Can Dogs Eat Blackberries ?

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Can Dogs Eat Blackberries ?

Yes, the consumption of blackberries is preferred for the canines. But not all berries are good for dogs. As compared to other fruits like holly berries and mistletoe berries, blackberries can be more beneficial for the health of your canine, as the health benefits are quite higher in these berries.

The health benefits include proper immune system functioning, better energy regulation, and many others, and even promoting healthy skin; thus, its consumption is preferred.

Now, the fact to notice here is the consumption of berries in the simple form will be a much better option because, most of the time, the additives lead to health issues in the canine. Thus feeding the dog blackberries as per the nutritional requirement of the canine is preferred.

However, it is better if you avoid some wild berries like juniper berries, holly berries, and mistletoe berries. These berries generally contain toxins that are dangerous to your dog. And also, make sure to give only a few berries to your dog.

Nutritional Value Of Blackberries For Dogs

Blackberries are close families of raspberry groups and contain a lot of vitamins and minerals important for your dog’s health. They are even lower in calories and sugar than some other types of fruits.

Nevertheless, you must give blackberries to your dog only as a snack. Below are the nutritional value of blackberries for dogs. These will answer whether blackberries are good for dogs or not. So, see the nutritional value of blackberries…

• Vitamin A: It helps to boost immunity, supports skin and eye health, and also helps with your dog’s bone growth as well as reproduction.
• Vitamin B: It boosts metabolism, immunity, energy, heart, and brain health, as well as makes a dog’s coat shiny and skin healthy.
• Vitamin C: It helps to boost your dog’s immune system and helps heal wounds; improve iron absorption; collagen formation; and also improve the teeth, bones, and cartilage maintenance.
• Vitamin E: It’s an antioxidant that boosts healthy circulatory as well as immune systems and healthy muscle development and provides better skin.
• Vitamin K: It promotes heart, bone, muscle, and blood health.
• Antioxidants/anthocyanins: This helps to reduce inflammation as well as protect against illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and also cancer.
• Omega-3: It helps to reduce inflammation, aids promote kidney and heart health, helps brain development, boosts immunity, and helps coat and skin health.
• Fiber: It helps with your dog’s gastrointestinal issues by calming the stomach of your dog.

Health Benefits Of Blackberries For Dogs?

The dog owner needs to know about the same health benefits of blackberry consumption in canines, as it will help them to know why it should be induced in the diet of the canine and what is the appropriate amount of it for its feeding. Below mentioned are the factors which depict the benefits of blackberries for the canine.

Eases constipation – Blackberries are one of those berries which are mostly known for easing constipation in different canines.

The fibers and antioxidants present in it are mostly responsible for its constipation-easing nature, as the fibers in it neutralize the acidity in the stomach and help the canine with constipation.

Healthy immune system – Blackberries are generally rich in a lot of nutritious materials such as manganese, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, and iron.

Which altogether works for providing more energy to the canine and provides a healthy immune system to most dogs.

Potential Hazards Associated With Blackberries For Dogs

Moderation is the key when you are feeding any treats to your dogs. While blackberries are healthy, as well as the sugar content of blackberries is lower as compared to other fruits, a lot of blackberries can upset the stomach of your dog.

This can be caused by the sugar content of blackberry, high fiber, or due to food allergies in the dog. If you find out any abnormalities after feeding your dog with blackberries, contact your veterinarian immediately. Following are the potential hazards that your dog may experience after eating blackberry

• Gas
• Diarrhea
• Upset stomach
• Indigestion
• Vomiting

When giving blackberries to the dog, try to make sure that you are giving only a few blackberries at a time, as well as try chopping the blackberries up into tiny pieces. Simply like any food your dogs eat, blackberries can become a possible choking hazard.

Moreover, blackberries can even lead to strange-colored dog stool, mainly black or blue, which often dog owners mistake for blood.

Possible Side Effects Of Blackberries For Dogs

Just like any nutrition, too much consumption of blackberries can upset your dog’s stomach. In case your dog undergoes any digestive upset such as diarrhea, gas, or vomiting after eating fruits like blackberries, immediately contact your vet.

Blackberries also have natural xylitol in them. While xylitol can be fatal for dogs, it is considered quite safe if you give them in moderation. Your dog will have to eat enormous amounts of blackberries to undergo poisoning. Following are the possible side effects that your dog may have after having blackberries:

• Seizures
• Excessive vomiting
• Collapse
• Weakness
• loss of coordination
• Blood in stool or vomit
• Excessive diarrhea

Allergic Reaction To BLackberries In Dogs

Just like human beings, some dogs are also allergic to particular plants and foods. Often, though, an abnormal reaction might not be the outcome of the blackberry but the pesticides or chemicals used on the food.

Always wash blackberries before sharing them with your dog. In case the blackberry appears musty, toss it well! Moldy fruits may contain dangerous mycotoxins, causing tremors, vomiting, or even death.

you must watch for symptoms of food allergic reactions in dogs, which may include the following:

• Skin problems such as irritation and hives
• Itchy skin, such as the paws, ears, and also stomach
• Facial swelling, such as the eyelids, lips, and also ear flaps
• GI problems such as vomiting, gas, and also diarrhea
• Paw or ear infections

Dog With Diabetes And Blackberries

In case your dog has diabetes or kidney issues, avoid sweet foods altogether as well as consult with your veterinarian regarding a more suitable option.

Although fruits like blackberries are quite safe for canines, some canines shouldn’t eat them. While blackberries are relatively low in calories and sugar, your veterinarian may recommend against feeding anything outside their common dog food in case they are diabetic. Fruits like blackberries can lead to GI problems in any dog because of their high fiber content.

