Pumpkins and Dog Nutrition?

Why and How Much Pumpkin Good for Dogs?
This festive gourd is considered a miracle food for dogs. It’s a great source of fiber and has a high water content, making it great for digestive regularity. It’s so good for digestion, it can help with both, diarrhea and constipation. It also has vitamins and acids that are great for our pup’s skin and coat. It’s loaded with beta-carotene that converts to vitamin A. Dogs tend to love the taste of this meaty squash, but just a little goes a long way. Just add one tablespoon straight from the can to their normal food at each regular meal. For very small dogs, a teaspoon might be better. Just remember too much vitamin A is toxic for dogs so don’t exceed the recommended amount at mealtime. And if our canine companion has diabetes or chronic kidney disease, we should check with our vet first. We can also prepare cooked pumpkin. Cut wedges and place them skin side up on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leave in a low temp oven for 90 minutes or until the wedges are tender when they are stuck with a fork. Once they’re cool enough, cut the skin off and share a tablespoon sized treat with Fido. Scrape the rest of the meat off the skin, mash it with a fork and place it in the fridge for later. If we have more than we can share with our pups before it goes bad, we can add it to ice trays and freeze it for later. Just thaw block as needed!
Get to the Root of the Problem
Sharing this Fall favorite with our fur-babies as a treat or a mealtime digestive aid is a delicious way to boost their nutrition. But if it becomes a necessary digestive aid in the long-term, it’s important to ask why. 