Celery is the butt of many diet jokes. Some people jokingly claim that chewing celery burns more calories than the celery actually contains.
If you’re one of the people who likes celery, you probably have it on hand to toss into soups, casseroles, and to munch on between meals. If you want to share a stalk with your dog, it is actually safe for them to eat.
Is Celery Good for Your Dog?
Dogs can eat celery, and if it’s eaten in moderation, it can actually be good for them. Celery may not have much flavor on its own, but it’s packed with nutrition. This unassuming looking vegetable has high levels of minerals and vitamins, including calcium, potassium, sodium, iron, and the vitamins A, B, and C.
This wide variety of nutrients improve the frequency and ease of bowel movements and support a strong immune system. Celery also has pthalides that lower blood pressure.
The pthalides relax the muscles around the arteries, causing them to dilate and allow for easier blood flow. They also lower cholesterol by increasing how much bile acid is being released by the liver.
Celery is actually a natural diuretic, meaning it stimulates urine production. This helps flush out the body’s toxins and maintain good kidney and urinary health.
Celery juice has been linked to a decrease in joint disorders, especially arthritis, making it a good option for older or active dogs.
How to Prepare Celery for Your Dog
Raw celery can be hard for your dog to chew. You know how stringy celery is, and you’ve surely found yourself chewing one bite of celery for a bit too long.
You have the teeth designed to chew celery and it’s still difficult, so imagine how hard it would be to chew it with teeth that are designed to shred and grind meat. Plus, how many wolves are seen crunching on some celery in the wild?
If you and your vet have come to the conclusion that celery could benefit your dog, juicing it is the best way to give it. It’s easier for your dogs to absorb the nutrients, and it eliminates the pesky need to chew. However, this makes it easy to give them too much.
A bunch of celery creates a very small amount of juice, so you have to quantify their serving by how much celery you’ve used, not by how much juice they’re drinking. Too much celery will lead to an upset stomach, and it will most likely give your dog a severe case of diarrhea.
Some dogs just can’t handle celery in any amount, and if this happens to be your dog, you should stop giving it and just feed them their regular food.
When you worry about your dog’s diet, you should always bring your concerns to your veterinarian for the best guidance on what your dog needs. A high-quality dog food will offer your dog all of the nutrients they need, so anything you add to your dog’s diet should only complement their main diet, not replace it.
Taking the necessary precautions will ensure your dog isn’t harmed by the additional food and they can reap all of the wonderful benefits instead.
