Can Dogs Have Watermelon? Why Watermelon is Good For Dogs

There are many fruits from past articles that details why they can improve the health of humans as well as your dog’s health.

Last time you have learned that certain fruits like pineapples and apples can do wonders for your pet’s physical well-being. Now you get to learn to why watermelon is good for dogs. Below is some information on the watermelon.

Can dogs eat watermelon?

Yes indeed. Dogs can eat watermelons with no side-effects as long as you give them in moderation and remove some parts of the watermelon, such as seeds.

Watermelon has a lot to offer to improve our pet’s health, so there is no reason that you exclude this fruit from its diet.

While the fruit itself has various nutrients to aid your dog’s physical health, some parts of the watermelon are not safe for your pet.

A watermelon rind is not suitable for a dog since it will cause digestion problems or an upset stomach. Also, the rinds or watermelon skins have pesticides on them if they are inorganic. The pesticide is something that you do not want your dog to ingest. The same premise goes for watermelon seeds though they are less problematic to watermelon rinds.

Too much of something is not a good thing for your dog and can have adverse effects. In moderate amounts, the watermelon is beneficial, but with too much of it, the reverse happens.

Is watermelon good for dogs?

Can dogs have watermelon to maintain good physical health? As the previous topic shows above, the answer is yes. With all that impressive health benefits on the list above, watermelon is a safe and healthy fruit for dogs. If you are wondering what nutrients and vitamins that make the watermelon a healthy treat for dogs, then see the list below:

1. Water
2. Vitamin A
3. Vitamin B6
4. Vitamin C
5. Potassium
6. Magnesium

Is too much watermelon bad for dogs?

To repeat what I posted in this article: “Too much of something is not a good thing for your dog and can have adverse effects.” So can dogs eat watermelon with any ill effects? Yes, the dogs can safely eat watermelon if the amount of watermelon you serve them is moderate. Going beyond the reasonable amount or overfeeding your pet with watermelon tends to mess up with your dog’s body.

There are adverse effects that your dog will experience should you feed it too many watermelons.

• An increase in urination – Since watermelons are composed of 91% water, it is bound to make your dog urinate too often. Constant urination has severe effects on your dog’s bladder.
• Diarrhea – Dogs cannot digest watermelon easily like other fruits, so that diarrhea could happen even with moderate serving. Too much serving will cause very messy diarrhea.
• Dog bloat – When your pet had dog bloat, its stomach expands and puts unneeded pressure on its other organs. The expansion of the dog’s stomach is due to food, gas, and fluids filling every space of it. The lack of blood flow to the heart as well as the stomach lining, a tear in the stomach wall, and breathing difficulties are signs of dog bloat.

It’s possible that your pet experiences loose stool, diarrhea, and irregular gastro symptoms despite moderating your dog’s watermelon intake. If this is the case, it would be wise to take your dog to a veterinarian for a check-up. The occurrences of these problems could also mean that watermelon is not suitable for your pet.

 Can dogs have watermelon daily?

Due to the reason on the list above, dogs cannot and should not eat watermelons daily. Also, watermelon is not food in the main meals. At best, you should give your pet this fruit as a snack or treat. Even as a snack or treat, it is still not advisable to feed your watermelon daily.

Can puppies eat watermelon?

Yes, watermelons are suitable for puppies, and you can train them to like the taste of watermelon at an early age. Before feeding a puppy watermelon, just make sure that the pup is past its weaning period. Similar to adult dogs, do not overdo the serving of watermelons to puppies. Puppies, unlike adult dogs, will suffer worse from diarrhea, excessive urination, and dog bloat.

It would be best if you also made the watermelon slices a bit small. A puppy’s stomach is smaller than a dog, and it can’t handle that much fruit. This fact is another good reason why you need to moderate the puppy’s watermelon feeding carefully.

Watermelon Origin

The name “watermelon refers to the vine-like plant and its fruit. Watermelons are some of the oldest cultivated fruit in the world. The fruit goes back as far as 2000 B.C., and there is evidence of this fruit’s being grown during this period due to findings in the Nile Valley.

The cultivation of watermelons in India started in the 7^th century, and it reached China during the 10^th century. The Moorish invaders that entered Europe introduced the watermelon to that continent. By 1600 the Europeans classified the watermelon as herbal, and by the time of the 17^th, it was now a minor garden crop.

Colonists from Europe and African slaves brought the fruit with them to the New World. In America, the settlers from Spain were planting as well as growing the watermelon in 1576 and settlers in Massachusetts were also planting the watermelon in 1629. Brazil, Panama, and Peru saw the cultivation of the watermelon during the 1650s.

The Mississippi Valley and Florida’s Native Americans were also cultivating the fruit. Like Hawaii, the various Pacific islands also had watermelon cultivation thanks to explorers introducing the fruit in this part of the world.

Today there are a lot of effort breeding varieties of watermelons that can resist diseases. Watermelon growers also developed a “seedless” watermelon that has white seeds that can be easily digested. There are now several varieties that are currently available. Some examples are the Carolina Cross, Golden Midget, Orangeglo, Moon and Stars, Cream of Saskatchewan, and Densuke.

