The sweet potato, also known as sweet potato or sweet potato, is a tuber that is consumed as a vegetable. In a very energetic food, rich in carbohydrates and vitamins (mainly vitamin A). In addition, the sweet potato does not contain any element that is toxic to dogs, so you can include it in your furry companion's diet as long as you do it properly.
If you are interested in knowing if dogs can eat sweet potatoes and what sweet potatoes do for dogs, we invite you to read the following article on our site in which we explain what its benefits are and how you should give it to your dog.
Is sweet potato good for dogs?
Sweet potatoes are a food that can be included as a source of carbohydrates in the diet of dogs. In fact, you can find it on the ingredients list of some commercial feeds.
This is a food with a sweet taste that is usually very pleasing to most dogs. However, we must bear in mind that it is a vegetable very rich in sugar, so we must offer it to our dog occasionally and in moderation In the following sections We explain what the sweet potato brings to dogs and how you should include it in their diet.
Benefits of sweet potatoes for dogs
If at this point you are wondering what sweet potatoes do for dogs, pay attention to the benefits of including them as part of their diet:
- The sweet potato is a very energetic food; It provides about 100 kcal per 100 g of edible portion. This is due to its richness in sugars and complex carbohydrates such as starch. This high caloric intake of sweet potatoes can be recommended in the diet of young dogs, with great physical activity or that are weakened or convalescing. However, there will be certain physiological and pathological situations in which it will not be indicated to include sweet potatoes in our dog's diet. Later we will explain in which situations you should not give your dog sweet potatoes.
- Regarding its vitamin content, the sweet potato stands out for its high content of vitamin A, which is necessary for proper functioning of the immune system, vision, growth and development. It also stands out for its high content of β-carotene, a pigment that is transformed into vitamin A in the body. In this other article we talk in depth about the importance of vitamin A for dogs. Other vitamins found in the sweet potato in considerable quantities are vitamin C and vitamin E In lower amounts, it also contains B vitamins such as vitamin B9 (folic acid) and vitamin B6.
- With regard to its mineral content, potassium and phosphorusare the predominant micronutrients.
How to give a dog a sweet potato?
As we have explained, the sweet potato is a vegetable that you can include in your dog's diet as it provides multiple nutrients and benefits. However, we must remember that it is a food rich in sugars, so should not be part of your dog's usual diet. If you feed your dog a homemade diet, you can include it in his ration occasionally (not daily). If you feed your dog commercial feed, you can offer the sweet potato as a sweet treat, but also occasionally.
In case you decide to give your dog sweet potato, you should always peel it and cook it You should never offer raw sweet potato to your dog, since it contains Dioscorine, an alkaloid-type plant toxin that affects the central nervous system. This toxin is destroyed by the action of heat, hence the importance of cooking the sweet potato before offering it to the animal.
To cook it, you can choose to bake it or cook it:
- If you decide to bake it: cut it into strips or dice, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add a few drops of olive oil. olive. Then cook it in the oven at 180ºC for about 20 minutes.
- If you decide to cook it: cut it into cubes, place it in a pot with water and cook it for about 15 minutes. If you usually feed your dog a homemade ration, you can boil the sweet potato with the rest of the ingredients of his diet (proteins, cereals and other vegetables). In this other post we share all the details to take into account when feeding your dog homemade food: "Natural food for dogs - Quantities, recipes and advice". We also share a video with a very simple recipe that you can make by adding sweet potatoes.
In any case, you should know that there are some situations in which it is not advisable to include this food in your dog's diet. Therefore, do not forget to consult a veterinarian specialized in animal nutrition before offering sweet potatoes to your dog.
Contraindications of sweet potatoes in dogs
As we have already mentioned, the sweet potato is a very caloric food due to its high content of carbohydrates. This makes it inappropriate to include sweet potatoes in the diet of some dogs. Thus, the contraindications are as follows:
- Obesity: in overweight dogs it is necessary to provide a low carbohydrate diet and select more fibrous vegetables.
- Advanced age: in older dogs the basal metabolism decreases up to 20%, which implies that it is necessary to reduce the energy supply by reducing the levels of fat and carbohydrates in the diet.
- Diabetes: in diabetic dogs, carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, such as sweet potatoes, should be replaced by those with slow absorption.
- Hypothyroidism: The metabolic rate of hypothyroid dogs is decreased, so it is also important to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in their diet.
