Do you like carrots and are an important part of your daily meal eat daily now also want to offer your dog on a daily basis? Or you are looking for nutritious food to add in daily intake of your dog? Or you are looking for food that you can cook at home while adding some protein source to make a tasty and healthy meal dinner for your pooch? But before moving forward you want to know can dogs have carrots!
Dogs can eat carrots because they are nutritious & healthy and offer many other benefits like healthy teeth & bones, good breath, improved metabolism, etc, that are not possible with commercial foods or single protein-based foods. Carrots were first cultivated thousands of years ago and until now changed in color and flavor.
Now farmers grow red, orange, yellow, purple and white carrots that are a sweet, crunchy and nowadays orange variety is very popular, it was developed by the Dutch growers in the 16th century. All varieties of carrots are equally nutritious but different in taste and use, dogs can have them all and they are:
- Highly Digestible
- Highly Nutritious
- Highly Effective
If you are new dog owner then it will be really amazing for you to know in few matters it acts like a medicine and bring quite a fast results. It is a quick remedy and a homemade solution in many of cases Like:
- Relieves Digestive Problems
- Quickly Cures Dog Diarrhea
- Boosts Immune System
- Nourishes Skin & Coat
Just like other root vegetables carrots also start losing nutrients as they come out of the ground at harvest. Store-bought carrots are less nutritious and can be harmful to dogs and when fresh air come out of ground moisture, air and light may diminish the nutrient content. In this article we discuss the nutritional facts and also the question that common dogs owners have in mind.
Nutritional Facts of Carrots
Carrots are high in water content it ranges from 86 to 95% and it has only 10% of edible portion. Its naturally sweet/sugary delicious and crunchy, carrots are a healthy addition to the daily meal of dogs as they offer a lot of benefits and rich in nutrients. Root vegetables come with wholesome health benefits for dogs like carrots has:
The nutrition facts for two small-to-medium raw carrots (100 grams) are:
- Calories: 41
- Water: 88%
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Carbs: 9.6 grams
- Sugar: 4.7 grams
- Fibre: 2.8 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
Carrots are a good source of vitamins like they have Vitamin A, Biotin, Vitamin K1, Potassium, Vitamin B6 & Vitamin C. they are also exceptionally rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as folic acid thiamin, pantothenic acid and many others. Carrots are also rich in polyacetylene antioxidant, falcarinol which helps to fight against the cancer.
| Sr. | Reasons/Benefits |
|---|---|
| 1 | Carrots are beneficial for digestive health of dogs |
| 2 | Improve vision and prevent eye diseases |
| 3 | Carrots eliminate chances of cancer in dogs |
| 4 | Good to control diabetes |
| 5 | Supportive of cardiovascular health and blood pressure |
| 6 | Carrots provide strong bones |
| 7 | Carrots improve immune function of dogs and improve healing |
| 8 | Nutritious vegetable for weight management in dogs |
| 9 | Repair Skin and provide a healthy coat |
| 10 | Can be a good addition to any food |
1. Carrots are beneficial for the digestive health of dogs
Digestion problems in dogs are the most common reasons for vet visits, anything like changes in diet, food intolerance or stress can lead to digestion issues. Mot of time dietary indiscretion leads to dog diarrhea, and many large breeds are more prone to it.
Carrots are helpful to regulate the metabolism of dogs, the fiber fills dog up and contributes to good digestion and absorption, chronic diarrhea and loose softer/loose stools that your dog is unable to hold and are impossible to pick can be solved with carrots.
The soluble fiber in carrots supports the digestive organs of your dog in many ways.
2. Improve vision and prevent eye diseases
Good eyesight is a necessity for dogs so they can sense the threat from far away and with the aging factor they lose this ability, Vitamins A from carrots helps to protect the dog’s vision from the diseases and gives them a sharp vision. If your dog is feeling difficulty in seeing then its right time to start adding carrots in his daily food.
Most of the time the eyesight problem which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin A can be recovered/solved while adding carrots in the daily food of your dog. On the other side, the antioxidants from the carrots prevent age-related macular degeneration which is a type of vision loss.
3. Carrots eliminate chances of cancer in dogs
Free radicals in the body of dogs increase the chances of this fatal disease and in result, your dog may suffer from cancer, in some breed it’s more common. Antioxidants from the carrots helps to reduce and free radicals, antioxidants effects dietary carotenoids the red, orange, yellow organic pigments of carrots can reduce the risk of cancer in your four-paws family member. Lutein and zeaxanthin are two examples of these carotenoids
Carrots are rich in vitamin A and also provide sufficient quantity of beta carotene, two provitamin A, alpha-carotene that lately converted into vitamin an as needed, this sufficient intake of vitamin A also can reduce the risk of cancer in dogs.
