CAN DOGS EAT CARROTS?

I am pretty sure that every once in a while, some dog parents might wonder whether their good boy (or girl) would like to have certain vegetables in their meals or not. There are a large number of human foods that are very good for the dogs and many of the vegetables do provide various advantages to a canine. But not all the veggies are safe and beneficial for a dog’s health, some might be highly dangerous and could cause various health hazards in a canine’s body. In this article, we’ll be discussing the effects of carrots, a very common and popular vegetable, on a dog’s health and will be finding out whether it is good or bad for them.

Carrots are a low-calorie vegetable that contains almost no fat and are also quite easily available. They provide a lot of vitamins and minerals when consumed and it is a part of the daily diet of many people all around the world. The table below indicates all the important constituents that are present inside carrots which makes them so beneficial to consume.

Nutritional Elements in a Carrot

As we can see, carrots are loaded with vitamins and essential elements and are also free from any Saturated fatty acids. So, the important question that remains is that, are these common veggies good for our dogs or not? Read further to find out.

Benefits of feeding Carrots to your dogs

1. Carrots promote healthy eye-sight in dogs. The Vitamin A which is abundantly present in a carrot helps in the betterment of the dog’s eyes.
2. If a canine is suffering from loose stools, then providing it with small amounts of carrots in its diet can help to solve this problem.
3. Carrots also encourage better dental health in canines. Feeding them to a dog can help in preventing plaque formation.
4. Like humans, some dogs like to munch between their feeding times. Carrots act as a low-calorie snack for our pooches and it can also be fed to them as treats during training exercises.
5. This root vegetable also helps in maintaining the skin and coat health of a dog.
6. It provides a boost to the immune system of our friendly canines as well.
7. Carrots are also found to be essential for the reproduction process, bone growth and cellular differentiation in dogs.

Risks of feeding Carrots to your dogs

1. Carrots should be given to our canines in shredded or sliced form because if large chunks are given, it may cause a choking problem in our dogs.
2. Also, raw carrots should be avoided as dogs have a harder time digesting them. These veggies must be first boiled in hot water, and then after cooling down, they can be fed to our dogs.
3. Carrots must not be given to any dog who might be allergic to them as it can cause itchy and inflamed skin.
4. If you are feeding carrots for the first time to a dog, then it is recommended to start a little slow. They should be first given in small concentrations and then gradually can be increased as time passes by. Feeding your dogs great quantities may upset their digestive system.

FINAL VERDICT:

Overall, Carrots are quite advantageous for our dogs as they are a very good source of Vitamin A which is useful for the dog’s eyesight, immune system, and general growth and development. But it is important for the owners to keep in mind, not to feed these low-fat veggies to their dogs in raw form or as large chunks as it can cause a number of problems inside their pooch’s body.