There are dogs that are open to everything new, which means that they could try the taste of orange and there are also dogs that will never touch that sweet and sour taste.
Even if your dog loves to eat oranges or avoids them, you need to know how important are oranges for the health of your dog.
Some dogs prefer to eat mostly meat, but others prefer to eat vegetables along the meat and even fruits (especially if they see you eating fruits).
A dog living inside the house will be very curious to see what the members of the family are eating, and it is very important to understand what foods can help your dog be more healthy, and what are the foods that could harm your dog.
Luckily, oranges, can be very beneficial for the health of your best friend.
Are Oranges Beneficial For Dogs?
Oranges are full of nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium (K) and fiber, while the sodium concentration is quite low, which means that these fruits can’t harm your dog, especially if they eat only one or two segments per day.
Being succulent and refreshing fruits, oranges contain several vitamins and minerals, which could help your dog build a very strong immune system.
Vitamin C
Containing about 85% vitamin C, oranges will boost the immune system of your dog and will help him fight against diseases much easier.
Working dogs require fruits like these quite often, because they are high in sugars and can boost their energy level.
However, being high in sugars, we need to limit the consumption of oranges up to 2 segments per day, to avoid causing a GI (gastrointestinal) upset.
Potassium
Being very rich in nutrients and minerals like potassium (K), oranges will keep the heart rate of your dog in proper levels, which ensures that your dog lives a longer and happier life.
Fiber
Being high in fiber and low in fat, oranges can help in the fight against high levels of cholesterol in your dog, and can be used as a healthy addition (low fat) to commercially packed food for dogs, which are known for their high levels of unhealthy fats.
When it comes to taste preferences, some dogs will eat oranges with great pleasure, while others will avoid them right away (maybe due to their sour taste), but here you can do something to help your friend incorporate these fruits in its everyday meals.
Don’t worry about the citric acid in these fruits (it is not a concern for dogs), but it could be a concern for some cats.
Rules To Follow When Serving Oranges To Your Dog
Orange peels and seeds are not considered toxic for dogs, but you should avoid giving them to your dog because they can be difficult to digest.
After peeling the orange, you should keep the white layer (pith) untouched because it is very healthy for your dog (contains fiber and antioxidants).
Medical Editor of DMV, David Dilmore explained to Banfield Pet Hospital that we should give maximum 1 or 2 segments per day to prevent obesity.
For puppies, limit the oranges to 1 segment per day.
Always use fresh oranges because they are more succulent and more attractive to dogs.
If your dog is not happy to eat oranges, try to make orange juice and mix it with its food.
Try to eat oranges in front of your dog to ignite its interest in these awesome fruits, and this way you can slowly introduce them in its daily meals.
If you have a working dog that consumes a lot of energy every day, give him 2 segments of oranges every day (and plenty of water).
Never give the dog more than 2 segments of oranges to avoid a stomach upset.
If you notice that your dog feels bad after eating oranges (vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) you shouldn’t give him oranges at all.
If your dog has a more sensitive stomach, eating oranges will affect him pretty much, so you should stop.
How Could Oranges Affect Your Dog?
I already mentioned that you should limit the orange consumption of your dog to maximum 2 segments per day, and never give oranges to a dog with a sensitive stomach, because the citric acid inside these fruits could make them very sick.
1. Dogs with Diabetes
Oranges contain a pretty large amount of sugars, so if you have a dog with diabetes, you should avoid giving them these fruits.
If your dog wants to eat oranges, ask your vet if you can give oranges to your dog, at least a very tiny amount of it (just for taste), and if he says No!, stop eating oranges in front of your dog, and never give him these fruits.
2. Obese Dogs
If you have an obese dog, you should avoid giving him oranges, because the high level of sugars in these fruits will increase its weight even more.
If your dog demands fruits, try a different combination such as strawberries.
Upset Stomach
An over consumption of oranges will affect even the healthiest dog, because the large amount of sugars and citric acid in these fruits will affect his digestive system quite a lot by causing diarrhea and vomiting.
Dogs with Dental Issues
The high level of citric acid (vitamin C) and sugars in these fruits can cause pain if your dog has dental issues.
Orange juice is appreciated by some dogs, but you need to be careful not to give too much juice to your dog because it can damage its teeth (citric acid dissolves calcium).
If you brush your dog’s teeth after eating oranges or drinking orange juice, then you don’t have to worry too much, because you only have to limit the number of orange segments given to the dog to maximum 2.
Final conclusion
If your dog loves oranges give him what he or she wants.
For a small dog, one or two orange segments will be enough.
For a medium dog, two segments will ignite its taste.
For a large dog, two orange segments are only for taste.
Your dog will show you how many segments of oranges can eat per day.
If he feels sick, it means that you gave him too many orange segments.
This is the reason why you should stick to the doctor’s advice, which says that maximum two segments of orange are allowed.