How To Feed Blackberries To Your Dog?

Dog owners need to know about the steps they have to follow while serving the blackberries to the canine because knowing the proper procedure will make this human food safe for the dog’s body. Below are the steps you must follow to serve blackberries safely to your canine.

Choose the fresh ones – One of the most important steps to notice is always going for fresh dog blackberries. This is important because the nutrient level remains a bit higher in this, and it is even more delicious than the regular ones; thus, the fresh ones are preferred.

Wash it thoroughly – A clean wash of the berries is also very important because this will ensure that the berries are safe from any kind of bacteria and harmful pathogens or not. Washing also reduces the extra oil over the skin of the berries and makes it even healthier.

Slice and remove the seeds – Removal of the seed is very important for making this healthy and nutritious fruit blackberries safe and choking hazard free for the canine.

For this, all the owner has to do is just slice the berry into two pieces and then remove the seed with the help of a knife and then cut it as per your dog’s size.

How Many Blackberries Should A Dog Eat In A Day?

Dog owners need to know when their dog eats blackberries and how much it should have per day. This is mainly because the proper amount of blackberry consumption will be safe for dogs and will not affect the dog’s digestive systems.

To feed your dog blackberries per day and to give him the essential nutrients, you should go for a consult with your veterinarian; the vet will detect the nutritional deficiency and will suggest the consumption as per the nutritional requirement.

But, most of the time, large dogs are given six to eight blackberries per day, whereas small dogs are given two to three berries per day for their nutritional benefits. This will simply get decided upon the consult with your veterinarian and may differ from individual to individual or breed to breed.

Here are a few general procedures for feeding fruits like blackberries to dogs:

• Extra-small puppies (around 2-20 lbs.) = Give a maximum of 1-2 blackberries a day
• Small dogs (around 21-30 lbs.) = Give a maximum of 2-3 blackberries a day
• Medium dogs (around 31-50 lbs.) = Give a maximum of 3-5 blackberries a day
• Large dogs (around 51-90 lbs.) = Give a maximum of 5-6 blackberries a day
• Extra-large dogs (around 91+ lbs.) = Give a maximum of a small handful of blackberries a day

There are a few risks in case your dog consumes too many blackberries. However, this would generally need to be a quite large amount.

In case your dog consumed more than the recommended amounts above, or you aren’t sure how many your dog ate, or they’re showing symptoms of stomach upset, including diarrhea or vomiting, contact the vet as soon as possible.

Blackberry-Based Recipes For Dog Treats

Consult your veterinarian before offering blackberries to your dog regularly. In case your veterinarian allows you to share blackberries with your dogs, here are a few blackberry-based recipes to incorporate blackberries into the dog’s diet:

• Baked Blackberry: You can add a few fresh blackberries to your homemade dog treats.
• Mashed blackberries: You can mash some blackberries to add on top of homemade dog food or you can also mix the mashed blackberries with peanut butter as well as freeze them before serving.
• Cut Into Small Pieces: Cut blackberries into small pieces as well as give small treats to your dog.
• Fruit Smoothies: Simply blend blackberries to make a smoothie, you can also include some other dog-friendly fruits in the smoothie and plain yogurt or coconut water.
• Frozen Blackberry: Keeping the blackberry in the freezer before offering them means they’ll remain fresh until you wish to feed them to your dogs. In this way, you will have a storage of blackberry for months to come. You can also combine it in a nutritional veg popsicle or frozen fruit for helping to keep the puppy cool on a hot summer day.

SUMMARY:

You can give blackberries to dogs as an infrequent treat, however, it is better to avoid wild berries. Keep in mind that not all berries are safe for dogs.

As soon as it comes to giving berries type of fruits to your dog, avoid holly berries, cherries, mistletoe berries, and juniper berries. These contain toxins and/or pits that can be a health hazard for your dogs.

In case you have concerns or questions about feeding blackberries to your dogs, contact a veterinarian.

FAQ:

Can dogs eat blackberry jam?

No, the consumption of blackberry jam is not suggested for the canines. The manufacturers go for adding additional sugar, artificial sweetener, and food coloring to the jam. The excessive sugar content and can also affect the dog’s immune system.

Can too many blackberries hurt the canine?

Yes, the consumption of too many blackberries can be fatal for the canine. Too many blackberries can cause adverse effects on the immune and digestive systems of the canine, which can lead to diseases like gastrointestinal upset, vomiting and diarrhea

Can you give blackberries to your dog daily?

A few blackberries per day to the canine can be a safer option only if the vet has recommended the owner include this in the diet of the canine.

Can dogs have blackberry shakes?

No, the consumption of this blackberry shake is not suggested for the canines. This is mainly because the high sugar content is used in its preparation which can be harmful to dogs, and the milk added in it, along with the substitute sweetener xylitol, can be fatal for the canine.

Can dogs eat frozen blackberries?

Yes, the consumption of frozen berries is considered to be safe for the canine. It will often work as the healthiest part of the dog’s diet and can help your canine stay chill and calm in the summer season.

Can dogs eat blackberry seeds?

No, the consumption of blackberry seeds is not at all suggested for canines; this is mainly because if the canine consumes it in a large amount, then it turns fatal for the canine. The consumption of blackberry seeds can lead to choking hazards

Can dogs eat blackberry flavoured cake?

No, the consumption of such human foods as the cake is not considered to be safe for the canine. This is mainly because it just contains the extract of wild blackberries from the wild blackberry bushes, and the rest of its delicious taste is all because of the artificial sweeteners and the additives used in it.