Fall is in full force, and you know what that means. It won’t be long before the orange, red, and yellow leaves begin to fall and decorate the streets of your favorite dog walking route. There’s a chill in the autumn air, and spooky jack-o-lanterns are sitting in front of everyone’s house.
Pumpkins are a common sight with Halloween and Thanksgiving, but should they be a common sight in your dog’s food bowl, too?
Absolutely! Pumpkins offer a variety of health benefits for your dog. That’s why we here at Metro Mutts are taking a minute to discuss these benefits and give tips on how to put pumpkin in your dog’s diet. Read on for more!
A Spooky Superfood
Pumpkins are perfect for carving to show your Halloween spirit, but it’s also an incredibly nutritious food for your pup. Here are some of the health benefits of pumpkin
- A Vitamin “ACE:” Pumpkins are rich in many vitamins, including A, C, and E. That means they’ll enjoy healthy skin, coat, immune and inflammation systems.
- Rich in Minerals: Pumpkins also contain minerals, including iron and potassium.
- Fiber For Fido: Pumpkins feature soluble fiber in high quantities, meaning it’s a great addition to your dog’s diet if they’re having digestive issues.
- Puppy Prebiotics: Regarding digestive health, pumpkins contain prebiotics, which support a healthy gut biome and overall healthy digestion.
So, adding a few spoons of pumpkin into your dog’s regular diet will contribute to healthier skin, a more lustrous coat, enhanced immune and inflammation systems, and improved digestion.
It’s a healthy addition for general nutrition purposes, but it’s especially good if your puppy dog is struggling to do their business, as the high fiber is helpful to “move things along,” if you catch our drift. Conversely, pumpkin helps with doggie diarrhea, too.
How to Feed Pumpkin to Your Dog
So, all you have to do is buy a pumpkin at the store, place it in their bowl, and they’ll do the rest, right? Wrong!
We’re not going to order them a “pup”kin spiced latte from Starbucks, but asking them to chow down on a raw pumpkin isn’t going to work either. If we want them to get those great health benefits from eating pumpkin, then we’ll have to serve it in a way that they’ll appreciate.
Here are a few ways to offer pumpkin to your pup:
- Freshly Baked: If you fancy yourself a baker and you want to give them a great fall treat, scoop out the pumpkin seeds, put the pumpkin in the oven, and bake it until it’s soft. Make sure to let it cool before feeding your four-legged friend!
- Pepitas, Por Favor: Pumpkin seeds are tasty when roasted, so don’t just throw them out after carving your jack-o-lantern. Bake them at 350 for about an hour, let them cool, then serve. If your dog is big, they can snack on them whole, but small and toy breeds will have better luck with the seeds ground up and sprinkled in their regular food.
- Can It: Pet retailers sell canned pumpkin or pumpkin pouches for dogs, like Weruva’s Pumpkin Patch Up! The regular canned pumpkin at the supermarket could work just as well, provided it’s free of additives or 100% pumpkin.
While we know some dogs are super finicky, most pups eat voraciously, gobbling up everything in sight if we don’t give them carefully portioned meals to prevent overeating. Since pumpkin is high in fiber, it’s not advised to let them eat to their heart’s content, or they’ll most likely experience gastric distress. And no one will be happy about that.
Feed your dog between one and four tablespoons of pumpkin per meal, depending on your dog’s size. A Doberman might do fine eating four tablespoons, but one will work much better for a Yorkie.
Start with smaller quantities and let them work up a tolerance to the fiber. Our pups are just like us in that fiber is good for us, but going from minimal fiber to heaping portions of high-fiber foods will almost always result in bathroom problems.
Pumpkins: The PumpKING of Fall Foods
Our staff here at Metro Mutts only want what’s best for you and your dog. That’s why we offer some of the best dog walking services in the Washington D.C. area. Your pup is in good hands when our team pops in for a visit, takes them on their favorite route, and gives them plenty of love and attention when you can’t be there to do it yourself.
So, in the spirit of Fall, we’re sharing everything you need to know about pumpkin so your dog can enjoy the benefits of this healthy superfood this autumn.
If you want to talk about pumpkin for dogs, other tips for dogs or want to book services with us, contact us today. We’ll be looking forward to hearing from you soon.
And for our puppy pumpkin eaters this Fall, bone appetit!
