When it comes to a dog’s health, dogs and fruits have a love-hate relationship. Some fruits are good for dogs while some fruits aren’t. There are also fruits that your dog can consume in plenty and some fruits should be fed moderately.
So talking about fruits have you ever thought can dogs eat guava? Guavas fall under the ‘exotic fruit’ category. This article is dedicated to guavas and dogs that crave to eat them.
Exotic fruits certainly have a boon to be filled with necessary vitamins and minerals. No matter how beneficial exotic fruits are you should always check if they are safe for your dog to have.
Have you been thinking to add guavas to your dog’s diet but you were not so sure if you can? In this article we will clear all the air about “can dogs eat guava” and their edibility for dogs.
So let’s dive right in and find out if dogs can eat guava.
Table of Contents
Can Dogs Eat Guava?
Well, yes absolutely. Guavas are completely safe and dogs can eat guavas. However, like all other fruits even guavas should be fed to dogs in moderation. The exotic guava is a nutrient packed fruit.
Plenty of carbohydrates and natural sugars present in guavas make it more beneficial for dogs. Guavas help in balancing the nutritious diet of dogs by providing low fats and carbohydrates.
But before starting to feed guava to dogs you should do a thorough research about guavas. Like many other questions dog owners bombard their veterinarians with can dogs eat guava is very common in the list.
If you like treating your dog every now and then you can feed them guavas as a fruit treat. However, it is advised to feed guavas in moderation to dogs. A small chunk of the exotic fruit should be enough for your dog.
A single piece of guava also contains enough vitamins and minerals to help dogs get the additional dose of nutrients. Filled with beneficial vitamins and minerals dogs a guava should be fed to dogs only once in a week.
Why Guavas are good for Dogs?
Now that you have the answer to can dogs eat guava? Let us tell you why guavas are good for dogs. This wonder fruit will not harm your dog when given in moderation.
Guavas belong to a plant family called the ‘Myrtle’ and myrtles are usually not harmful for dogs. Any fruit treat or other treats works great for your furry companion in little proportions.
If you own a large dog, you can feed him/her some more pieces of guava than regular. But for small dogs you should watch the quantity and feed them guava in moderation. Small dogs are prone to developing gastrointestinal problems.
No matter the size of the dog avoid feeding the seeds of guava to dogs. Some seeds eaten by mistake should not cause any severe trouble. But many seeds can be dangerous and cause severe digestive problems in dogs.
Remove the skin and seed before feeding guava to dogs. Give only the good and ripe part of the guava, in small amounts. Though guavas are good for dogs you can’t feed guavas to dog like food. Small fruit treats are always enough for dogs.
All dogs are not the same and their bodies might react differently when consuming guavas. If your dog is vomiting, having cramps or diarrhea, you should stop feeding guavas to your dog.
Guava is surely safe and edible for dogs if only fed in moderation. Below is an in-depth view of the benefits of guavas for dogs.
Benefits of Guavas for Dogs
Guava is an all-rounder when it comes to health benefits of fruits. It is good for both humans and animals. Filled with nutrients this fruit is also a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.
Considered as a super-food, guava has all the health benefits suitable for a dog’s well-being. Here is a list of all the important nutrients stocked in a guava.
1. Vitamins A and K
Guava is loaded with vitamins and vitamin A and K are one of those. The fat-soluble vitamin A improves the cell and immune function in a dog’s body. Vitamin K helps in maintaining the bone health and manages the formation of blood clots.
Both vitamin A and K are important for maintaining good metabolism in dogs. Dogs that suffer from a vitamin A deficiency can benefit a lot by having guavas in a prescribed limit.
Further Vitamin A helps dogs to have a normal functioning reproductive system and process.
2. B-vitamins
B-vitamins are essential for maintaining proper balance and produce neurotransmitters in the brain of dogs. It is called the “neurochemical synthesis”. Guava provides appropriate amounts of B-vitamins to help promote the process of the neurochemical synthesis in dogs.
3. Vitamin C
Evidently, the most important nutrient is the Vitamin C. This vitamin is an immune booster for dogs. Vitamin C consumption is doctor recommended for pregnant or lactating dogs.
Dogs are capable of producing vitamin C on their own. External addition of this vitamin is also a good option for a sick dog or dogs that cannot produce vitamin C on their own.
Vitamin C fights all the harmful elements that enter a dog’s body and acts like an antioxidant against them. It also helps in strengthening all the body functions in dogs.
If your dog recently has had a surgery and is on a lot of medication or vaccination, feeding them a little guava can help. Guava has Vitamin C that helps dogs in dealing with post-operation stress.
Dogs having a kennel cough, bacterial infection or abscesses can benefit a lot from vitamin C. This vitamin has also worked wonders for reversing spinal disorders or hip dysplasia.
Apart from guavas, oranges are also rich sources of vitamin C you can read our article Can dogs eat oranges?