Health benefits of watermelon to your dogs

Is watermelon safe for dogs? Yes, there are, and they have practical and health benefits for dogs. Here are some samples of the watermelon’s health benefits. You can’t go wrong with these kinds of benefits, adding and giving your pet this fruit.

• Watermelon is a fruit capable of cooling off your dog during hot weather or the summer season. We humans eat the fruit as a treat to cool us off, so the same principle works on dogs too.
• The fruit can improve a dog’s eyesight and vision, thanks to beta-carotene and vitamin A.
• It improves and regulates the functions of your pet’s heart, brain, and nerves.
• Promotes proper bone growth, provides protein production and maintains the enzymes’ role in the dog’s body.
• Certain nutrients in the fruit help the dog absorb and adequately use other vitamins as well as minerals in its body.
• Watermelons contain antioxidants that counter the harmful effects of free radicals. Antioxidants also strengthen the dog’s immune system throughout its life. These antioxidants also reduce neurological disorders, cancer, and diabetes.
• Prevents your dog from having constipation, diarrhea, and diabetes mellitus.
• The fruit helps in managing your pet’s weight and improves colon health.
• It enhances the function of red blood that carries oxygen throughout the dog’s body.
• It maintains the normal functions of dogs’ blood. For example, specific vitamins in the watermelon prevent blood from clotting and stop the hemorrhage.
• The dog’s thyroid gland functions properly. Hormones produced by the thyroid gland are necessary since they regulate your pet’s body’s metabolism rate.
• Since watermelon is 91% water, it can counter dehydration in your dog.

 How to prepare watermelon for dogs

Can dogs eat watermelon as whole fruit? Of course, the dogs can’t since watermelon is too big for their jaws, and there are not suited to chew it. If you are planning to feed your pet a watermelon, you have to prepare it first.  Here are some simple tips to prepare a watermelon:

1. Slice the melon into 1-inches slices that are wedge-shaped. 1-inch slices are the ideal sizes for doggie treats.
2. Remove the watermelon rinds and its seeds. Watermelon seeds cause digestive problems and upset stomach. On the other hand, the watermelon rinds have little or no nutritional value, unlike the fruit’s red center.
3. Serve the fruit slices as treats or snack after meals.

You can also serve watermelon as a frozen or frosty doggy treats. The nice thing about these kinds of doggy treats is that they are a suitable treat for hot summer days. Here we a recipe on how to make frozen doggie treats:

Frozen watermelon dog treats ingredients

2 cups of watermelon. Use seedless watermelon, or if it has seeds, then remove them all.

1 cup of Coconut water or Coconut milk. Do not use almonds since it is harmful to dogs.

¼ cup of Honey or 1 tablespoon of Honey. This ingredient is optional; however, if you want a delicious watermelon doggie treat, you should add the Honey.

• If you got a whole watermelon, you first need to cut it into two and scoop out its juicy red It’s best if you use a seedless watermelon to save time removing its seeds.
• Next, pour the watermelon into a blender to puree it until it becomes smooth. Again make sure that the watermelon has no seeds left before you puree it in the blender.
• Add the 1 cup of Coconut water or Coconut milk and ¼ cup of Honey or 1 tablespoon of honey to the blender. Then puree them as well, along with the pureed watermelon. Make sure to blend the mixture well.
• After the puree process, get an ice cube tray or mold and pour the watermelon into it. Try covering the tray or mold to prevent the watermelon from spilling.
• Place the watermelon in the fridge’s freezer area overnight to freeze them.
• Afterward freezing the watermelon, remove it from the freezer. Let the concoction sit on the counter or any place for a few minutes to loosen them from the tray or mold. Afterward, serve the watermelon to your dogs. Note: do not remove the treats from the freezer if you do not plan on serving them after making them. Just leave the watermelon treats in the fridge until you are ready to serve them to your pet.

Wrap up

When buying watermelons for your dog, be sure to check if the watermelons are perfect and without any blemish. A watermelon must have a skin free of cuts and is bright, symmetrical, and firm.

Please pick up the fruit and check its weight. The best kind of watermelon must be substantial, regardless of its size. To check if the fruit is ripe, look for a yellow spot on the part of the fruit that sat on the ground.

Finally, tap or thump the watermelon to see if it’s ripe. A deep hollow sound means that the fruit is ripe. A solid sound means that the watermelon is not ripe. A thick sound indicates overripe watermelon. A hollow sound shows that the fruit is perfect.

As a healthy and delicious addition to your dog’s diet, the watermelon is relatively inexpensive, so buying one for your dog is not an obstacle. If you haven’t tried watermelon for your pet yet, now is an excellent time to get one. Your dog deserves the best fruits for its health, and the watermelons deliver its promise of healthiness.

READ MORE:

1. CAN DOGS HAVE BANANA?
2. CAN DOGS HAVE COCONUT?
3. CAN DOGS HAVE ORANGES?
4. FRUITS THAT ARE GOOD AND BAD FOR DOGS
5. CAN DOGS EAT MANGOES?