These perennial flowering plants with blue or purple–colored berries are considered superfoods for people due to their beneficial properties on health, but are they equally useful for dogs?
Every time we eat something in front of our dogs, they want to smell and taste that food, so in order to keep them healthy, we must be well informed about what foods are beneficial for them and what foods can actually harm them.
Are Blueberries Safe for Dogs?
Blueberries are perennial flowering plants native to North America and are part of the Cyanococcus section and the Vaccinium genus, where we can also find cranberries, huckleberries, bilberries and Madeira blueberries.
These tasty fruits contain a compound called anthocyanin, which gives them the well-known blue color and several health benefits such as: can create stronger bones and healthier skin, can improve heart health, can adjust blood pressure, manages diabetes, prevents cancer and helps the brain to keep up healthy.
Blueberries contain a pretty large amount of Vitamin C, which enhances the immune system.
These fruits also contain a pretty high amount of vitamin K, which can affect blood clotting.
Can dogs eat blueberries?
The answer is definitely Yes!, however, your pooch should eat them with moderation.
A dog’s stomach is not affected by blueberries, but you should feed your dog with these blue fruits only occasionally and not regularly.
Dogs can consume blueberries, but there are a few things to consider before you feed them to your pooch.
These delicate fruits look more like tiny balls, but there is no fear of any chocking hazard if your dog eats them.
Being rich in fiber, blueberries are beneficial only if your pooch eats them with moderation.
More blueberries than recommended could produce gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea in dogs.
Dogs can also eat other berries like blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.
What Are the Health Benefits of Blueberries For Your Dog?
Being rich in fibers, antioxidants and minerals, vitamins and other essential micronutrients, blueberries can help your pooch in many ways.
1. Anti-aging Effect on Older Dogs
Blueberries contain a good amount of antioxidants, which are very beneficial for older dogs above 6 years.
Having anti-aging attributes, the antioxidants can help your dog feel and look a little younger.
2. Reduce the Risk of Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases
Being packed with vitamin C, vitamin K and fibers, blueberries can prevent cardiovascular diseases and obesity in dogs.
3. These Fruits Contain a Large Amount of Healthy Nutrients
Containing about 4% protein, 5% fat, 91% carbs, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and fibers, blueberries are considered a very tasty and useful food both for people and dogs.
How to Feed Blueberries to Dogs?
From the beginning I have to tell you that even if these wonderful fruits are beneficial for dogs, it is not good to feed your dog with blueberries daily.
However, two or three times a week, you can include blueberries in your dog’s diet, for an energy boost.
Can You Feed Blueberry Muffins to Dogs?
If you like to cook for your dog, you always have to use less sugar and salt.
Dogs can eat blueberry muffins only if you prepare them with less sugar content and no artificial sweeteners.
Blueberry muffins prepared for people are not healthy for dogs because they contain much higher amounts of sugar, which is harmful for your dog’s teeth and its general health (can lead to diabetes).
Many other baked items such as sugarless gums, candies and cakes can contain Xylitol, which is an artificial sweetener that is highly toxic for dogs.
Xylitol can lower the blood sugar level of your dog, and in higher amounts can even produce seizures, liver damage and even death.
Always feed your dog with quality food to avoid any health issues on the spot or in time.
What About Blueberry Yogurt?
In grocery stores we can find blueberry yogurt, which can be a very tasty treat for your four-legged friend.
However, you have to be sure that there are no artificial sweeteners in the yogurt such as: Sucralose, Stevia and Aspartame, which can cause stomach upset and a painful tummy.
There are blueberry yogurts containing a high amount of sugar, which again is harmful for dogs.
Some blueberry yogurts can contain spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, which can be toxic for dogs if consumed in large quantities.
If you prefer to buy blueberry yogurts for your dog, you should always check the ingredients if they contain the artificial sweeteners mentioned above, spices or high levels of sugar (a large number of calories).
Blueberries contain a small amount of calories, so if the blueberry yogurt contains a high level of calories, be sure that those calories come from a high amount of sugar in that yogurt.
A blueberry yogurt can also contain probiotics, which are very useful nutrients for dogs because they help in the food digestion process and can boost their immune system.
If you truly love your dog, you will always prepare the blueberry yogurt for him by yourself.
Take a natural yogurt containing less fat and zero artificial sweeteners, put some blueberries in it and include this food in your weekly diet of your pooch.
If your dog is older, be sure that you crush the blueberries before including them in their diet.
Older dogs will benefit more from the consumption of fresh blueberries (they will feel better, younger).
How to Feed Frozen Blueberries to Dogs?
When we are not in the blueberry season, we may not find fresh blueberries, so we have to use frozen blueberries.
Frozen blueberries are not delicate like the fresh fruits, so you can consider this as a crunchy treat for your dog.
In this case you have to be sure that the frozen blueberries will not choke your dog (smaller dogs are more exposed to this), so to prevent any complication, try to cook the fruits a little.
Always Use Raw Blueberries When Feeding Your Dog
If your dog loves these fruits you can add some blueberries to its daily diet.
The bigger the dog the more blueberries can eat.
If you have a tiny dog, use only 2 to 5 fruits when feeding him.
For a big dog you can add 10 to 20 fruits to its weekly diet, especially if it’s an older dog.
Always use raw blueberries (fresh or frozen) because only this way you can be sure that they contain a small amount of calories and natural sugars without any artificial sweeteners.
If your dog doesn’t seem to be interested in fresh or frozen blueberries, try to crush them, and mix them with the dog diet for a boost of energy and a healthier life.
Include raw blueberries in your dog’s diet by adding these lovely fruits to treat recipes, by combining them with other healthy fruits for dogs to make a tasty smoothie.
Conclusion
If you want to have a healthy dog that is full of energy, include raw blueberries in its diet (especially if it’s older).
Always wash the blueberries well before including them in the diet to avoid any toxic pesticides that could affect the health of your pooch.
