Puppies are sensitive animals and they require constant care and attention. The important thing to remember here is that the type and amount of food you feed to your puppy will impact its growth a lot. You can not feed any food you like to your puppy.
Today, we are going to discuss and find out whether puppies can eat carrots or not.
Puppies eating carrots
According to experts, puppies are able to eat carrots as long as you feed them boiled and cooked ones. The carrots will have to be cut down into small pieces before boiling them. A puppy can start eating boiled and cooked carrots after turning eight weeks or two months old.
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Let’s look at some different forms of carrots and see if they can be eaten by puppies.
Raw carrots:
Raw carrots are good for the human body. But it does not mean that it will be good for your puppies too. It is true that the most amount of nutrients can be consumed from the carrots by eating them raw.
But raw carrots should not be fed to puppies under any circumstances. There are many reasons behind this.
First of all, the teeth of puppies are not mature enough to cut through the outer shell of carrots. So they will find it difficult to break the components of a carrot and digest it afterwards. Feeding raw carrots to your puppy will bring nothing but trouble for you.
Frozen carrots:
It is believed by animal experts that frozen carrots can be fed to puppies. The reason behind this is that frozen carrots are already cut into pieces before you take them out of the bag. Puppies find it easier to chew small pieces of carrots rather than the entire carrot.
However, it is recommended by the experts that you boil the frozen carrots before you serve them to your puppy. Puppies appreciate the softness of boiled carrots as digesting them is easier.
Cooked carrots:
According to animal experts, cooked carrots are the best form of carrots for puppies to eat. Cooked carrots do not do any damage to the sensitive teeth of puppies. They find it easy to chew cooked carrots. It also makes the digesting procedure hassle free for puppies.
You should always serve cooked carrots to your puppy to avoid any health complications.
Baby carrots:
It is important to remember that puppies can eat baby carrots only if the carrots are cooked. It is not recommended by experts to feed raw baby carrots to puppies.
Feeding raw baby carrots to your puppy will damage its dental health and will create digestive complications too. So you should definitely cut the baby carrots into small pieces and boil them before feeding them to your puppy.
At What Age Puppies Can Eat Carrots?
Let’s look at different ages of puppies and find out at which age puppies are able to eat carrots.
4 Week Old Puppy:
It is true that a 4 week old puppy needs a decent amount of vegetables on its daily diet. But the teeth of a 4 week old puppy are not strong enough to chew down carrots.
Even if you serve boiled and cooked carrots to your 4 week old puppy, it will still find it difficult to digest it. So a one month or 4 week old puppy is not ready to consume carrots.
6 Week Old Puppy:
6 week old puppies are not mature enough to eat carrots. Eating carrots will hamper the dental health of a 6 week old puppy. Additionally, 6 week old puppies also find it difficult to digest the components of carrots.
8 Week or 2 Month Old Puppy:
8 week or 2 month old puppies are believed to have the ability to digest carrots. By the time a puppy turns two months old, its teeth become strong enough to chew boiled and cooked carrots.
It means your eight week or two month old puppy can start eating carrots as long as you do not serve them raw ones.
3 Month Old Puppy:
It is believed by experts that three month old puppies are capable of eating carrots. In fact, carrots hold a lot of important nutrients and ingredients for the optimum growth of a three month old puppy.
Eating boiled and cooked carrots also do not damage the dental health of a three month old puppy.
Which Breed Puppy Can Eat Carrots?
Let’s take a look at different breeds of puppies and see which of them can eat carrots.
German shepherd:
German shepherd puppies are known for needing a decent amount of vegetables on their daily diet. It is believed by experts that German shepherd puppies can start eating carrots as soon as they turn two months old.
But you will have to avoid feeding raw carrots to german shepherd puppies.
Shih tzu:
According to experts, shih tzu puppies can eat boiled and cooked carrots. But the important thing to remember here is that the Shih tzu puppy must be at least two months old. Otherwise, it will not be able to digest the carrots.
Golden retrievers:
Golden retriever puppies can be fed boiled and cooked carrots when they turn two months old. By that time, the teeth of golden retriever puppies are strong enough to chew and digest carrots.
