What Fruits Can Dogs Eat? Tips for Feeding Dogs Fruit

Many fruits contain nutrients that will benefit your pet. Feel free to give your dog any of these sweet treats:

• Apples: Slice up these crunchy treats to give your dog a snack packed full of calcium and vitamin A. Apples also help red blood cells flow more easily through your pet’s body. Remove the stem, seeds, and core before feeding the apple to your furry friend.
• Bananas: This tropical fruit is easy to cut into manageable portions for your dog. Bananas contain biotin and potassium and are a healthy snack for canines.
• Cantaloupe: Open this fruit and carve out its interior flesh to treat your dog to a snack full of beta-carotene and folate. Discard the cantaloupe rinds before feeding the melon pieces to your pet.
• Oranges: The high levels of vitamin C in oranges may help boost your dog’s immune system, making them a great snack. Just discard the rinds beforehand.
• Pears: Feel free to feed pears, a rich source of vitamin K, to your dog in moderation. Remove the seeds and stems before serving the fruit.
• Select berries: Your dog can eat blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries, which are full of nutrients like manganese and magnesium. More specifically, strawberries produce an enzyme that will help clean your dog’s teeth. Raspberries are edible in tiny amounts, although you might want to forgo feeding them to your dogs since they contain xylitol (a compound toxic to canines in large quantities).
• Watermelons: Remove both the black and white seeds from the watermelon before giving pieces to your dog. The high water content in this fruit helps with hydrating your dog on a hot day, and its iron levels help fight against canine anemia, too.

Dogs can only eat certain types of fruits. Here are seven you should avoid feeding your pet because they may cause harm:

• Avocados: Both the pit and the avocado flesh can harm your dog’s stomach. Persin, a compound found in this fruit, can also cause pancreatitis in dogs.
• Cherries: Skip the cherries and feed your pet a handful of edible dog-safe berries instead. Cherries contain small amounts of cyanide, a toxic substance you should keep your dog from ingesting.
• Grapes: Although they’re a common snack for humans, grapes don’t agree with the canine digestive system. They can cause kidney damage or even kidney failure when dogs consume them in large enough quantities.
• Grapefruits: Your furry friend will be a lot happier without any grapefruit in their diet because the fruit can make their stomach upset or cause other complications.
• Lemons: Stick to regular dog food instead of giving your pet lemons, which can lead to an upset stomach, as can many other types of acidic fruit.
• Plums: Technically, you can use a plum as a dog treat after removing its large pit, which can be a choking hazard. Still, its high sugar content can make your dog’s stomach upset.
• Tomatoes: The solanine in tomatoes can cause stomach issues for your dog, although this substance is mostly found in the green leaves rather than the fruit's flesh. Still, it’s probably best to forgo tomatoes as a best practice to avoid any problems.

As long as you keep your dog’s safety and dietary needs in mind, you can feed them fruit as a treat. Consider these seven best practices before offering your dog a piece of fruit:

1. 1. Follow professional advice. Consult your veterinarian to clear up any concerns about your specific dog’s diet before feeding them fruit. Some dogs might have health conditions that preclude them from eating otherwise safe and low-calorie fruit.
2. 2. Check on the specific fruit. Ensure that the fruit you plan to feed your dog is free from mold or any other signs of decay. Similarly, consult your veterinarian or another reputable source to determine whether or not dogs can eat your fruit of choice without stomach upset or more serious problems arising.
3. 3. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces. Before feeding it to your dog, cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces. You could even chop it down to the same size as your pet’s normal dog food and add the pieces to their bowl as a sweetener.
4. 4. Stick with small quantities. Only give your dog small pieces of fruit in a single sitting, rather than large quantities. Practice moderation with one-off feeding sessions, as you would with your dog’s diet as a whole.
5. 5. Remove inedible portions of fruit. Remove rinds, seeds, and pits from any fruit you feed your dog. For instance, although apricots are safe for dogs to eat, their pits are large enough to act as a choking hazard and source of intestinal blockage.
6. 6. Try serving fruit alongside vegetables. Fruits have plenty of health benefits for dogs, and you can double down on these by introducing select vegetables into their diets as well. Brussels sprouts, green beans, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes (peel the latter two first) are all safe choices to feed your canine.
7. 7. Feed your dog in moderation. Large amounts of fruit, due to its high fiber and occasionally high sugar content, can upset your dog’s digestive system even if it’s an otherwise edible and healthy snack for them. As such, it’s best to treat all types of fruit as an occasional treat for your pet rather than a consistent staple.

Certain human foods can cause adverse reactions in canines, so always consult your veterinarian to determine whether it is safe to add these foods to your pet’s diet. This article is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.

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