FINAL VERDICT:

The nutrients inside an almond are very good for our dogs as they can promote better growth, prevent various diseases and strengthens the overall body, but, those same nutritional elements given in large amounts can result in harming our sweet little furry friends to a great extent. These nuts can cause serious pain and discomfort to our dogs if given in excess numbers. Therefore, it is better to feed almonds in a cautious manner to our pooches and only provide these tiny treats on an occasional basis and that too in limited amounts (preferably not more than 1 or 2 almonds at a time).