4. Good to control diabetes
As a human, we can tell that carrots are sweet and they contain natural sugar, but carrots have a sweet flavor with little sugar in it.
Generally, carbohydrates make up around 10% of a carrot and we can expect half of that as sugar while 30% per cent from that carbohydrates is fibre content and these are amazingly low in calories.
So carrots are low in sugar, low in calories and high in fiber and this is the reason carrots scores low on the GI (glycemic index) that support to control the blood sugar level. Even excessive intake of carrots dog no spike the sugar level in dogs. Make it part of your dog food make it easy in older dogs to keep the blood sugar level on the right level.
5. Supportive of cardiovascular health and blood pressure
In the aging dogs its essential to feed them a diet that can take care of their heart as well and can lower the blood pressure. Heart attack is very rare in dogs but they can get caught into heart diseases. Potassium and fibre from the carrots may help to manage the blood pressure of dogs and potassium also helps to relax the blood vessels that prevent many cardiac issues. Dogs with a high fibre diet are less prone to cardiac diseases. Feeding plenty of fibre to your dog can help to reduce the cholesterol in the blood.
Vegetables can actually prevent arteries from getting clogged. Fibre helps the heart of dog to stay clear and beta-carotene is also supportive.
6. Carrots provide strong bones
Just like humans, dogs also need vitamin K to get healthy bones, especially in the growing year and thereafter after to protect the bones from several diseases. The fact is carrots contain a small amount of calcium and phosphorus. These ingredients contribute to bone health and help to prevent bone disease in dogs, deficiency of calcium can increase the chances of fractures in dogs so regular intake of carrots can cover this deficiency. Recently a genetically-modified carrot that provides extra calcium has been developed by scientists.
7. Carrots improve the immune function of dogs and improve healing
Dogs health starts from the gut and there is nothing simpler and more effective to promote gut health and boost immunity in dogs other than carrots. Carrots are a rich source of another antioxidant that is vitamin C, which is responsible for the production of collagen known as a key component of connective tissue and necessary to stay in good health for dogs and support to quickly heal the wounds.
As we know, a healthy immune system which can fight diseases helps to prevent many diseases. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that takes scavenging action on harmful free radicals in the body of dogs. Antioxidants from carrots apart from helping the body against free radical damage they also guard the body against harmful bacteria, viruses and infections.
8. Nutritious vegetable for weight management in dogs
Carrots have a small but significant amount of fibre, and low in calories and fats, for the dogs, they are rich in fibre but alone not enough to provide the required daily intake of fibre. Boiled carrots contain more fibre as compared to raw and cooked carrots. For overweight dogs eating fibre-rich food is a solution because that takes more time to digest and hence regular small intake of carrots helps to get required results.
If you are providing a weight loss diet to your dog then you must include carrots in his diet. Carrots with soluble and insoluble fibres are perfect vegetables for dogs, it will give your dog a feeling of fullness and in result he reduces intake. They are fluid dense that means they have a lot of water that also helps to feel full.
9. Repair Skin and provide a healthy coat
Dog owners know well that skin and coat problems are common reasons for vet visits. In dogs skin, problems are more complex to deal because anything affecting the sin unusually will affect the hair coat. Due to skin problems, hair coats of dogs become dull. Keep in mind outside appearance is an indication of inner health in dogs. There are many internal and external factors that can affect the overall health of skin and coat.
Carrots are famous in humans for healthy complexion but for dogs, it contains Vitamin A that repairing the skin tissues and protects the skin from diseases and allergies. Carrots are high in beta carotene in addition to vitamins, as well as high in antioxidants and all of these factors support to get shiny lush coats and healthy skin. Along with soft and shiny coat carrots also Enhances coat colour, markings and pigmentation.
10. Can be a good addition to any food
Many dog owners love to feed carrots to dogs because it’s easy to feed carrots to dogs, as an owner you cannot cook each day a recipe for your dog buy when you have liberty to feed either cooked or raw then you can have multiple options.
Shredded or threshed Carrots can be added to any commercial kibble as a topping either raw or cooked. And you can make a recipe for your dog while adding protein source in carrots.
What are the benefits to dog owners?
Carrots are not only beneficial for dogs they are beneficial for dog owners here are some benefits that dog owners get:
- Carrots are easy to grow, you can grow carrots in your garden for your dog
- Carrots are a common household staple and easily available in fresh form
- Carrots are inexpensive and will not increase your budget significantly
- Carrots are easy to cook/prepare, you can serve them in many ways either shredded or cook and even boiled
- Finally, your dog loves to eat carrots, in every form dogs love carrots and want to eat more
What are the disadvantages of carrots for dogs?