4. Iron
Dogs need a proper and balanced diet to get all the important nutrients. Adding guavas to your dog’s diet will also add the properties of iron in their body.
Dogs need proper amounts of all nutrients and iron helps with the formation of hemoglobin and the red blood cells in dogs. Giving your dog guava will benefit the dog with iron and further help hemoglobin to carry the nutrients and oxygen in the body.
5. Fiber
Fiber helps to promote a good digestive system in dogs. Guavas have fiber and are also a very rich source of it.
Dogs don’t necessarily need external dose of fiber but the amount of fiber present in guava won’t do any harm to dogs.
The fibrous guava helps keep your pooch’s digestive system on track and regulates bowel movements as well.
6. Potassium
Talking about important vitamins and minerals we can’t miss Potassium. Guava holds a considerable amount of potassium. To be precise a hundred grams of guava has 417 grams of potassium in it.
Potassium helps dogs to maintain healthy organs and boost muscle growth. Potassium helps dogs in breaking down carbs and fats to have a better digestive system.
Potassium has many other benefits such as enhancing a dog’s cognitive function, regulating PH levels, promoting proper organ functioning etc.
7. Magnesium
Magnesium helps dogs absorb excess potassium and zinc. Magnesium can work like a relaxant for dogs in stress or physical pain.
It also helps in regenerating muscles and providing energy. It is a must for a well-functioning liver, heart and the digestive tract. Magnesium is often helpful in calming a dog when agitated.
8. Sodium
Last but not the least guava also has sodium in it. This mineral helps in regulating blood pressure. However, this works only when the exotic fruit is consumed by dogs in moderation.
Vets recommend that dogs should not be given sodium supplements. It creates a risk of irregular blood pressure. However, for some dogs sodium supplements can be used to treat vitamin deficiencies.
Apart from all the above mentioned minerals guava also has phosphorus, calcium, lycopene that are also very important for a dog’s well-being.
Is Guava Safe for Dogs?
Throughout the article we have mentioned that guavas are safe for dogs only when fed in moderation. Can dogs eat guava? Yes, but only if fed in moderation and only then they are safe for dogs. Even with so many benefits of guavas the fruit should always be fed in appropriate amounts.
When you start feeding guavas to dogs or add guava as part of your dog’s diet. You should also have a good control over your dog’s nutritional intake. Over consumption can lead to severe digestive problems and also vomiting and diarrhea.
Sugary drinks with guava flavors are also a big no for dogs. The sugary drinks can lead obesity in dogs. Obesity will further create many severe health issues.
Talking about guavas being safe for dogs you should never feed the skin (rind) or seeds of guava to dogs. The skin of guava contains vitamin C and is safe for humans but dogs might find it hard to swallow.
You should never knowingly feed seeds of guava to dogs. Any fruit seed is not recommended for dogs at all. Guava seeds also can be a choking hazard for dogs.
Digestive problems after your dog starts consuming guava are normal. However, that should not happen if you are feeding it in moderation. Vomiting, diarrhea is common and you should not panic if you see these symptoms in dog. Consult a vet and your dog should be fine.
Overall, guava is safe for dogs and is healthy as well but you should only feed the pulp of guava to dogs, in moderation.
How to Feed Guavas to Dogs?
Can dogs eat guava? Yes.
Is Guava safe for dogs? Yes.
How to Feed Guavas to Dogs? Continue reading and you’ll know how.
While feeding guava to dogs you have to be careful and strictly limit your dog’s guava intake. Some dogs might love guavas and crave them while others must be fed guavas to provide the nutritional benefits.
Feed guavas to dogs in the following ways:
- Wash the guava thoroughly before giving it to your dog.
- Cut the fruit in smaller pieces and the feed them to your dog.
- Always choose a ripe guava and feed a fresh ripe guava to your pooch.
- Make sure that you have completely removed the skin and seeds of the guava.
- Try feeding only the pulp of guava to dogs. For medium to large sized dogs you can sometimes feed the skin as well.
- Always hand feed them. Otherwise your dog might end up eating the skin and seeds too.
- Try feeding only 1-2 bite sized pieces of guava to small dogs twice a week. For larger dogs you can feed a 1 full guava in a week.
- If your dog doesn’t like guavas but needs to be fed some, you can try stuffing your dog favorite chew toy with guava.
- Guavas can also be used as a fruit treat when training your dog.
Many fruits are edible for dogs and also have many benefits. Guava being one of them is quite the ideal fruit for many nutritional benefits. All dog owners who truly care for their dog’s well-being do ask their vet that can dogs eat guava.
Guava is totally a non-toxic and safe fruit for dogs. This fruit is rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. Guava is not very high in sugar and has normal quantity of natural sugars.
This exotic fruit is totally safe for dogs and the best fruit treat that your dog will enjoy and also have nutritional benefits of.
So now that you have the answer to can dogs eat guava? And how to safely feed them to dogs. Go get your dog some exotic fruit delight.
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