- Can Dogs Eat Watermelon - January 7, 2022
- Can Dogs Eat Peaches - January 7, 2022
If it was up to my dog, he’d just eat and ask questions later. Luckily, I am in charge, well, most of the time at least. Now, as a dog owner, you might have noticed that a lot of dogs just love a juicy fresh snack.
There are a lot of fruits that your dog might be interested in eating, but peaches are a very common one. While dogs are carnivorous for the most part and don’t need fruits to be healthy, some are fine for them to eat. However, others can give them stomach cramps and much worse.
Peaches are very healthy for humans and are filled with vitamin A and fiber. For dogs, they do not provide any essential vitamins or minerals. However, you can add it to the diet of your dog in very small amounts.
Giving them entire peaches won’t be a great idea, as it can get your dog’s stomach extremely upset and be quite harmful to the digestive system of your best friend.
How do I Serve Peaches to My Dog?
Before you serve peaches, you need to do a couple of things to make them as safe as possible. This isn’t just necessary for peaches, but for other kinds of fruits too. These steps are pretty useful for anything you give your dog. However, remember, if you aren’t sure if your dog can eat something, either look it up or don’t take the risk.
First, you will need to wash the peaches. A lot of our fruit has been treated with harmful pesticides that can be toxic for your dog. That is why it is extremely important that you wash your peaches very thoroughly.
If you are giving your dogs peaches from your own yard, you still need to wash them. Since your peaches are growing outside, all kinds of things could have happened to the peaches. I mean, birds need to do numbers one and two too.
Second, if you pick your own peaches, or you buy them organic at the farmer markets, the stems and leaves on the peaches might not be removed. These can also be harmful to the dog, as they too contain cyanide. So make sure they are removed.
Third, cut the peach in half, and remove the peach pit, or like some call it, the stone of the peach. This stone is a lot more harmful to your dog (and humans) than you might guess from just looking at it. The first thing that makes these peach pits so dangerous for your dog is the cyanide content in the peach pit.
That, of course, isn’t the only danger with the pit. The pit can get stuck in the throat of your dog. Even if your dog manages to swallow it, it can seriously harm the intestines of your dog or make him constipated.
Lastly, cut your peach into a couple of small pieces. I urge you not to give large pieces to your dog but to start off by giving him 2 or 3 little thin slices. This is just to see how your dog reacts to it and if it does not upset his digestive system.
Giving a Peach to Your Dog: Why Not?
So, yes, dogs can eat peaches, but should they? There are some reasons why you can give your dog this fruit and some reasons why you should not.
I am going to discuss them, but keep in mind this is not an article to convince you to (not) give peaches for your dog. This is about what is best for your dog. I don’t have any investments in the peach industry, so I am pretty objective about this subject.
Eating Peaches: Why it is Okay
Peaches have a ton of vitamins, which can be beneficial to both you and your dog. They are a very good source of vitamin A and C in particular. Next to being loaded with these, they also have a lot of minerals and are pretty low in calories. Thanks to their fiber content, they can also help you (and your dog) get a healthy amount of fiber.
Peaches are also a great source of antioxidants. These are known to be beneficial for the liver, kidneys, stomach and, are useful to ward off cancer and can give the immune system a healthy boost.
It is important to remember that you should only give fruits in moderation. They can be healthy, but just because you can give peaches to your dog does not mean you should load off a couple of pounds of leftover peaches on your buddy.
If you keep them fresh and cool and cut them off in healthy bite-size pieces, they are very good rewards for when you are doing some training or when he or she is just a good girl or boy.
Eating Peaches: Why it is not Okay
Now, there is going to be some overlap with how you prepare a peach to give to your dog. I think there is no harm done in repeating the bad things if we are talking about the health of your dog.
There are a lot of things you need to be aware of when you feed peaches to your pet. The most important thing to remember is that Peaches are a snack that is not essential for your pet in any way. So, only give it in moderation. Here are the reasons why feeding peaches to your dog is not the best idea.
Peach Pits are Dangerous
The pit is the number one risk to your dog. You should never give a whole peach to your dog; no matter how small or big your dog is, it is dangerous. There are multiple things that could go wrong with the stone.
First, your dog could choke on the stone. It is quite big and can obstruct the trachea quite easily, even if you have a big breed. Even when your dog manages to swallow it, that is not the end of your problem.
The stone can get stuck in the digestive tract of your dog. This can cause a fatal obstruction that can get your dog into a lot of problems, and it might even be fatal.
Second, the pit can do quite some damage to the insides of your dog. A peach stone has serrated edges and is abrasive, and can scratch the insides of your dog quite badly. This can cause irritation or even bleeding.