The only disadvantage that we discover until now is linked with the overdosage of carrots. When the excessive quantity is fed it can create a problem for your dog because carrots are full of fiber and excessive fiber can create digestion problems. your are also advised to stop feeding carrots to constipated dogs.
When not to feed carrots to your dog?
Until now there is no such restriction, but you should stop feeding carrots to your dog when he is constipated and when he is seriously ill, because both of considerations require different treatments and carrots cannot help. Otherwise, you must discuss the facts with the vet to reach on a final decision.
Can dogs eat raw carrots?
Dogs cannot properly digest raw carrots due to the lack of enzyme amylase. But they can if you feed them a limited quantity like half of the medium-sized carrot in a day is enough for them in raw shape. While you can feed them half cup or a medium-sized carrot in cooked form.
Can dogs eat cooked carrots?
Yes, dogs can eat cooked carrots but offering human food that contains carrots can be harmful to them. Prefer to add carrots in any dog food recipe that you can make at home. Or you may cook carrots separately and then add to usual commercial kibble of your dog.
Can dogs eat carrots and peas?
Just like humans dogs love to eat the food which is cook with carrots and peas, both are equally nutritious for dogs and taste great and in the cooked form, with an added source of protein, these make an ideal tasty and nutritious meal for dogs. It’s a taste that your dog will never forget and want to have again and again.
Prefer to add fresh peas in your dog food and avoid canned because that contain sodium that can badly affect the stomach of your dog and he may have loose stool.
Can dogs eat carrot cake?
We were wondering why dog owners ask this question because carrots cake rarely used in humans but laterally we find that everything that dog owners eat want to share that with their pooch, it pushes them to ask for it.
Carrot cake is not toxic dogs can have it, but share a small piece with your four-legged friend as baked items are not harmful to dogs but carrot cakes contain sugar that is not good for the overall health of dogs as well as for their teeth that usually not brushed.
Can dogs eat baby carrots?
Baby carrots are more easy to digest because of their softness and water level. They are soft as compare to fully grown carrots and contain more nutrients as well as water. Dogs can surely have baby carrots. If you are in plan to feed raw carrots to your dog then preference should be given to baby carrots, because they are easy to digest and when you are feeding to a puppy either in the cooked or raw form you must consider babby carrots.
Can dogs eat carrots and celery?
Surely they can have, a mixture of these two foods will make good to eat a diet which is more nutritious and healthy. Celery is known for good breath and can support and provide white teeth in dogs. If your dog is suffering from bad breath problem that also can be solved with celery. Combination of these two in the cooked form with an added protein source make a perfect meal for dogs that they will love to eat and it can keep them healthy. When you are feeding both prefer to feed only in boiled or cooked form.
Are carrots good for dogs of all ages?
do you want to feed your dog carrots and but worried are carrots good for dogs of any age? the simple answer to this question is yes they are good for dogs of every age. For puppies, carrots can help to get a sharp vision as well as large and strong Skelton and for young dogs, it’s necessary to keep them in good energy while for old ones it’s a right food to give them what they need and feeding carrots can extend their life span.
Are carrots ok for dogs is not a question anymore? it’s absolutely fine for dogs to have carrots but feeding methods can be different keeping in view the age like puppies may feel difficulty to digest the raw carrots so feed them boiled and cooked.
Are carrots safe for dogs during illness?
It widely depends on the disease, like if your dog is suffering from the digestion problems like regulation of metabolism, loose or soft stools, stomach pain, etc then definitely you can feed carrots to your dog to regulate and slow down his metabolism and it will really bring amazing results.
Its also beneficial in bone, cancer and eye disease but carrots give a feel of fill that might not be good so consult with your wet may for fast recovery he advise some special food to increase the energy level of your dog.
How many carrots can dogs eat?
Keep in mind carrots are high in fiber and an excessive amount of fiber intake can invite some bowel issues and your dog may suffer from constipation and other irregularities. So it’s necessary to feed with care and provide them with a quantity that they can digest. We advise to not feed more than a medium-sized carrot or half cup in a single day. if you are feeding raw carrots then reduce the quantity to the half carrot.
How to serve carrots to dogs
These roots can be served in many ways there not specific method to feed just feed as you want and as your dog like it. Here are some serving ideas:
- Make a recipe at home & including carrots in that
- Cooks carrots along with a protein source
- Offer carrots to your dog in shredded or threshed form as the topping of the usual food
- Add a little health supplement on the shredded carrots and offer your dog as an off-time meal
- Boil the carrots and cut them into small pieces to mix in any commercial food
There can be many other ways just figure out how your pooch like to eat these roots and then all will become easy for you. Make a routine to feed carrots to your dog and it will bring really good results.