benefits, dosage and how to prepare it

If you wonder if dogs can eat pumpkin or not, take note that the answer is that YES, dogs can eat pumpkin, since in small daily amounts it provides a large amount of fibers, vitamins and minerals to dogs and, in effect, provides several benefits to your body.

Now that it is clear that you can include a little of this food in your diet, we will talk about the benefits it brings, as well as the ways to give it to your furry correctly for their health.

These are the main benefits of pumpkin for dogs:

• Thanks to its antioxidant and water content, it has a diuretic action, which is why it helps regulate kidney activity, eliminate toxins and prevent and treat some urinary tract problems.
• Due to its great contribution of fiber, it helps a good digestion take place and serves to help against constipation problems in dogs. In addition, pumpkin for dogs with diarrhea can also be a good idea due to its high water content, which prevents your friend from becoming dehydrated, and because it is easily digestible, but you should always give it mixed with other foods, such as rice and / or boiled chicken.
• This food is a good option when it comes to feeding pregnant or lactating bitches due to the beta-carotene (vitamin A) it contains.
• As it contains vitamin C and lycopenes among the main antioxidants, it is also a good ally when it comes to fighting free radicals, thus preventing premature aging of cells, preventing heart problems, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. Therefore, it can also help in the prevention of some types of cancer.
• Thanks to its composition beta-carotenes and antioxidants, it is also optimal for good eye function, especially in elderly dogs, in order to prevent the appearance of eye problems.
• As it has few calories, you can offer it to dogs with overweight, obesity, hypertension and diabetes, as these are cases in which it is convenient to monitor the weight so as not to worsen or even to improve the problem.
• It is optimal for regulating blood glucose and blood pressure, so it is appropriate to speak with the veterinarian to include pumpkin in the diet of diabetic dogs and / or with blood pressure problems to take it into account in their treatment.
• By containing folic acid or vitamin B9, it can prevent and treat anemia in dogs thanks to its action by forming cells and synthesizing hemoglobin.

Pumpkin is not a toxic food for dogs, but you should know that the amount to be offered to your canine friend cannot be excessive, but quite the opposite: always in small quantities and in a moderate way. Before including any food supplement or any food in your dog’s diet, it is recommended go to the vet, since he or she is the one who will best tell you the amount to offer and how you can do it depending on the body and weight of the dog.

The pumpkin dose for dogs daily is 1 tablespoon for every 10 kg of the dog. You can give her a little more if you’re only offering it once or twice a week. In addition, you can also use, for example, cookies as a prize and offer them sporadically.

Now that you know the benefits of pumpkin for dogs, don’t miss the opportunity to offer it to him to see if he likes it and how it suits him. You can prepare a wide variety of recipes with this food for your furry but you should know that cooked pumpkin is always the best option, since raw pumpkin can cause gastrointestinal disorders because it is much more difficult for dogs to digest it. Some recipes with pumpkin for dogs are:

Pumpkin puree for dogs

This is very easy to prepare, it will be enough to cook the pumpkin, always without salt, and when it is ready, crush it with a spoon or fork until it has the texture of a puree. To make the puree easier and have more flavor and nutrients, you can add a little chicken broth without added salt. In addition, you can also add a natural supplement suitable for dogs, such as a tablespoon of turmeric, because thanks to its digestive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other very beneficial properties for your dog, this recipe is a great vitamin and nutritional contribution for him.

Pumpkin cookies for dogs

We explain the steps of a simple recipe to make these cookies, but you can make them in many ways and with more ingredients.

1. Beat an egg with milk together with the pumpkin puree, when it is well mixed add flour little by little until it becomes a consistent dough.
2. Put flour on a flat surface that allows you to work the dough and spread it well.
3. Flatten it with a rolling pin until it is a flat and regular shape, like a pizza dough.
4. Cut the dough to your liking, so that they are the way you want, (for example, you can use a bone-shaped mold) and you can put them in the oven, first placing a little olive oil on the tray to prevent them from melting. stick.
5. After 12-15 minutes, remove the tray and let the cookies cool until you can offer them to your dog.

Here you can see more recipes to learn How to make biscuits for dogs.

Flowers and pumpkin seeds for dogs

They are also healthy, especially to prevent and treat intestinal parasites in your dog, in addition to providing vitamins B3 and B9 and minerals, such as potassium, zinc, iron and calcium. Therefore, you can include them in purees or cookies.

If you want to read more articles similar to Pumpkin for dogs: benefits, dosage and how to prepare it, we recommend that you enter our category of Pets.

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