Blueberries are small berries that are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and other antioxidant compounds. Dogs can benefit from its flavor and its nutritional contribution, since they do not contain any compound that is toxic to their body. However, when these fruits are included in the diet of dogs, it is important to take into account a series of considerations to avoid any unwanted effects.
Do you want to know if dogs can eat blueberries? Don't miss the following article on our site in which we explain what its benefits are for dogs and how they should be offered.
Are blueberries good for dogs?
Blueberries are low-calorie berries that are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and other antioxidant compounds. In addition, they do not contain any substance that is toxic to the body of dogs, which makes them a fruit suitable for them
However, like all other dog-friendly fruits, blueberries should be offered in moderation. Including them in the diet as a prize or reward will be a great strategy for dogs to benefit from their flavor and nutritional value.
If you want to know more about Fiber for dogs: importance, food and supplements, don't hesitate to take a look at this other article that we recommend.
Benefits of blueberries for dogs
Including blueberries in the dog's diet entails a series of benefits that we will detail below:
- They are low-calorie fruits: since they contain moderate levels of carbohydrates and low levels of protein and fat. This means that they can be offered as a low-calorie treat to obese or overweight dogs that require low-energy diets. Here you can find more information about the Diet for obese dogs.
- They are a good source of fiber: which is a fundamental nutrient in the diet of dogs. Specifically, fiber is responsible for adding volume to the ration and creating a feeling of satiety, accelerating the speed of intestinal transit, regulating stool consistency and promoting the maintenance of the beneficial intestinal microbiota. Therefore, it is important to maintain fiber levels of 2-5% in the dog's diet.
- They contain a high level of vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin E: vitamin A maintains the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes and contributes to the proper functioning of the immune system, vision, reproduction and the urinary system. Vitamin K is involved in blood coagulation and in the maintenance of bones. For its part, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is also involved in the metabolism of fats. Find out more about the doses and uses of Vitamin A for dogs, Vitamin K for dogs and Vitamin E for dogs in these other articles on our site that we recommend.
- They are berries rich in manganese: an essential trace element for the proper functioning of the brain and for the production of thyroid hormones.
- Blueberries are among the foods with the highest antioxidant power: due to the combined action of their vitamins, minerals and a fortnight of anthocyanins, among which are delphinidin, motilin, malvidin and petunidin. These antioxidants protect against cell damage caused by free radicals, thus slowing down the development of cardiovascular diseases, tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.
- It has hippuric acid and proanthocyanidin: which prevent the development of urinary tract infections by reducing the ability of E. coli to adhere to the bladder urothelium.
How to give a dog blueberries?
When we decide to offer blueberries to our dog, there are a series of considerations that we must take into account, such as the dose of blueberries that we can offer our dog. For this reason, we are going to see some of these aspects below.
Amount of blueberries and frequency
First of all, we need to consider how much and how often we can offer our dog blueberries. The amount will depend on the size of your race, fundamentally. In this sense, we can offer small dogs 3 or 4 blueberries and large dogs up to 8 or 9. As for the frequency, we must know that blueberries should be offered in moderation, like the rest of fruits suitable for dogs. dogs. The best option is to include them in our dog's diet as a reward, occasionally.
Fresh, clean blueberries
The best option is to offer fresh blueberries, as frozen berries can pose a choking hazard, especially in small dogs. Logically, this fruit should not be offered in the form of jams or preserves, since they are preparations with a high sugar content and these products may contain substances that are toxic to dogs, such as xylitol.
On the other hand, before offering the blueberries to your dog, you should wash them with plenty of water to remove possible contaminants or pesticides from its surface. In case you collect the fruits yourself, try to select those that are far from sources of contamination such as roads or highways.
Unmixed Blueberries
Although there are various fruits of the forest that are suitable for dogs (such as blackberries, raspberries or blueberries), there are others such as currants that are highly toxicfor them. Therefore, whenever you decide to offer blueberries to your dog, make sure that they are not mixed with other fruits that could have detrimental effects on their he alth.
In any case, remember that whenever you add a new food to your dog's diet, you should do so in moderation and paying special attention to the appearance of any unwanted effects.
Can dogs eat blackberries? Find out the answer in this other article that we suggest.
Contraindications of blueberries in dogs
Although blueberries are a fruit that we can include in our dogs' diet, there are some situations in which their contribution may not be recommended.
- Food allergies: dogs with food allergies must follow a strict diet based on feed with hydrolyzed proteins, being counterproductive the incorporation of new foods in the diet of these dogs. Learn more about food allergy in dogs, its symptoms and treatment in this other post on our site.
- Chronic gastrointestinal pathologies: such as chronic gastritis or inflammatory bowel disease. For more information on Gastritis in dogs, its symptoms and treatment, don't hesitate to read this other article.
- Food intolerances or with a digestive system especially sensitive to changes in food: here you can read more about the Food for dogs with food intolerance.
