Introduction
Dogs are lovely animals that bring happiness to our daily lives. Sharing a life with them is an amazing experience but also challenging. When it comes to their feeding route, there are specific points that you need to be careful of. Creating a healthy diet is essential.
Generally, you would be looking for dog food that includes lamb, beef, chicken, and more. But how about other foods such as treats and snacks? You may feel lost in the void while doing some research about them. There is a sharp line between what dogs can and can’t eat. You need to be careful not to cross it.
You need to check the ingredients – whether they’re toxic or not. You should consult a vet before giving new foods and snacks. Their digestive system is different than ours. Can dogs eat watermelon rind? Let’s start with watermelon.
Can Dogs Eat Watermelon?
Dogs would love to accompany you on the trips like a holiday, picnic, or hot summer days in the garden, balcony, etc. And while you’re enjoying watermelon, you may encounter emotional eyes that give this message: “Share some with me, please.”
But can dogs eat watermelon? The short answer is: yes. But you need to be careful because only the surface of the watermelon is safe. Other parts like seeds and rinds would cause harm to the digestive system. You should remove the seeds before giving them.
Watermelon contains almost %92 water, so it would be refreshing and help keep your little friend hydrated on hot summer days. Moreover, it has vitamins and minerals such as:
- Vitamin A, B6, C
- Potassium
- Antioxidants
These would be beneficial to the dogs, especially during the summer.
How Many Watermelon Pieces Can Dogs Eat?
It depends on the breed, size, and diet. Some require a special diet, and if your dog is one of them, you should consult a vet. Sometimes, it can be hard to resist puppy eyes. Watermelons shouldn’t be on the regular diet but can be given as a treat or snack. Dogs can’t digest fruits very well, so you should give watermelon in moderation. Start with little amounts – like cube-shaped watermelon pieces.
Some digest it easily while some can’t. You should observe and watch how your little friend reacts. If your little friend has no problems with digestion, you can give some more. But, don’t increase the amount too much. This may cause problems later. Some dogs may dislike watermelon, and it is okay. This won’t be a problem since watermelon is not necessarily needed on the regular diet.
Benefits of the Watermelon
When given in moderation, watermelon provides some benefits for health. It’s not only good for keeping dogs hydrated but also would be good for some vitamins and minerals. So let’s find out how they are good.
High Water Rate: As mentioned above, %92 of watermelon is water, which would be good on hot summer days.
Vitamin A: This would be good support for skin, coat, and muscles.
Vitamin B6: This would help to maintain fluid balance for healthy body functions.
Vitamin C: This is an essential antioxidant for the immune system.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants such as Vitamin C help to produce and maintain healthy cells.
Lycopene: This helps prevent cancer and cancer-related problems and supports eyesight.
Can Dogs Eat Watermelon Seeds?
The answer is clear: absolutely no. They shouldn’t eat watermelon seeds. Seeds are not toxic but will cause problems such as blockage in the gastrointestinal system. This would be especially troublesome for the small breeds.
You should remove the seeds, whether they are white or black. After removing both seeds and the rind, watermelon becomes safe. You may think, “maybe I should purchase seedless watermelon.” But this also is not a good choice. You would ask why.
Most of the seedless watermelons are artificial and would likely be artificially flavored. They include artificial sweeteners that would cause problems with sugar intake. So, dogs can’t eat watermelon seeds and seedless artificial watermelons.
Can Dogs Eat Watermelon Rind?
The short answer is: no. You may wonder why. It’s only watermelon rind. So why can’t dogs eat it?
First of all, they are not toxic. So, you shouldn’t worry about it. But this is not the real point. As you can see, watermelon rind is tough to chew. You can’t chew them, right? Dogs also can’t eat and chew them.
They are tough, firm, and fibrous.
Moreover, they would have contact with chemicals during the growing. This may cause serious health problems in the dogs, such as stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, digestive problems, and choking. Watermelon rind is both hard to chew, swallow and digest. And they don’t include any nutrients that are necessary for the dogs. The nutrients that would be beneficial for dogs are in the red and edible parts.
What Should You Do When Your Dog Eats Watermelon Rind?
You may remove the rinds to take the garbage, and they may disappear suddenly. And you can see this scene: Your little friend is trying to eat rinds aggressively. Dogs are curious animals, and the rind may be seen as interesting for them.
If you see some teeth marks on the watermelon rind, don’t panic. Some dogs love to nibble on some fruits’ or vegetables’ rinds. This is normal, especially if they are small and in the growing process. It would be a good sign to purchase a teether toy.
But if your dog ate some amount, the signs would appear during the digesting, mostly after 2-3 hours. You should give call your vet and take your little friend there. They may run some tests after the physical examination to determine whether the watermelon rind is in the stomach.
Observe the Signs to Tell If Your Dog Ate Watermelon Rind or Not
Your little companion would have a sneak attack to eat the rind. As mentioned, dogs are curious. First, check the rest of the watermelon rind if it still exists. Since they are hard to chew, you can find your little companion trying to take a bite from the rind.
You should take the watermelon rind immediately away from them. And show them this is a dangerous act, but don’t force them to understand. Maybe, they want to nibble on them. Anyways, these are the common signs:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach Pain
- Abdominal Pain
- Lethargy
- Whimper
You need to observe the signs. Even though the problem may not connect to the watermelon rind, these symptoms indicate a problem with your little friend.
Tips to Prepare Safe and Healthy Watermelon
All the things mentioned above may worry you and push you not to give any watermelon to dogs. But don’t worry; there are some ways to make watermelon safe. Let’s find out how to make it.
Slice Method: Firstly, remove the seeds and cut the rind. Then, slice the watermelon into small pieces.
Frozen Chunks: You can mix the slice method with freeze. After slicing them, put them into the freezer. This would be refreshing to dogs.
Puree: You can make watermelon puree for dogs after removing the seeds. This would be helpful for small breeds.
Ice Cream: You can make watermelon ice cream with yogurt on hot summer days. Put the pieces in the blender, mix them with yogurt, and put them in the freezer. It would also be a good option for you. Eating the same food together would strengthen the bonds between you and your little friend.
You Shouldn’t Do These While Preparing Healthy Watermelon Snack
Avoiding using watermelon rind and seed is good, but how about other ingredients? You should be careful about what your dog eats.
Make sure you remove the watermelon rind and seeds: Your little friend’s health is important.
Don’t freeze the slices so much: This may cause fever and stomach pains.
Choose the yogurt carefully: This is good if your dog doesn’t have lactose intolerance. But if they have, you can use lactose-free yogurts. The yogurt would be free from sugar, sweeteners (such as fruity yogurts), xylitol, and additional flavors.
Conclusion
When everything has been taken into consideration, sharing little amounts of watermelon with dogs is safe. Who can resist when they look the inside of your eyes? Resisting would be hard. But no worries, there is no harm in sharing some. However, you should be careful about some parts.
These parts are watermelon rind and seeds. You should never give them. They will cause health problems and has choking hazard. Moreover, they have no benefit to dogs. So, remove them before giving.
You can try healthy recipes to give watermelon to dogs, which would benefit their health. But, don’t think just because watermelon rind and seeds shouldn’t be given to dogs means you can’t give the watermelon overall. The choice is still up to you, but sharing some watermelon on hot summer days would be good. I hope this helps!
