Bananas have always been an ideal fruit to be consumed daily by humans, whether it is for breakfast or a simple snack. Bananas are packed with essential nutrients and vitamins that are extremely beneficial for humans, but can dog eat bananas? Good news, the answer is YES!
However, before you decide to let your dog munch on these delicious yellow fruits, there are some important factors that you would like to be mindful about. Similar to giving your dogs other treats or any food items, it is important to know bananas are also best enjoyed by dogs in moderation even though bananas are filled with many beneficial minerals and vitamins that are good for dogs. Bananas do contain quite a high sugar content which are not meant to be part of a regular dog’s diet.
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Benefits of Dog Eating Bananas
Bananas are one of the best choices when it comes to wanting to give your dog a healthy yet yummy treat. This is because bananas are low in cholesterol and filled with nutrients that support the overall health of dogs. Now let’s break down all the essential vitamins and nutrients found in bananas that contribute to a dog’s health.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a popular and powerful antioxidant that is known to be able to boost a dog’s immune system.
- Potassium: Potassium is a famous ingredient found in bananas that are commonly discussed. Potassium is great in supporting healthy kidney and heart functions that also promote healthy bone density, regulate fluid levels, and supports the development of muscle.
- Fiber: Fibre is a popular nutrient that helps in the dog’s digestive system in order to resolve constipation. It also helps to avoid diarrhea as well.
- Magnesium: Magnesium is an essential nutrient in promoting the growth of healthy bones.
- Biotin: Biotin is also found in bananas and it supports and promotes healthy skin, coat quality, and muscle development which are extremely beneficial to dogs.
- Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is an important coenzyme that helps the brain and bodily functions by building proteins, regulating hormones, regulating fluid balance, and supporting neurotransmitters in a dog’s body.
Cool Banana Snack Recipes to Try Out
Not all dogs enjoy having bananas as a treat. Similar to humans, dogs have preferences and have unique heath and digestive systems that may not allow them to enjoy bananas as much as they would like to. It is important to consult a veterinarian before giving your dog bananas to avoid unwanted consequences. Another way to monitor is to constantly keep an eye on the side effects after feeding bananas to your dog in the event of allergies or intolerance happening. Some of the important symptoms that need to be aware of include sneezing, coughing, breathing difficulties, itching, and so on.
There are many easy ways of preparing bananas as a healthy snack.
Banana Slices
Steps
- Peel off the banana skin.
- Slice the banana into thin slices and it is ready to be served.
Frozen Banana Treats
Steps
- Peel off the banana skin.
- Slice bananas into thin slices.
- Brush the banana slices with lemon juice
- Freeze banana slices in a freezer and once it is frozen, it is ready to be served.
Peanut Butter Banana “Ice Cream”
Steps
- Peel off the banana skin.
- Slice bananas into thin slices and add them to a blender.
- Mix in some plain, unsweetened yogurt and peanut butter into the blender together with the banana slices and blend blend blend!
- Once the mixture has been blended smoothly, freeze the mixture in a freezer and it is ready to be served.
Banana “Porridge”
- Peel off the banana skin.
- Slice the banana into thin slices and add them into a resealable bag or container.
- Mash the banana using a fork or any suitable tool until it looks like mashed potatoes or porridge-like.
- Peanut butter can be added in for extra flavour or it can be served just as it is!
Things To Take Note When Dog Eating Banana
As you can see from the recipes shared above, it is important to remove the banana skin before feeding bananas to dogs. Although banana peels are not toxic to dogs, dogs can face difficulties as banana skin is hard to digest due to the highly concentrated amount of fibre found in it. When a dog consumes banana peel, chances are there will be a happening of vomiting due to intestinal blockage.
Besides that, just like giving a dog any type of dog treat, it is important to be mindful of the amount given when it comes to giving your dog some bananas as a treat, due to the sugar content in it. Bananas must be given moderately and occasionally as the high sugar content may lead to diabetes and obesity if served too often.
However, in comparison with store-bought dog treats, bananas are a healthier choice when it comes to giving treats to dogs.
Conclusion
It is undoubtedly dogs can benefit from eating bananas. Bananas are a really great choice of fruit that is inexpensive and available all year round. It is also convenient to be brought anywhere and can be served easily just by peeling off the skin. It is an ideal convenient snack to be brought by dog owners when bringing dogs out for either a walk or a picnic as a rewarding treat.
However, not everything made from bananas is safe to be consumed by dogs. Some examples that are not safe for dogs to consume include banana cake from the bakery, artificially flavored banana chips or candies found in supermarkets, and so on.
The bottom line is to stick with homemade recipes that are made from the fruit itself or together with ingredients that you are aware are safe to be consumed by dogs.
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