Dogs are happy to eat whatever you give them. So it’s always important to know whether you can actually feed them the snack that they’re begging you for. Your dog is currently eyeing up your asparagus, but you’re not entirely sure whether this is a safe vegetable to give them.
Dogs aren’t allowed to eat so many different foods, and you don’t want to cause your pooch any harm… So can dogs eat asparagus?
You’ll be glad to know that because asparagus isn’t toxic to dogs, you can safely give your hound this green vegetable as a treat. However, there are also a few things that you will need to bear in mind before you give it to your dog.
Remember that asparagus stalks are rather tough. We don’t tend to eat asparagus raw because it would be too tough to chew, and wouldn’t be all that tasty. Your dog will find the exact same thing.
Dogs don’t tend to chew their food much before they swallow it, so giving them whole, raw asparagus could pose a choking hazard. Especially for smaller dogs!
If you want to try giving your dog raw asparagus, you should ensure that you chop this up into much smaller pieces beforehand. Because raw asparagus is on the tough side, your dog may also struggle to digest this properly.
They could experience symptoms of excess gas, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Your dog will much prefer to snack on the cooked variety! If you cook the asparagus lightly before you give it to your dog, this will make it much easier to chew.
Remember not to use any cooking oil or butter when you’re preparing the asparagus for your dog, as these ingredients could make your dog ill.
All you’ll need to do is steam or boil the veggies until they soften up.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the longer you cook vegetables for, the quicker their nutrient content declines.
So if you’re wanting to feed your dog a healthy treat that comes packed full of helpful vitamins and minerals, it could be worth opting for raw carrots, celery, or cucumbers instead.
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Will asparagus hurt my dog?
Cooked asparagus won’t hurt your dog. The only thing to bear in mind is that this should be given to your dog in moderation.
If you give your dog too much asparagus, it could give them an upset stomach, or cause diarrhea and vomiting. Giving your dog asparagus as a treat could also cause their urine to smell bad, but this won’t be so much of an issue for properly house trained dogs.
The only part of asparagus that could hurt your dog is the inedible asparagus fern. So if you’re growing asparagus in your own garden, it will be important to put up a fence around the veggie to ensure your dog doesn’t eat something that could be toxic to them.
If your dog were to accidentally eat asparagus fern, it could cause severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Why can’t dogs have asparagus?
Your dog can eat asparagus, however, there is very little benefit they will get from doing so. This is because asparagus is best fed to your dog cooked, and it will have lost some of its nutritional value in this process.
It’s not recommended to feed your dog raw asparagus, even though it is perfectly safe for them to eat. As we’ve mentioned above, this is mostly down to the fact that your dog likely won’t chew properly when you give the asparagus to them.
They will try to eat this whole, and it can cause a choking hazard, particularly for smaller dogs. If you did want to give your dog raw asparagus, you will need to chop this up into smaller, more manageable pieces.
You should also only feed your dog plain asparagus. Never use any cooking oil, butter, or seasonings, as these can upset your dog’s stomach.
It will be particularly important to avoid giving your dog asparagus that’s been cooked in garlic and onions, as these two ingredients are highly toxic to your pooch.
Remember that giving your dog too much asparagus could also cause them stomach issues and digestive problems.
How much asparagus can a dog eat?
Your dog won’t be able to eat a lot of asparagus without it upsetting their tummy. This is because dogs’ diets don’t typically require more than 15% to 25% of veggies. So you should only give them a little bit of asparagus as a treat at a time.
It will be worth giving them a single stick of asparagus and seeing how they react to this. Anything more than this could upset your dog’s digestive system and cause more hassle than it’s worth.
Asparagus does pack a healthy punch for your dog’s body. They are full of healthy vitamins such as A, B6, C, E, and K. They also have lots of healthy minerals such as potassium, fiber, folic acid, phosphorus, selenium, manganese, and thiamin.
This range of antioxidants will help to flush out any harmful toxins from your dog’s body. The vitamins and minerals will also work to improve the health of your dog’s eyesight, teeth, bones, fur, and much more.
In summary
So there you have it! Your dog can indeed eat asparagus, however, they will only get a little benefit from doing so. It’s okay to give your dog the odd one or two sticks of asparagus, but this will be best given to them cooked.
Remember to steam or boil this plain asparagus and not use any cooking oil or seasonings.
Raw asparagus is perfectly safe for your dog, but the whole vegetable could pose a choking hazard. It will be best to chop this up into smaller chunks for your dog to manage.
You should also bear in mind that your dog’s stomach may not get on well with the raw asparagus. It will be best to only give them a little bit at first and see how your dog reacts to it.
