Is Squash Good for Dogs?
Squash may not be the most popular vegetable on the shelf, but when cooked correctly, it can be a delicious and versatile addition to your meals. However, can you give it to your dog or should you avoid adding it to your dog’s dietary rotation? Yes, and it is nutritious too!
Can I Give My Dog Butternut Squash?
There isn’t anything dangerous in any variety of squash (butternut, zucchini, pumpkin, etc) that would mean your dog should avoid this vegetable. Squash is very high in fiber and can be considered a fruit because they contain the seeds of the plant, thus hard to break down when it’s raw. If you do opt to feed your pup squash, you should always cook it first. Raw squash of any kind could cause gastrointestinal upset if fed uncooked and/or in large amounts.
There a ton of varieties of squash like zucchini, crookneck, and straight neck, and winter varieties such as acorn, spaghetti, butternut, Calabaza, and Hubbard. All these varieties are good for dogs and can be given to them in controlled quantities.
How Is Butternut Squash Good for Dogs?
Butternut Squash and all other types of squash are essential for your pooch, they can help your good improve vision, squash is well known to boost immunity in dogs so they are particularly useful in making your dog healthy and strong. Butternut Squash is also known for its cardiovascular benefits in dogs with the help of antitoxins. It can be beneficial for older dogs who live less active lives. Some of the Nutrients found in Butternut Squash are:
- Vitamins A, C, E and B6
- Minerals – Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium
- Lots of Dietary Fiber
- Powerful Antioxidants – Beta Carotene
If you are going to add cooked squash to the dog bowl, ensure that you haven’t added any seasonings, particularly salt (which leads to high blood pressure if fed frequently) or garlic/onion (both of which are very toxic to dogs, even in powdered form). If your dog starts to experience stomach upset after eating squash, discontinue it and avoid feeding it in the future. Squash of any variety should always be fed in small amounts to avoid diarrhea.
Is There Any Health Benefit to Squash?
Dogs eating a balanced, prepared kibble aren’t lacking any vitamins in their diets. However, you could certainly use squash to help your overweight dog lose weight. Adding squash to their food bulks up the fiber and helps your dog feel full on less kibble.
Squash Helps with Constipation and diarrhea
As a smart dog owner, you might have witnessed a dog or two in your life that have gastric issues, meaning they might be constipated all the time or they might have problems with digestion and diarrhea. It really helps to add a bit of fiber in your dog’s diet to ease out these problems and squash is the way to go! Squash is packed with fiber and can really help dogs with such problems.
Butternut Squash and Immunity
Squash can provide dogs with a daily dose of 20% of vitamin C. This is useful for dogs who can not produce vitamin C on their own but due to stressful conditions or some diseases dogs are depleted of vitamin C.
Here are the health benefits of Vitamin C in dogs
- Works as an antioxidant
- Essential in collagen formation
- Collagen makes strong skin, teeth, and bones.
- Help in formulating cartilage and connective tissue
- Aids in fighting infections like cold and flu.
- Faster healing of wounds
- Reduces of gums and tooth disease.
- Reduce the risk of certain cancers.
As we said earlier Butternut Squash is sometimes recommended for dogs with bowel issues. It can be used to firm loose stools or soften very hard stools. If you choose to give pumpkin, the best way to feed it is by using the canned pie filling (without any seasonings or additives). So hurry up and give some squash to your dog today.