Can Dogs Eat Dried Cranberries? Yes, But in Moderation
Dried cranberries provide health benefits for dogs due to their nutrients:
- Antioxidants: Quercetin, myricetin, peonidin, ursolic acid. These fight inflammation, free radicals, and may have anti-cancer effects.
- A-Type Proanthocyanidins: Improve heart health and protect against UTIs.
- Potassium: Essential for healthy nerves, muscles, and heart function.
- Calcium: Vital for strong bones, teeth, and overall health.
Important Considerations:
- Dried Cranberries Are Safer: They’re less sour and more palatable for dogs than fresh cranberries.
- Avoid Cranberry Juice: It’s high in sugar, which is harmful to dogs.
- Moderation is Key: Overfeeding can cause digestive upset, even though cranberries themselves aren’t toxic.
How Many Dried Cranberries Are Safe?
- Medium Dogs: 4-5 dried cranberries per serving.
- Small Dogs/Puppies: 2-3 dried cranberries per serving.
- Overconsumption: More than 7 for larger dogs, or 5 for small dogs can be harmful.
Benefits of Cranberries
- Urinary Health: Cranberries can help prevent bacteria from causing UTIs. However, they should be a supplement, not a replacement for veterinary treatment if an infection is present.
- Reduced Urine Acidity: This can help protect lawns from damage caused by dog urine.
Can Cranberries Cause Diabetes?
Craisins (sweetened dried cranberries) can elevate blood sugar due to their added sugar content. Choose plain dried cranberries instead.
Key Takeaways
- Dried cranberries are a healthy, occasional treat for dogs when given in moderation.
- Choose unsweetened dried cranberries to avoid excess sugar.
- Always monitor your dog after they eat cranberries for any signs of digestive discomfort.
- Cranberries should not replace proper veterinary care for health conditions like UTIs.
- Consult your veterinarian for personalized advice regarding your dog’s diet and any health concerns.
Do Dogs Like the Taste of Dried Cranberries?
It has been noticed that most dogs don’t like the taste of raw cranberries. This often happens because the cranberries possess a very sour and sharp taste which the dogs are not attracted to.
Most dogs of different breeds used to stay away from sour or sharp-tasting fruits as they get repelled even by the smell of the fruit.
Although the dogs don’t like the taste of this fruit, it is still suggested to the dog owners to feed this fruit to their canine in a moderate amount as it provides several health benefits and keeps the dog active and healthy by increasing the functioning of the immune system.
What are the Nutritious Compounds Present in Cranberries?
Now, as we all know, the health benefits the canine gets after consuming this sharp-tasting fruit are all because of its nutritious materials. So it becomes important for the dog owners to check the nutritious materials for having a cross-check if the dog lacks the same amount of nutrients or not.
This will eventually help the owner decide how much of it will be perfect for the dog’s health. Here’s the name of the nutritious compounds present in cranberries.
Quercetin
Quercetin is a must-present antioxidant in the body of the canine as it controls the secretion of histamines in the body to prevent inflammation, making the dog suffer less from allergens.
Myricetin
This antioxidant possesses many scavenging effects of the free radicals, which provide many beneficial effects to the canine, including anti-platelet aggregation, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-allergic, and anti-cancerous.
Peonidin
Consuming these nutritious compounds provides several physiological benefits to the canine’s health, including antioxidation, potent inhibitory, and apoptotic effects on cancer cells in vitro.
Ursolic Acid
Ursolic acid is a triterpene compound that benefits the canine’s health through several antioxidant properties, including anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-oxidative effects.
A-Type Proanthocyanidins
The consumption of proanthocyanidins benefits the health of the canine in many ways by promoting hormonal regulation and the enzymatic activities of the canine’s body to protect the heart from toxins and promote the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Potassium
Potassium is a type of nutritious material that works for the betterment of the canine’s health by promoting the regulation of the electric charges generated from the electrolytes consumed to maintain the proper health of the heart, nerves, and muscles of the body.
Calcium
Calcium is one of the most effective nutritious materials that should be present in the body of the canine as it provides a lot of health benefits to the canine-like the proper growth of the canine, healthy teeth and bones, a strong heart, healthy nervous system, and many others.
Can Dogs Eat Dried Cranberries?
Yes, the consumption of dried cranberries is safe for the dog, but in a moderate amount. Cranberries in a moderate amount are necessary because the dog’s digestive system will not be able to digest an overdose of such highly nutritious materials at a time.
