Our furry best friends have been hunting with us for meals for a very long time. As a result, dogs eat all kinds of things and typically would absolutely love a little of whatever you are eating. So, can dogs have celery?
As it turns out, yes, dogs can have celery. There are some things which you will need to know, however, in order to decide if it is going to be the healthiest treat choice for your dog.
Today we’ll discuss the merits and potential caveats of selecting celery as a doggie breath freshener or healthy treat so you can make the decision for yourself if sharing is truly caring when it comes to celery.
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What are the merits and virtues of celery as a doggie-snack?
Crunching celery can be good for your dog’s teeth and gums and some feel that it also works as a breath freshener. As far as vitamins and minerals, it has the following:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Potassium
- Folate
As far as a doggie treat, if you have an overweight dog that happens to like celery then this can be a great thing. It only has about 6 calories in an 8 inch serving and it’s fat-free to boot. It is also high in fiber as well, and made almost completely from water so it has hydration value.
It also has antioxidants which are believed to help for a number of things, such as keeping eye disease at bay, anti-inflammation, protecting against stomach inflammation and more. All in all, celery seems like an excellent snack for your dog, so what are the caveats?
Are there any health risks or other caveats if you feed a dog celery?
Now that we have mentioned the benefits we should point out that from a vitamin and mineral perspective, your dog’s standard food is formulated to fit these needs and as such, any benefit from the celery from a nutritional standpoint may well be negligible.
Also, while celery has a hydration aspect by being made largely of water, this benefit is negated if your dog eats too much of it. This is because celery acts as a diuretic when consumed in large quantities, which may cause your dog to urinate more frequently and in worse cases may result in the following:
- Abdominal bloating
- Nausea
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Dogs also cannot digest raw vegetables as efficiently as humans can, so this can be a bit of a complication if your dog should consume a very large amount of celery. We should also mention that hypothyroidism is also a higher risk if your dog is eating too much celery, as it can affect the way that iodine is metabolized.
There is some good news, however, as a lot of the limitations have to do with consuming raw celery in large amounts. With a little bit of moderation and with proper preparation you can still take advantage of the benefits of feeding celery to your dog. Let’s explore a few methods so that you can decide what would be the best fit for you and your furry best friend. Give into those puppy dog eyes.
Keep things raw with a little preparation
If your dog really likes raw celery, then there are a couple of things to keep in mind in order to help minimize any potential health concerns. Be sure to do the following:
- Wash the celery well and avoid the leaves, to help reduce the chances of your dog ingesting pesticides that may still be present in the celery.
- Chop the celery up into smaller pieces to avoid choking hazards with dogs that like to eat quickly. Whole stalks are also a bad idea because strands can get caught in the intestines and in the teeth.
- Small pieces of celery that are frozen can make a nice, hydrating summer treat for dogs, just be sure to moderate their intake.
Consider cooking or blending it
Cooking the celery can make it easier to digest for your dog, but you will want to be careful in how you cook it in order to keep as much of the vitamin and mineral content as you feasibly can.
With that in mind, some like to blend it down into a liquid form so that they may add it to their dog’s standard food. That way they can get all of the vitamins with easier digestion, just be sure that you keep the amounts low. Blending too much together can get you the diuretic effects and you want to avoid this.
Some final words
As you can see, dogs can indeed eat celery, but like most things in life a little moderation can go a long way. If it’s your dog’s first time to try celery, be sure to use very small amounts, as some dogs may react different than others where this food is concerned.
With a little patience and moderation celery can be a fine treat for your dog, just be sure to ask your vet if you have any questions or concerns due to any existing issues specific to your dog.
We wish you and your furry friend the best!
For more information on what foods your dogs can and can’t have please our article here.
