Dogs want to taste whatever we eat, so when eating a banana in front of your dog, it is wise to give your dog a piece of the fruit, or it is better to avoid giving him bananas?
Bananas are considered very healthy fruits for people because they contain many useful vitamins and minerals. However, are they beneficial for dogs too?
There are many fruits and vegetables suited for dogs and we should include them in their diet to keep our four-legged friends in the best shape possible.
Are Bananas Beneficial For Dogs?
Bananas are consumed in the United States more often than apples and oranges combined, and this is mostly due to their delicious taste, which is both appreciated by people and dogs.
Bananas are very tasty fruits that could bring many benefits to the health of your dog.
Bananas contain the following:
1. Potassium (K)
Potassium (K) helps to strengthen bones and allows an improved absorption of the calcium (CA) in the body of your dog.
Additionally, potassium strengthens blood vessels and tones muscles.
2. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 has an anti-inflammatory function and helps prevent cardiovascular disease.
At the same time, vitamin B6, regulates the functioning of red blood cells.
3. Fiber
Fibers contribute to a better intestinal transit.
4. Vitamin C
Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and keeps the level of the blood pressure stable.
5. Probiotics
Probiotics help to regulate intestinal flora, which favors a healthier digestive system.
6. Manganese
Manganese helps in keeping the nervous system and the brain activity of your dog in the best shape.
7. Sugars
The natural sugars contained by bananas provide free energy for your dog without involving processed additives or artificial colors contained by many sweet foods consumed by humans.
How To Feed Bananas To Your Dog?
When feeding fruits and vegetables to your dog, a moderate consumption will always help your dog better.
Dogs are not monkeys, so if you plan to give bananas or other fruits or vegetables to your dog, always give these foods as treats, and never replace the regular feed with them.
Bananas should be used only as treats because they can’t replace the healthy fats and proteins required by dogs every day.
Not all dogs will prefer to eat banana, so if your dog is not interested to taste the banana even if it sees you eating one, maybe he prefers different fruits or veggies.
There are also fruits and veggies that are toxic to dogs, even if we as humans can eat them.
Dogs could be more sensitive than people when eating fruits and veggies (bananas can cause an allergy or intolerance in dogs), and this is the reason why you should add them gradually to your dog’s diet.
You need to start with small portions of banana to check if the dog has any adverse effects when eating these fruits.
Being a very tasty fruit that is both appreciated by humans and dogs, bananas can help your dog to live a healthier life or can cause intolerance and adverse effects.
Always start small, and if your dog feels good after eating pieces of banana, you can continue feeding bananas to him even daily if you want.
You should always adapt the portions of banana given to the dog, according to its size.
For small dog breeds, you need to cut slices of bananas (1 centimeter thick) and give them only two.
For medium-sized dogs, you can offer up to half a banana, and for large breeds, you can offer between half and a whole banana.
You need to remember that bananas need to be offered only as part of the healthy diet, and not as a replacement for regular feed.
If you want to be sure that your dog is not affected when eating a banana, always remove the peel of the fruit.
The level of potassium and fibers in the banana peel is high, and when your dog eats the banana peel, it will get an excess of fiber in its body, which in some cases can produce convulsions (this is partly due to the chemical treatments and ripening agents added to the banana skin to make it more bright and attractive).
If you grow organic bananas in your own garden, you can give your dog the entire banana (without removing the peel) because it can benefit more from eating the entire fruit that contains no chemicals.
If your dog starts vomiting or has other worrying symptoms after eating banana peel, you should call your vet right away.
How Could Bananas Affect Your Dog?
Can bananas make dogs sick?
The benefits of bananas can be overshadowed if you give your dog too many bananas.
If your dog ate too many bananas, it can suffer due to the following:
1. Constipation
If the digestive system of your dog works properly, consuming an excessive amount of banana could cause constipation.
2. Diarrhea
Bananas are delicious fruits that are very appreciated by dogs, however, some dogs don’t react well to these fruits, and may experience diarrhea after banana consumption.
This is so important to gradually give banana to your dog.
3. Allergies
Exactly like humans, some dogs may be allergic to bananas.
When offering your dog banana for the first time, you should always be very careful because if your dog is allergic to bananas, and you give him an entire banana, it will suffer greatly.
4. Hyperactivity
Bananas contain a good amount of natural sugars that provide additional energy to the dog.
If you offer bananas in excess, you can get a hyperactive dog that is completely out of control even if it’s trained.
If you are not aware of the fact that the excess amount of bananas eaten by your dog is responsible for the situation created, you will find yourself in a situation when you have such an energetic dog that you can’t control it whatever you do.
If your dog has access to bananas all the time, you should remove the fruits from its reach, because you are the one that controls your dog’s diet and not him.
Final conclusion
Bananas are very healthy for humans and dogs, but before feeding bananas to your dog, always start slowly with only one or two small pieces of bananas without the peel.
If the dog feels well after eating the fruit, you can give him bananas according to its size.
Never replace a regular meal with dog treats like this, bananas are only fruits, so they can’t provide the daily amount of proteins and fats required by a healthy dog diet.
