Recent accounts and direct experiences suggest an increasing trend among dog lovers to spoil their four-legged friends with tasty treats, originally intended for human consumption. Within these treats, guava emerges as a top choice. You might wonder if it’s safe to feed dogs guava. Or, you may be interested in knowing if it’s acceptable to give guavas to your pet dogs.
The short answer is yes. Your pet can actually eat what’s called ‘apple guava.’ If you’re buying guava at the store and planned to bring some at home, then the most possible answer to ‘can dog eat guava’ is that you’re getting this type of guava yourself.
However, you may not know what it means for your pet. So if you’re thinking of giving guava to your dog, this detailed guide will tell you everything you need to know about safety, potential drawbacks, and guava’s health contents. Can dogs eat guava? Let’s dive in to find out.
What Are The Health Benefits of Guava for Dogs?
Is guava good for dogs? Can dogs have guava? Yes, dogs can eat guava and it’s also safe for dogs. In fact, when it comes to health benefits, guava fruits are all-rounder. It is beneficial for both humans and animals. Jammed with nutrients, this tropical fruit is also a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. Here is a list of all the health benefits guava can offer.
Rich in Nutrients
Guava is rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals such as fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, E, and K, B vitamins, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, and manganese. Both vitamin A and K help promote eye health and a healthy metabolism. Vitamin K also helps in managing the formation of blood clots and in maintaining bone health. Whereas, Vitamin C may help promote a healthy immune system for your pup.
Besides vitamins, guavas also contain sodium which helps in regulating blood pressure. Then again, this works only when these exotic fruits are consumed by a pup in moderation. Adding guavas to your pup’s dog food diet will develop the properties of iron in its body too. Iron helps with the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin in your dog.
High in Fiber
Fiber helps to develop a good digestive system in a pup–and guava contains a good amount of fiber. The amount of fiber in guavas does not only keeps a pup’s digestive system on track but also regulates bowel movements.
Has Magnesium
Magnesium aids a pup absorb excess zinc and potassium. Magnesium can work as a relaxant for pets in physical pain or stress.
How to Feed Guava to Dogs?
So, can dogs eat guava? Yes. Is guava safe for dogs? Also, yes. But you might also be wondering how do you feed guavas to dogs and what types and parts of guavas are safe for them to eat? To know the common types of guava, let’s take a look first at the most popular ones.
Apple Guava. Apple guava is a common type of guava that looks like a pear and lime.
Pineapple guava. Widely known as Feijoa, this type of guava grows in South America in places like Uruguay, Brazil, and northern Argentina. Pineapple guava is safe for pups to eat. Make sure it is ripe and only feed them a little bit at a time.
Other types of this fruit include White guava, Red guava, and Thai guava. These types of guava are all safe for dogs to eat, except guava paste. While guava paste is not toxic for canines, it’s best to avoid it due to the amount of sugar in most guava paste meals. In fact, the amounts of sugar in guava paste are so high that just a little bit could affect a pup’s blood sugar. Thus, you should not give your dog guava paste.
Now that we’ve looked into the common types of guava fruits and which ones are safe, it’s time to know, how to give guava to your dog? Here are the correct steps to feed your pet guava.
- Wash the guava fruit thoroughly before feeding it to your pup.
- Peel the rind or skin if you don’t want your dog to consume it. This may be best the first time you give your dog guava. And if you do want to test the guava rind, only feed your pet a little bit the first time to see how it reacts.
- Remove the guava seeds and get rid of them.
- Cut the guava fruit into small pieces and feed a couple to your pup.
- Enjoy eating the rest of the fruit yourself.
The first time you give guava to your pet, go with one small piece first and see how that goes. If your dog likes it and doesn’t, in any way, react badly, you can feed him a little more next time. Soon, your dog will start to be aware of the new guava flavor in his diet or his dog food.
Are There Any Downsides to Feeding a Dog Guava?
We’ve established the answer to the question, can dogs eat guavas? and that the guava fruit is safe for dogs. But is guava bad for dogs?
Before you give your dog too much guava, you should be aware that there are limits to what your pet is able to digest. It’s not just guava but any kind of fruit which can cause issues for your dog in excess. He may develop vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping as a result of consuming too much fruit. These can certainly cause problems for his digestion and it can become serious if he continues too long or too much.
At that point, you would want to consult your vet to discover more about what you can do. For now, if you’re thinking about feeding your dogs guava, the best thing that you can do is restrict it to small amounts and make it a special and rare treat. If you offer him a piece every once in a while, he will be able to process it and digest it just like anything else he eats.
On the flip side, overloading him or believing you’re doing something special by feeding him whole guava for himself could surely turn out harmful to your dog over time [1].
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Dogs Eat Guava Rind?
Yes, dogs can eat guava rind or skin. While some sources claim the rind is safe, others assert it should not be given to dogs. Concerns about the rind seem to involve how hard it might be for your dog to digest. So use caution if you decide to proceed.
Can Dogs Eat Guava Leaves?
No, dogs cannot eat guava leaves. While many people enjoy the medicinal benefits of boiling the leaves of guava and sipping them as tea, a dog doesn’t need any other liquids aside from water. Don’t give your dog guava leaves as it could surely upset his stomach.
Can Dogs Eat Guava Seeds?
No, dogs cannot eat guava seeds. Not only are seeds often problematic for dogs but they also contain cyanide. So it’s recommended to avoid giving your dog the seeds from guava.
Conclusion
Many fruits are safe for dogs and guava is one of them. All dog owners who really care for their mutt’s well-being mostly ask their vet, can dogs eat guava?
The answer is absolutely–guavas are non-toxic and edible for a dog to consume. This tropical fruit is rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium. Guavas have a normal dose of natural sugars. But it’s not just guava, but also dried kiwi or dried figs, the inside of blood orange, dragon fruit pulp, and even the inside of purple passionfruit.
Just make sure you’re keeping the doses low and that you’re keeping an eye on any changes in your dog’s behavior or eating habits.
