Can Dogs Eat Celery? Here are Some Things You Should Know
The urge to supplement a dog’s diet has driven many people to feed their dogs with small quantities of grains or vegetables. Unfortunately, dogs are carnivores and vegetables and gains are not part of their natural diet. That leads us to the big question; can dogs eat celery and can it harm them? Well, read on to learn what you should be feeding your canine friend.
Can Dogs Eat Celery?
Yes, dogs can eat celery even though it is not part of their natural diet. However, you should make sure that you chop it into tiny pieces. The tiny pieces will make it easy for the dog to chew, swallow, and digest. The dog will be able to extract the vitamins from the celery since vitamins are water-soluble. You should be careful not to over feed your dog with celery as it can easily upset its digestive system, and lead to diarrhea. You will also notice that they will urinate excessively.
Just like people, your dog may not respond as positively to a celery diet as other dogs. If you notice that after feeding it a small quantity of celery it starts to experience stomach issues, then you have to stop and revert to its regular diet. Moreover, even when it responds well to celery, you should not make it the main course. It should only account for 90% to 95% of the dog’s food.
Human foods such as vegetables and fruits will not serve your dogs well because our dietary requirements different from those of dogs. Our dog’s bodies cannot benefit from vegetables such as celery like ours. Instead, a diet rich in animal proteins will serve them better than it can serve us. Overall, if this is your first time to feed your dogs a diet of celery, then do it slowly and in small quantities. Observe its reaction after you feed it the celery for a day or two before you try it again.
How to Feed Celery to Your Dogs
If you have chosen to go ahead and feed celery to your canine friends, then the first thing you should do is to remove the tough strings. Failure to do that, chances are you will block its digestive system if the celery strings prove to be too much for its digestive system. That can happen easily if you are not keeping watching over your dog as it eats, and it to eat the whole celery.
A great way to feed your dog celery is to cover it with something dog love to eat such as peanut butter. The peanut butter as long as it does not have added salt, sugar or xylitol. Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs, therefore if you know that your do accidentally fed on it, you should take it to the vet immediately. One reason to cover the celery in peanut butter is to make it more enjoyable for the dog. You dog will not enjoy eating celery more than you will enjoy it without adding it to other foods.
You should also make it a habit to cook the celery for your dog instead of giving it raw. Unlike cows and other herbivores, your dog does not have the necessary enzymes to digest raw cellulose. Therefore, it all passes out as fiber, cooking it softness it a bit and helps to ensure the dog will have a smooth bowel movement.
What are some of the Benefits Your Dog Will Get from Eating Celery?
Celery is rich in Vitamins and some minerals. Most of the benefits that your dog will get from eating the celery will come from water-soluble nutrients. The body easily absorbs water –soluble nutrients without the celery’s cellulose undergoing digestions. Moreover, the filling nature of the celery will help your dog cut down on its calorie intake, which is why it is among the recommended foods for weight loss programs.
Top Celery Nutrients
- Celery is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C
- It is rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron, sodium, and magnesium
- Essential source of amino acids
- It relieves dogs suffering from arthritis of joint pain because of its anti-inflammatory characteristics
- Good source of dietary fiber
- It helps to fight cancer and boosts the dog’s immunity
Conclusion
Overall, feeding your dog with small quantities of celery will do it some good. What you should avoid is making it its primary diet or feeding your dog large quantities of celery. We hope that you found this guide to be informative and engaging, and your dog will continue to enjoy its diet.
