The use of carrots as a prize or food supplement in dogs seems to be very fashionable, however it is not a vegetable as miraculous as it seems or they want us to believe.
While it is true that carrots provide certain benefits, also what is that they can pose a danger. That’s why we want to explain everything you really should know about its use in dogs.
Index of contents
- 1 How should I feed my dog carrots?
- 1.1 Carrots to remove dental tartar
- 1.2 Use carrots as a Snack or Prize
- 1.3 Use carrots against diarrhea
- 1.4 Carrots as dewormers
- 2 Beneficial properties of carrots in dogs
- 3 Dangers of carrots in dogs
How should I feed my dog carrots?
Depending on the benefits you want to obtain from this complete and healthy vegetable, you should give it raw or cooked carrots. Always, clean and cutting the tips (both the front and the rear).
It is not necessary to peel them, although it is highly recommended wash them well to remove possible residues dirt or bacteria. If our dog does not have health problems, we can even give a couple of carrots a day (approximate calculation for a medium dog of about thirty kilos).
Carrots to remove dental tartar
This is a clear example of “urban legend” about the use of carrots, since although they will obviously help to reduce a little the tartar by chewing, in reality they also don’t eliminate a lot.
In this case, raw carrots should be used, so that the dog can entertain himself by chewing them and thus reduce the level of tartar on his teeth. But, it is not so effective how they want to make you believe … actually there are much more practical and natural ways to remove tartar from a dog’s teeth.
Use carrots as a Snack or Prize
This is a great idea, if your dog likes them, carrots can be a great option to offer them how prizes or how snack to distract or eat something between meals.
They are also an excellent supplement for dogs with excess weight, since they will satisfy their hunger without providing many calories. The carrots must be used raw for these purposes.
Use carrots against diarrhea
It is curious to see how the use of boiled carrot is recommended in dogs with diarrhea problems, when the carrot is not an astringent food but quite the opposite.
Supposedly it is recommended to improve the intestinal flora … but the damage is worse than the benefit, in these cases. The carrot loosens the guts, and if a dog has diarrhea we should not use it raw or boiled.
There are astringent foods such as boiled white rice without carrots, which are much more recommended for episodes of diarrhea, although it is advisable to always go to the vet to locate the origin of the diarrhea (it may be due to illness, indigestion, parasites….)
Carrots as dewormers
The beneficial properties of carrots in preventing intestinal parasites in dogs are much discussed. This is more an invention than a proven fact.
If our dog scratches his ass a lot or we suspect that he may have intestinal parasites, forget the tricks or home remedies that are circulating online and go to your vet.
No, carrots don’t cure intestinal parasites. At best, they can help keep them at bay … but never remove them, much less protect.
Beneficial properties of carrots in dogs
Carrots are a vegetable that contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and carotenes. They are very healthy for both humans, dogs and other animals.
They will help our dog reduce its tartar (very slightly, do not be fooled), they will help improve the appearance of the skin of our dog thanks to its large amount of B vitamins and will also improve its vision.
They serve to entertain our dogs in a healthy way, we can also satisfy their appetite between meals with this complete and economical food, which can perfectly replace any snack in the form of a bar / prize.
Dangers of carrots in dogs
The most dangerous and by far is that our dog be choking with a piece, so we must always be vigilant. Mainly when our dog is small breed or when he is a puppy.
Dogs with kidney failure or other diseases directly or indirectly related to the digestive system should not take carrots without the prior approval of the vet.
Raw carrots are barely digested by the dog, as his digestive system is optimized to digest meat, not vegetables. So the dog will not take advantage of all nutritional properties of the carrot if it is raw.
Boiled carrots if they are more assimilable, that is why they are used and very often in recipes of natural dog food (BARF Diet).
It’s totally normal to see small pieces of undigested carrots in a dog’s feces, even to see the feces turn orange. This not a problem, but if it indicates that perhaps we should reduce its consumption a little.