When it comes to feeding your puppy new food, you need to be a hundred percent sure about the food. Many human foods are beneficial to puppies, but many can cause health complications, such as oranges and chocolate.
But how good are strawberries for puppies? This article will explain everything you need to know about strawberries as puppy food.
Puppies eating strawberries
Puppies can eat fresh and organic strawberries as an occasional treat. Strawberry has various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, K, B and magnesium, which can promote their health. However, feeding too many strawberries can cause health complications for your puppy.
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Fruits are not among the mandatory food items for dogs and puppies. But fruits are something dogs like for their sweet taste. Also, many fruits have various health benefits for dogs if you feed them properly.
The fact is only 5% of dogs’ diets consist of fruits. That means if you want to feed fruits to your puppies, you can not feed more fruits than 5% of their regular diet.
Now the question is, can puppies eat strawberries? Yes, they can, but there are many things to consider when feeding strawberries to your puppy.
Strawberry is totally non toxic to dogs, but you need to make sure that the strawberry is not rotten. However, because of the high sugar in strawberries, dogs cannot eat a large number of strawberries.
Dogs can safely eat strawberries, but as you need to be twice as careful while feeding puppies, we must follow some careful processes before feeding a puppy with strawberries.
First, the puppy needs to be 6-8 weeks old to be able to eat strawberries. Younger puppies may have a digestive problem if you try to feed them strawberries.
You should also get information about your puppy’s breed. Some breed of dogs happily consumes fruits and vegetables.
After that, you need to start slowly. Feed a small slice of strawberry on the first day. If you see your puppy is not having any issues, you can feed more to your puppy.
Most of the time, puppies will not have any issues eating strawberries, but some puppies may have problems digesting strawberries.
That’s why you always take vets’ suggestions before including something in your dog’s diet. You also must maintain the amount, frequency and proper feeding steps to avoid complications. (will discuss this in the later part)
Over 80% of dogs’ growth happens in the first year of their life. They grow super fast in their puppyhood. That’s why you need to be very careful about puppies’ health and diet. Any disease or nutritional lack can negatively affect their whole life.
Check out if puppies can eat those types of strawberries.
Whole strawberries:
Puppies should not eat whole strawberries. You should slice the strawberries into small pieces to avoid the choking effect. Larger dogs may eat whole strawberries without any issue, but smaller breeds have the risk of choking.
Strawberry ice cream:
No, puppies should not eat strawberry ice cream. Strawberry ice cream may have ingredients that can be dangerous for your puppy. They also can not eat any strawberry-based food item with added ingredients.
Frozen strawberries:
Puppies can eat good quality frozen strawberries, but it’s not a good way to feed strawberries to them.
Fresh strawberries:
Puppies can eat fresh and organic strawberries that do not have any chemicals. Make sure to wash the fruits before feeding your puppy.
At What Age Puppies Can Eat Strawberries?
Puppies can eat strawberries, but too young puppies may have trouble processing strawberries. Also, you need to start feeding your puppy slowly and get used to eating fruits. If you find any sign of complication, stop feeding them strawberries and tell the vet about it.
Check out the following point to know what age puppies can eat strawberries and how much they can eat.
4 Week Old Puppy:
Four-week-old puppies cannot eat strawberries as they are too young for that. After four weeks, puppies start to eat soft dog food, and you need to focus on feeding puppy food.
6 Week Old Puppy:
After six weeks, a puppy learns to eat harder food. In this stage, you can feed your puppy one or two small slices of strawberries.
8 Week or 2 Month Old Puppy:
Eight week old puppy starts growing very fast, and if you do not notice any health complications while feeling strawberry to your puppy, you can feed one strawberry daily.
3 Month Old Puppy:
Three months to an adult, dogs can eat 2-5 strawberries daily, depending on their size. Large breeds can eat 5 strawberries without any issue, whereas smaller adult dog breeds can eat 2 strawberries daily.
Which Breed Puppy can Eat Strawberries?
Most breeds of puppies will eat strawberries once they get used to eating them. Some breed of puppy loves strawberry and fruits more than others. Check out the following points.
French bulldog puppies:
French bulldog puppies love eating strawberries but do not free-feed.
Shih Tzu puppies:
Shih Tzu puppies can eat strawberries, but feeding too much can upset their stomach.
Husky puppies:
Husky puppies can eat strawberries but make sure to provide fresh ones.
