If you’re anything of a peach lover and rank it among your favorite fruits, you’ve probably felt the urge of wanting to share this juicy, tasty fruit with your little furry friend.
Or, you may be trying to adopt a more healthy lifestyle that incorporates a wide variety of fruits into it, and are thinking of sharing some peaches with your dog since your new healthy diet entails you to consume some yourself.
But before you do just that, you must ask yourself or run a simple search on the internet (which is probably what brought you here in the first place!) asking “can dogs eat peaches?” and “are peaches good for dogs to eat?”.
And considering you just did that and landed on this article, let’s get into the good stuff!
Can Dogs Have Peaches?
The short answer to this question is, YES, dogs can eat peaches!
The cases where dog owners have given their dogs some peaches and their dogs haven’t like it very much aren’t all that common, so chances are your dog will love to eat a few slices of peach whenever given the opportunity to have this treat.
However, and as you will discover in this article in just a few minutes, there are some things you should really know about before you feed your dog any peaches, just as is the case when it comes to similar fruits like apples and oranges.
So, don’t go just yet! Read on.
How Can Dogs Eat Peaches?
Preparing Peach For Your Dog To Eat
If your dog is to eat peaches, the best and safest way to go about doing this is you preparing peach to give to your dog yourself.
Your dog should only consume the flesh of a ripe peach, while staying away from any peach pits, because these contain cyanide (which is poisonous to your dog) and could even sometimes pose as a choking hazard, get stuck and cause a blockage in your dog’s digestive tract or lead to intestinal inflammation in your dog (aka enteritis).
Sure, if your dog were to swallow a single peach pit, that wouldn’t be enough cyanide levels in their body to cause toxicity in their body, especially if your dog is larger in size than the average dog out there.
They’d need to eat a whole bunch of peach pits in order for that to pose a toxicity risk on their bodies.
But, it’s the other health hazards we worry about just as well that make it a good practice to remove any pits from the peach before dogs make their way to it.
Peach pits are also very dangerous to dogs because dogs like to chew foreign stuff they’re not really familiar with, it gives them pleasure for some reason.
And your dog will do just that with a peach stone, which will lead to nothing but harm for their teeth and jaws.
What To Do If Your Dog Swallows A Peach Pit
In case you find out that your dog has swallowed a peach pit by mistake, get in immediate contact with your veterinarian about the issue.
Here are some signs that your dog has swallowed a peach pit:
- Dilated pupils
- Excessive drooling
- Difficulty in breathing
- Heavy panting
- Dizziness
- Shock
Again, the majority of dogs won’t show these symptoms if they’ve just eaten one peach pit, but it’s still very possible depending on your dog’s size, as larger sized dogs have a slight higher tolerance threshold than smaller sized dogs.
This doesn’t mean that you should take the risk though, ALWAYS remove the pit before your dog eats peach.
Additional Safety Measures For You To Consider
Try to make sure that any peach pit you throw in the trash can is not accessible by your dog, or there’s always the risk that they open up the trash can, pick up the pit and, who knows what could happen from there.
So, any stems, leaves, and seeds should be completely removed from the peach before it’s served to your dog in order to avoid any health problems.
If you have a garden in your property where you grow peach trees, you should know that these peach trees contain lots of cyanide in their leaves and stems, and your dog should get nowhere near them.
You should also be aware that any peach you purchase from the market is probably loaded with toxic pesticides and preservatives on its skin, which is why you should clean the peach very well before feeding it to your dog.
Moreover, peaches which have mold on them contain lots of bacteria and toxins that are very dangerous to your dog’s health, and could sometimes even lead to death.
How Much Peaches Can Dogs Eat?
When it comes to any kind of fruit dogs want to eat, the answer is the same for all of them, MODERATION.
You’re going to want to moderate the amount of peaches your dog eats at all times, or else you’ll have a messy case of diarrhea on your hands you’re going to have to clean up after!
On average, a good rule of thumb is to cut the peach down into small pieces/slices, and feed your dog 1-2 (maximum of 3) slices at first.
Can Dogs Eat Canned Peaches?
Regarding the problem of peaches and their pits when it comes to feeding dogs this fruit, many people would suggest that you feed your dog canned peaches, seeing as these come ready for your dog to eat with the pit removed beforehand.
But, you ask, is this a good idea? Can dogs eat canned peaches or are canned peaches bad for dogs? Unfortunately, canned peaches are bad for dogs and they should never be allowed to eat them.
Canned peaches almost always have a lot of artificial sweeteners and chemical preservatives added to them, all of which are a surefire way to have your dog require immediate and serious emergency care.
Not to mention the sugar-filled syrup that canned peaches come literally swimming in, your dog surely doesn’t need any of that junk!
The natural sugars that are found in pears are enough by themselves to risk your dog having stomach issues, so just imagine what the added artificial sugar (which your dog cannot digest in the first place) will do.
So, make sure you keep your dog as far away as possible from any canned peaches, and stick to the natural peaches, which is the way we (and dogs) are meant to eat them anyway.
Why Are Peaches Good For Dogs?
Peaches:
- Are a great source of vitamin A
- Are a great source of vitamin C
- Are full of minerals the body needs
- Are a great source of antioxidants
- Are relatively low in calories and high in fiber, which makes them an excellent choice for a snack in situations such as where you’re training your dog and need that something special to keep them motivated and focused
- Are a good source of proteins which help in tissue repair and the healing of wounds
- Are known to really boost immune systems and fight infections away
- Keep your dog’s skin condition in excellent shape and fight skin infections.
- Help in improving liver and kidney functions by flooding away toxins from your dog’s body
Though peaches are rich in Vitamin C, E, A among other things, it should be highlighted that it is a choking hazard too, especially if you tend to give the pit to your dog.
Yes I agree I would definitely avoid giving them the pit.