5 Phenomenal Fruits For Dogs

Along with vegetables, fruit is a health-filled addition to your dog's diet - whether you feed kibble or a nutritionally complete raw or homecooked diet. Fruit provides fiber, vitamins, phytonutrients, and antioxidants - important nutrients that reduce inflammation in the body and leads to better health. 

If there were Academy Awards for fruit, I think berries would win all the awards. Berries top the list for the amount of work they can do in the body. 

Berries are the most healthful fruits, due in part to their pigments, and are second only to herbs and spices as the most antioxidant-packed food category. As a group, they average nearly 10 times more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables, and have in excess of 50 times the antioxidants than animal-based foods. NutritionFacts.org

Generally, feed fruit in small amounts. (Try to feed non-starchy, cruciferous, and green leafy vegetables more often than fruit.) Fresh berries will need to be pureed or mashed with a fork. Frozen and thawed berries can be fed as is, along with other soft fruit.. Firmer fruit will need to be whizzed in the food processor.

There is some discussion over whether fruit exacerbates yeast overgrowth in dogs, and I have come across some anecdotal reports that it does. If your dog regularly experiences an overgrowth of yeast you might consider limiting or even excluding certain fruits from his diet, and see if it helps.

Too much fruit may loosen the stool - something to keep in mind when you are planning meals. It's totally fine to use frozen fruit, and I use frozen wild blueberries regularly for my own dogs.

My Favourite 5 Fruits for Dogs

1. Blueberries - Low in calories and lower on the glycemic index, blueberries are loaded with phytochemicals and antioxidants. Blueberries can help reduce inflammation, prevent cognitive decline, and along with other berries, are considered an 'anti-cancer' food.

2. Raspberries- High in antioxidants and phytonutrients, red raspberries contain ellagitannins which have anti-cancer properties.

3. Cranberries - Cranberries are one of the go-to foods for promoting urinary tract health. 

4. Watermelon - Watermelon is low in calories, high in lycopene, and a favourite of many dogs. Try them frozen in cubes. Remove the seeds and the rind before feeding.

5. Apples - Apples make my list of favourite fruits because they are convenient, available year round, and in the fruit bowls of many kitchens. Apples contain gut soothing pectin. Unsweetened applesauce is a great option on occasion. Avoid feeding the seeds of apples.

There are many other kinds of fruit that are healthy for dogs, and you can expand your dog's diet beyond my favourites; think pears, cantaloupe, pomegranates, peach, pineapple. Imagine your dog's delight to share a piece of ripe, juicy fruit with you!

I often think how boring it must be for a dog to eat dry kibble, and nothing but, for weeks or months on end. A couple of slices of banana will give your dog a sweet treat that is also a good source of prebiotics (unripe bananas in particular) and a good source of potassium. Bananas are higher in calories, and are best as an occasional treat. 

As with any new food, start small with one new food at a time, test for tolerance and build up slowly over time. Slow and steady is the best way to add new foods to your dog's diet.