Pug puppies:
Pug puppies can also eat strawberries and other fresh fruits. Don’t feed them grapes or oranges, as they are toxic to dogs.
Yorkie puppies:
Strawberries are suitable for Yorkie puppies but maintain the quantity.
Golden retriever puppies:
Golden retriever puppies also love eating various sweet fruits, including strawberries. You can feed one strawberry in a day to your Golden retriever puppies.
German shepherd puppies:
German shepherd puppies can eat strawberries as an occasional treat. Usually, you should not include it as their regular food.
Cockapoo puppies:
You can feed strawberries to your cockapoo puppies without any issues if you maintain the proper steps.
Are Strawberries Good For Puppies?
Strawberries are suitable as an occasional treat for puppies. Most puppies will love them because of their sweet taste, which boosts their mood.
Keep in mind that every puppy is different; some may like strawberries, while others may not want to eat them. So, there is nothing to worry about.
With great taste and flavour, strawberry comes with some essential nutrients such as vitamin C, B and many others.
But as puppies can eat a small amount of strawberries, the nutrition does not have a significant impact on their health. At the same time do not underestimate the vitamins and antioxidants they get from strawberries.
Can Eating Strawberries Make a Puppy Sick?
Feeding strawberry can make puppy sick in some conditions. If you feed too many strawberries to your puppy, the puppy can have digestive problems and diarrhea.
But if you maintain the proper feeding amount, there should not be any issues. Not just strawberries, you should not feed any fruits in large quantities to your puppy.
Strawberries also have a decent amount of sugar in them. Sugar keeps them happy if you feed them occasionally, but if you feed too much or too regularly, puppies can become addicted to sweet food and may ignore eating their regular food.
High sugar intake can also cause obesity in the puppies which can negatively affect the puppies’ bones. Obesity also comes with a lot of diseases that can be fatal for dogs. So, it’s better to keep strawberries and other sweet fruits as an occasional treat.
Can Dogs Eat Strawberries?
Dogs can eat strawberries, but strawberries are also an occasional food for dogs. Depending on size, you can feed two to five strawberries to your adult dogs.
A large breed of dog can easily eat five strawberries a day without any issue. Feeding too many strawberries can cause digestive issues in adult dogs.
Benefits of Strawberries for puppies
Strawberries have a few risk factors, but by feeding strawberries to puppies occasionally, you can avoid the risks and let your puppy enjoy the benefits. Here are some of the benefits of feeding strawberries to your puppies.
Nutritional benefits:
Strawberries are rich in vitamin C, B12, K, calcium, magnesium and fibre, which are essential for their proper growth.
Feeding 3-4 times a week can provide your puppy with some vital nutrients that can keep them healthy. But before including strawberries in the puppies’ feeding schedule, get suggestions from professionals.
Boost mood:
As a puppy owner, keeping your pet happy is one of your primary responsibility. Different food and treat make them happy like nothing else. Strawberry can be great for that.
Brings variations:
If you are relying on the puppy food, your puppy can get bored of eating the same food. Some different treats like strawberries can keep them happy about their food. Check out the nutritional values of strawberries in the following table.
| Nutrients | Amount in 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 32 kcal |
| Vitamin C | 58.8 mg |
| Vitamin A | 1 µg |
| Sugar | 4.89 g |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg |
| Calcium | 16 mg |
| Iron | 0.41 mg |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.68 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Magnesium | 13 mg |
How to Feed Strawberries to Puppies
Feeding strawberries to your puppies is pretty straightforward. You just need to focus on the following facts.
Your puppy’s age:
Make sure your puppy is at least 6-8 weeks old. Feeding strawberries is not suitable for younger puppies.
Get fresh and organic strawberries:
Choose fresh and organic strawberries for your puppy. Strawberries with chemicals or insecticides can be very dangerous for your puppy.
Feed a small amount:
Cut the strawberry into small pieces before feeding your puppy. A whole strawberry can cause choking risks. Also, make sure to remove the leaves and tops from the strawberry. The leaves are also nontoxic to dogs but do not taste good.
Final Thoughts
Strawberries can be an excellent treat for growing puppies of any breed. Puppies love the sweet taste of strawberries. But don’t feed too much strawberry at once, as it can cause stomach discomfort for puppies. You should avoid feeding any type of commercial human food with strawberries.