Make sure the number of cranberries you are providing your canine is divided into almost two meals as it will promote proper digestion of the fruit.
Why are Dried Cranberries More Preferred than Fresh Ones?
As per research, dried cranberries are more preferred than fresh ones because the percentage of citric acid in the berries, which is mainly responsible for their sour taste, gets reduced when the berries get dried, and it also becomes more preservative than the fresh ones.
Along with this, the nutritional percentage of the berries also doesn’t get reduced in the dried form, and it also tastes better than the normal ones. Thus, depending on the factors mentioned above, it can be said that dried cranberries are mostly preferred over the fresh ones.
Can Dogs Eat Cranberry Juice?
No, it is not at all suggested to the dog owners to feed cranberry juice to the canine. Although it is beneficial to health and tastes much better than fresh or dried cranberries, its feeding is prohibited because the percentage of sugar is relatively high.
While preparing cranberry juice, the makers always used to add some sugars or extra additives to give it a better taste.
The sugar in the juice can be difficult for the dog’s digestive system to digest and may also lead to gastrointestinal upsets. Thus the feeding of cranberry juice to the canine is prohibited.
Can Cranberries Hurt Dogs?
As the vets have commented about the health benefits of cranberries to the canine, it has been proved that the ingredients present in cranberries are in no way harmful to the canine’s health.
But the only case in which the consumption of these nutritious fruits can hurt the dogs is overfeeding. So it is suggested to the dog owners that if they don’t want this nutritious fruit to be toxic for their canine, they have to feed it as per the nutrient requirement of the canine.
The owners can also go for a vet visit to check which type of nutrients the body of the canine lacks and how much of its consumption will be able to fulfill that nutritional deficiency of the canine.
How Much-Dried Cranberries Can a Dog Eat in a Day?
Per the research done by cynologists and the comments made by veterinarians about the digestive system of dogs, it can be said that a medium-sized dog will be able to properly digest four to five dried cranberries at a time.
Whereas if the consumption of cranberries is in the case of small dogs or puppies, then the dose should be more confined as the functioning of the digestive system doesn’t remain the same in the case of small dogs. In such cases, the dogs are suggested to eat only two to three cranberries at a time.
How Many Cranberries Can be Life-Threatening for Your Canine?
Even after knowing the adequate dose of cranberries for the canine, the dog owners often search for exceeding how much from the adequate dose can turn deadly for the canine to deal with the circumstances when the canine continuously keeps asking for a few more.
So in such cases, for the larger dogs exceeding seven cranberries can be ok, but it should never be more than that. Hence it can be said that more than seven cranberries can be deadly for the canine’s health.
In the case of smaller dogs or puppies, increasing the dosage beyond five cranberries at a time can be dangerous for the canine’s health.
Do Cranberries Help Dogs with Urinary Tract Infections?
Yes, cranberries can help a dog suffering from a urinary tract infection. In a medical test done in the labs upon the beneficial nature of cranberries, additional information is also obtained that its consumption prevents E Coli adherence to MDCK cells ( Madin-Darby canine kidney cells) and thus prevents the dog from suffering from UTIs.
Remember, the adequate dose of feeding cranberries to the canine remains the same even if it is suffering from some urinary tract infections. So there’s no need to exceed the recommended dose of cranberries for the canine to increase the benefits of it, as instead of benefits, it will create trouble for the canine.
Does Cranberry Lower the pH of Urine in Dogs?
Most of us often thought that the consumption of cranberry might increase the pH of the urine in dogs, as the fruit contains a major amount of citric acid.
But this fact is not true. The consumption of this nutritious fruit does not increase the pH of the urine. It lowers the acidity of the canine’s urine and makes it easy for the dog owners to save the grass of their lawn from the excessive toxicity of the dog’s urine.
Can an Overdose of Craisins Lead to Diabetes in Canines?
As per the research, information is obtained that while preparing craisins ( dried cranberries), the makers added some additional sugar for a better taste of the sour-tasting fruit.
So due to this additive sugar, the consumption of it can often lead to an abrupt spike in the blood sugar level of the canine and can cause diabetes.
Dog owners need to keep all the facts mentioned above in mind while searching for can dogs eat dried cranberries to introduce a proper healthy diet to the canine.
