Can Dogs Have Mangoes Safely?

Not only do mangoes taste heavenly, but this tropical fruit is one of the healthiest and most delicious fruits ever known to mankind.

Especially during a hot summer day, eating that mango right from the fridge could be the highlight of your day (as it’s often mine many more days than I would like to admit!).

For us humans, mangoes are always recommended as part of our diets, and that’s a very welcome recommendation if you were to ask me! But what about our furry friends? Can dogs eat mangos? And are they safe for canines?

It’s no wonder you feel the urge to share this piece of heaven with your pooch but you should know the facts before you do.

Mango For Dogs: Safe To Eat?

In short, YES, dogs can eat mangoes!

As long as you only feed your pooch mango flesh and don’t let them eat other parts of the mango fruit (we’ll be talking about all of this in the sections below), then mangoes are not bad for your dog to eat.

But, read up a little on some stuff mentioned in this article that you must know about before giving your canine mangoes to eat.

How Can Dogs Eat Mangoes?

Wash Mangoes First

Assuming you aren’t growing your own mangoes in your garden and are buying mangoes from the store instead, the first thing you should do before you feed any mango to your canine (or eat it yourself, for that matter) is thoroughly wash it.

There’s always a possibility that any mango you buy from the store may contain chemicals, pesticides and/or insecticides on them, because of spraying practices some farmers adopt.

So, give any mango you buy from the store and don’t grow yourself a good wash to make sure you get rid of any of the aforementioned harmful chemicals that may otherwise make their way into your body or your pooch’s body, leading to intoxication down the line.

Pit And Peel

The most important thing you should do right away after washing the mangoes and before feeding them to your dog is removing the mango pit, because it can potentially block their digestive system (which could be fatal to your dog and end their life) or intoxicate them due to the chemicals it contains.

Also, and besides removing the mango pit, you should also remove the mango peel (or mango skin, whatever you like to call it) before giving it to them.

Just like the mango pit, mango skin is very hard for your canine’s digestive system to process and could cause gastrointestinal blockages.

You should also make sure to remove any seeds inside the mango before feeding it to your pooch, because they can’t digest mango seeds, and they contain cyanide (which is very poisonous and deadly to dogs).

In case your pup swallows a mango seed, this could either pass by with nothing happening or it could cause a huge health problem in them.

If nothing happens and your dog doesn’t act suspiciously, then you’re lucky!

What To Do If Your Dog Swallows A Mango Seed

However, if the seed gets stuck in your dog’s digestive tract and they start to cough, gulping and refuse to eat or drink anything, then the mango seed is most probably stuck in their esophagus or intestines.

In such a situation, it’s best that you contact your vet, because they will be best equipped to properly and safely remove the mango seed from your pooch’s esophagus, stomach or intestine.

Not to mention the possibility of your dog chewing long and hard on the mango seed to no avail, causing significant tooth damage in the process, because as we all know by now, dogs and especially puppies, love to chew on the most random of things they can get their jaws on!

Mango Leaves

Any leaves on the mango should also be removed and kept far away from your pet’s reach. You may have come across many articles in the past that advocate the use of mango leaves for dozens of benefits for humans, but we’re talking about our canines here and not about us, and mango leaves don’t have anything to offer your dog except for illnesses.

So, basically, the only part of the mango any pup is allowed to eat is strictly the mango flesh – any other part of the mango fruit is completely off limits.

Dried Mango

To play it completely safe, it is best to opt out of feeding your animal any dried mango. Dried mango slices are often tough and hard to chew. This may cause your pup to choke and have a hard time digesting the fruit.

How Much Mangoes Can Dogs Eat?

Feeding your pooch a few, small pieces of mango slices a day seems to be the sweet spot.

Do not make the mistake of feeding them too many mangoes all at once, because that will most likely lead to diarrhea or a painful stomach ache for your dog.

Also, and given the fact that some canines are just born allergic to mangoes, start off by only feeding them just a tiny amount of mango slices and see how they react to them before attempting to feed them any more.

This is especially true when it comes to mangoes because this fruit isn’t exactly the most common of fruits that are frequently fed to dogs.

And, when your pooch doesn’t frequently eat a certain food, you have to start off small because there’s always the possibility of their digestive system starting problems.

Once you make sure your dog isn’t allergic to mangoes, you’re good to go and are able to feed them a moderate amount of mango slices every now and then as a treat.

Why Should Dogs Eat Mangoes?

Dogs should eat mangoes because mangoes, known by their scientific name of Mangifera indica, are:

– A great source of vitamin A, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin E.

– A great provider of pectin.

– An excellent provider of flavonoids (beta-carotene and alpha-carotene).

– Rich in antioxidants (quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat).

– Rich in fiber (which aids the digestion process and helps keep their stool as soft, regular and painless as possible).

– Known to help in lowering cholesterol levels.

– Known to help boost immune systems.

– One of the best and healthiest treats you could ever give at times when they need it most.

Because it’s so tasty but contains only natural sugar and not any added sugar, just a little mango can get your dog right back on track when you need to give them that little push of energy.

– Actually very good for diabetes (at least in humans).

Mangoes are known to have properties that aid in stabilizing insulin levels in the body, which goes a long way in helping patients with diabetes.

The same effect is expected to occur in your pooch’s body, but it’s always best that you talk to your veterinarian before you feed your canine any mango if they’re diabetic.

Check out this video for more details about the benefits of eating mangoes!