The Truth About Squash For Dogs

squash

Come fall season, one vegetable a lot of people (including yours truly) go crazy over is squash. Whether it be zucchini, yellow, butternut, summer, acorn, or spaghetti squash, you can’t go wrong. Grill that thing and feed it to me and I’m the happiest person on earth eating away!

But what about our furry friends? Can dogs have squash? Or is squash bad for dogs?

Can Dogs Eat Squash Safely?

Even though there isn’t any real reason to make you want to feed your canine any squash, as the bulk of their diet should be focused on nutritious dog food, but YES, you can safely feed your dog squash without it being harmful, toxic, or poisonous to them! 🙂

Many pet owners like to feed their animals vegetables [1] from time to time in a diversified diet, and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you slowly introduce squash into your dog’s diet over time and gradually build up to it, it’s done in moderation and remains a rare occurrence in their diet.

But, you should be aware of a couple of things that will be explained in this article before giving squash for your canine to eat.

How Can Dogs Have Squash?

The best way you can prepare squash to serve it to your pet is by properly cooking or baking it.

Feeding your dog raw squash could turn out to be a not-so-good idea, because their digestive system might not be able to handle processing raw squash like it would process cooked squash, which will lead to stomach aches, bloating, gas and constipation.

The same way many other vegetables are best fed to canines after they’re properly cooked/boiled/steamed, the same holds true for any type of squash: zucchini, yellow, butternut, summer, acorn, or spaghetti.

You should also remember to remove the seeds and the skin from the squash before you give any to your pooch to eat.

orange squash

Also, feeding your dog squash on its own may not be the most effective of ways to go about doing it.

Not that there’s anything wrong with giving your pet cooked squash on its own to eat, but they just might not like it as much on its own.

Instead, consider cooking some squash, cutting it up and adding a small amount of tiny cut pieces into a meaty meal your dog is having.

Please don’t add any sodium, seasonings or toppings to the squash you give to your pup, as these can lead to toxicity forming in their body.

Only give it to them in its normal form, the same way nature gave it to us.

Squash For Dogs Recipe

Since many pet owners often try to experiment on this alone, and end up coming up with a mix that includes all the ingredients, seasonings and toppings that should never be fed to canines (especially a whole bunch of salt and sugar), the best way to get your juices flowing is by showing you a template dog treat recipe based on squash that you could follow and play around with.

Of course, this only holding true assuming you remain within the realms of ingredients that canines can safely eat.

If you run a quick search online, you’ll find many delicious treats that you can prepare for your pooch in no time.

Some of these DIY treats are safer than others, in regards to the dog-friendly ingredients included, so we’ve picked one of the safest and easiest recipes you can prepare today.

Check out this beautiful recipe and preparation instructions for “Butternut Squash Dog Treats” from the guys over at Cascadekennels.

Why Is Squash Good For Dogs?

Squash is excellent for your canine’s health because it:

  • Provides plenty of vitamins [2], such as vitamin A and C
  • Provides plenty of minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper and manganese
  • Contains important anti-oxidants [3] such as Beta Carotene which help fight inflammations in the body, heart disease and kidney disease
  • Helps improve immunity system
  • Helps improve vision as they age

In case your pup is allergic to squash or exhibits problematic symptoms after fed a small amount of properly prepared squash, then don’t be too upset, as the health benefits your dog will get from squash (and any other human food for that matter) are only minimal at best.

Watch this video to learn signs your dog might be having food allergies:

Humans benefit tremendously from such fruits and vegetables, because our digestive systems were designed this way, but the bulk of the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and health benefits your canine receives come from the dog food you get for them that meets all their dietary needs.

Human foods such as squash should only be thought of as a very non-frequent add-on to their diet that could be given to them from time to time, nothing to put too much hope on in terms of providing impressive health benefits to canines.

Resources

1. Does Your Dog Need Vegetables? https://pets.webmd.com/features/does-dog-need-veggies#1

2. Vitamins Your Dog Needs for a Healthy Lifestyle https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/vitamins-dogs-need-healthy-lifestyle/

3. Benefits of Antioxidants in Pet Food https://www.hillspet.com/pet-care/nutrition-feeding/benefits-of-antioxidants-in-pet-food

4 COMMENTS

  1. I discovered my dogs LOVE butternut squash quite by accident. I had roasted two whole squash to cut up and freeze for when I wanted to make a quick soup. However, I accidentally dropped a cube of cooked squash on the floor and my dog gobbled it up! I gave her another piece (as well as my other dog) and that was gobbled up as well. How surprised I was to find that squash was a hit (they won’t eat any other vegetable that finds it way on the floor). Now, I have to keep cooked squash on hand for their “treat”. Who knew?!

  2. There is no dog food that is very nutritious. They have all had the life cooked out of them. All creatures need fresh food. I feed my dogs fresh home made meals of fresh meat, organ meats, veggies,potato, sweet potato and fruits, eggs, etc. Along with brewers yeast, and coconut oil. My dogs have a glossy coat, more energy and they don’t stink. They also have very little gas and it doesn’t stink either. Dog food is terrible stuff.

  3. D.J.,
    I totaly agree with u. I give my dogs alot of human food as the dog food is over processed. I freeze squash in ice cube trays and give it to them in a popsicle form. Sometimes I top it with peanut butter. Other times i make them frozen yogurt. With peanut butter, yogurt vanilla, and banana. They go crazy over it. I also use frozen greenbeans as treats. Id love to get some recipes from ya.
    Thank you, Teresa

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