French bulldog:
French bulldog puppies can eat carrots as long as you feed them cooked and boiled ones. French bulldog puppies should not be fed raw carrots. They also need to be at least two months old before starting to eat carrots.
Labrador:
According to experts, labrador puppies can start eating carrots after they turn two months old. Two month old labrador puppies should only be fed cooked and boiled carrots. Raw carrots are not good for them.
Husky:
It is believed by experts that husky puppies can only eat boiled and cooked carrots. It is not wise to feed raw carrots to your husky puppy. The husky puppy also has to be at least eight weeks old in order to eat carrots.
Pug:
You can begin feeding cooked and boiled carrots to pug puppies once they turn eight weeks old. But raw carrots should not be eaten by pug puppies under any circumstances.
Are Carrots Good For Puppies?
It is believed by experts that carrots are good for puppies. Because carrots are full of important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. It can bring a certain balance to the daily diet of your puppy by keeping it in good shape.
But there are some things you will need to keep in mind before feeding carrots to your puppies. Your puppy should only be fed cooked and boiled carrots. The raw carrots might contain more nutrients.
But it can certainly damage the dental health of your puppy and can also cause problems regarding digestion.
Can Eating Carrots Make a Puppy Sick?
According to experts, eating carrots can make a puppy sick under two circumstances. First of all, your puppy can get sick by eating carrots if it is not yet two months old. The teeth of puppies less than two months old are too weak to eat carrots.
Secondly, feeding raw carrots to your puppy can make it sick. Because raw carrots are difficult for puppies to chew through and digest.
Can Dogs Eat Carrots?
Just like puppies, dogs can eat carrots too. A puppy will still require the nutrients provided by carrots even when it turns into an adult dog. Carrots benefit dogs in the same way they benefit puppies. The low amount of calories provided by carrots keeps dogs healthy.
Carrots are also full of vitamins and minerals. However, dogs should only be served cooked and boiled carrots just like puppies.
Benefits of Carrots for puppies
There are a lot of benefits that carrots bring to the table for puppies. Let’s discuss them in detail.
Good for their eyes:
One of the main nutrients provided by carrots is the beta carotene. It is believed by experts that beta carotene is very good for the eyesight of dogs. It is more than capable of keeping the eyes in good shape.
Keeps them slim:
Another health benefit of carrots for puppies is that carrots contain a very low amount of calories. It means your puppy will not get fat by eating carrots. Carrots are good at satisfying the hunger of puppies without increasing their weight.
Good for their teeth:
It is believed by experts that carrots do wonders for the dental health of puppies. Puppies are good at chewing and digesting cooked and boiled carrots. Chewing the carrots improves the condition of their teeth.
Provides vitamins:
One of the major components of carrots is vitamin A. Vitamin A is a much needed nutrient for the overall growth of your puppy. Carrots can be a good source of vitamin A for your puppy on a consistent basis.
Provides fiber:
According to experts, carrots are rich in fiber and can improve the digestion system of your puppy significantly.
How to Feed Carrots to Puppies?
Feeding carrots to puppies might feel like a difficult task without prior experience. There are some specific steps and methods you can follow to accomplish the task.
Select fresh and healthy carrots:
First of all, you will need to pick out fresh and healthy carrots for your puppy. Fresher and healthier carrots will contain more nutrients for the puppy and will be beneficial in the long run.
Cut them into small pieces:
Next, you will have to cut the selected carrots into small pieces. It is an important step as small pieces will be easier for your puppy to chew through.
Boil the carrots:
After that, you will be required to put the small pieces of carrots into a bowl and boil them for some time. Raw carrots are bad for your puppy and boiling the carrots will give the puppy greater chance of digesting them.
Serve the carrots:
The boiled carrots can be served to your puppy in two ways. You can serve the boiled carrots as a single meal or you can mix it with other vegetables and fruits.
Final Thoughts
It is believed by experts that cooked and boiled carrots can be digested by puppies as long as they are at least two months old. However, raw carrots can be harmful for the dental health of puppies and should be avoided. Carrots provide vitamin A, beta carotene, and fiber to puppies.