Third, peach pits are poisonous for both humans and dogs. Since the peach pit contains amygdalin, it is pretty dangerous for consumption. This chemical breaks down into cyanide. While most humans and dogs would need to eat multiple to get into serious trouble, there are exceptions to this rule.
If your dog is old or has liver problems, it might have problems filtering this cyanide out of its body effectively. This can cause a couple of risks to the dog, and even when it is not fatal, it might further complicate your dog’s health issues.
Finally, The pit of a peach isn’t called a stone for nothing. If your dog chews on it, it might hurt his jaw, and the tooth can get fractured.
Windfall Peaches Could be Fermented
Peaches that are just lying around on the ground might be quite dangerous. They can have started to ferment. This causes the sugar content in the peach to turn into ethanol – also known as alcohol – within the fruit. While one or two peaches will not be so harmful, but if you have a small or old dog, it can be a bit dangerous.
If you notice your dog is eating windfall peaches, you should bring him to the vet for a check-up. Even if you do not see any signs of toxicity from the alcohol, you never know if something else might be going on at a later stage.
You can recognize an intoxicated dog when they have a lack of coordination, are looking drowsy, or are sleeping in an unnatural way.
Windfall Peaches can Have Toxic Molds and Other Icky Things
Windfall peaches (and those on the tree, too) can start to develop mold and rot. This can be extremely dangerous for your dog. Mold often contains mycotoxins; these can be deadly for your dog.
It is important to bring your dog to the vet when he/she eats windfall peaches. These mycotoxins can cause your dog to start having muscle tremors and seizures if you do not treat your dog quickly enough.
Other Health Risks to Look out For
Unfortunately, most peaches you buy in the store still have chemical herbicides or pesticides on them. You will need to thoroughly wash the peaches to make sure your dog eats as little of them as possible. While it is pretty unlikely they can cause a toxic effect right away, why take the risk?
Allergies are pretty common for dogs. Peaches are one of those fruits that cause them for a pretty large amount of dogs. An allergic reaction could go from a little itch and teary eyes to having difficulty breathing and anaphylaxis. This is why you should always start out with very small pieces of peach.
Eating a lot of peaches might be dangerous in the long run for your dog due to the high sugar content. Fruits are high in sugar and not essential for their diet, as they are carnivores. That is why fruits and other snacks should always be given in moderation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Giving Peaches to Your Dog
Answer: A dog can eat canned peaches, but you really should not give them to your dog. Canned peaches have a lot more sugar and syrup in them. This gives your dog the same health problems as it gives humans. It can cause diabetes, abnormal blood sugar, and tooth decay.
They can also contain artificial sweeteners that might be poisonous to your dog. One of the most harmful ones is xylitol; this one is poisonous to dogs and can cause liver failure.
Answer: If your dog has swallowed a peach pit, you will need to take him to the vet right away. While peach pits contain cyanide, this is the least of your problems.
The peach pit can obstruct the airways of your dog or scrape its insides right after eating it. After just a couple of hours, your dog’s intestines can be blocked by the pit. This can become life-threatening if it is not removed on time.
Answer: Windfall peaches are pretty dangerous for your dog and should not be eaten. First, windfall peaches have been out in the wild and on the ground. This means anything and anyone can have messed with them. Animals can have defecated on them; insects could have eaten part of it, and so on.
Windfall peaches could also have been fermented. This means that the sugar content has been fermented into alcohol. Alcohol can be dangerous for your dog. It can make your dog intoxicated and give it all kinds of issues, like liver damage.
Answer: They are not bad, but I would not call them healthy. They do not contain anything your dog can not get out of his normal carnivorous diet.
Unlike humans, dogs can make different vitamins than us and have different essential vitamins they need to survive. While peaches can give them a boost in, for example, vitamin C and fiber, it is not an essential part of their diet.
Peaches should be used as a treat or a tool to help them to train and reward them.
Answer: There are a couple of fruits that are a bit safer and healthier for dogs than peaches. You can give your dog – in moderate amounts and occasionally – pears, apples, and blueberries.
However, you should always keep in mind that your dog primarily eats meat for its nutrients. Fruits are not essential, and high-quality dog food should provide all the necessary nutrients.
Conclusion: Please Only Give Peaches in Moderation
Peaches are not an essential part of the dog’s diet. They can be used as a little snack or just a training tool. If you are not careful, peaches and their pit can be very dangerous for your dog.
If you are planning on giving your dog peaches to snack on, you should always 1. Wash the peach, 2. Remove the pit 3. Cut it into small pieces that are small enough to swallow right away. 4. Watch your dog’s reaction if it is the first time giving them pieces of peach, as your dog might be allergic to them.
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