Dogs are known to be happy eaters who enjoy any meal. As long as it had a good smell that suited their tastes, they would gobble it up without any hesitation. As pet owners, we must ensure that everything they consume does not mess up their bodies or give them any issues. This begs the question: “Can dogs eat mangos?”
The quick answer is yes. Dogs can eat mangos. Mangos are non-toxic fruits for dogs, and they can provide a wide array of nutritional benefits as long as they are given in strict moderation. A dog’s diet should be a balanced blend of plants and protein so that they can get the most out of their food.
Why Are Mangos Good for Dogs?
Mangos are packed with the essential nutrients dogs need to thrive and grow into healthy pets. These benefits support the maintenance of your dogs and help prevent any unwanted issues from happening easily. Here are the nutritional benefits available when dogs eat mangos:
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an important vitamin with the purpose to maintain clear and high-quality eyesight. This vitamin also helps protect the cornea and improves their ability to see at night. Besides this, the vitamin also helps your dog’s immune system maintain a strong protective barrier through the use of white blood cells which helps fight dangerous infections.
Mangos can also be a good way to give your dogs healthy skin and coat. This includes an improvement in healing from wounds and a reduction in the chance of getting skin infections. With just small amounts in the form of treats, mangos provide a good amount of Vitamin A for your dogs.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 in mangos helps your dog improve its brain function. This vitamin helps create neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which aid in regulating your dog’s mood and overall behavior. A good amount of Vitamin B6 is crucial for functional brain activities.
In addition to regulating your dog’s mood, Vitamin B6 can also help maintain its metabolism, which helps convert all the nutrients it gets into useful components for the body. Through this, your dog can efficiently get energy for its daily adventures in the great outdoors. Lastly, hormone regulation is another key benefit of Vitamin B6.
This also helps maintain your dog’s mood and reduce signs of lethargy, weakness, and depression.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C boasts three benefits for your dogs. These include immune system support, inflammation reduction, and collagen production. A constant supply of Vitamin C allows your dogs to produce more phagocytes, which are essential for surrounding and destroying bacteria and other dead cells. By doing so, it effectively gives dogs more protection from microbes and other foreign bodies.
When it comes to reducing inflammation, Vitamin C eradicates any free radicals that may cause oxidation and inflammation. It acts as an antioxidant that protects your dog from other sources that can harm it, improving overall health. Lastly, the vitamin is a crucial component in collagen production, an important process that helps maintain the quality of your dog’s skin, tissues, and joints.
Vitamin E
While Vitamins A and C are more focused on creating protective barriers for your dogs, Vitamin E supports the body they are protecting by enhancing skin health, coat condition, and cell function. Just like Vitamin C, Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps keep free radicals at bay.
It also aids in internal functions by allowing proper blood flow, which translates to a healthier and more beautiful coat for your dog.
When talking about cell function, Vitamin E aids in red blood cell production. Red blood cells are a crucial part of delivering oxygen to the body and managing waste disposal. It also allows dogs to utilize Vitamin K more effectively for even more benefits.
Minerals
Potassium
Potassium is a mineral that focuses on helping your dog’s essential organs to keep their functional capacities. Your dog’s heart needs potassium to regulate blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate to help keep a good and healthy heart that does not easily succumb to heart disease.
In addition to this, potassium helps prevent muscle cramps and keeps your dog’s muscles intact and healthy, preventing potential injuries. It is also good for fluid balance, which is crucial for electrolyte balance.
Magnesium
While potassium focuses on your dog’s muscle and organ function, magnesium helps by also providing support for muscles, bones, and energy production. A good amount of magnesium helps keep your dog’s bones healthy and strong.
Fiber
Fiber is a carbohydrate that helps in your dog’s digestion and gut health. When dogs eat mangos, they can take good amounts of fiber which helps them in their gastrointestinal processes. Fiber allows your dog’s body to have an easier time taking in nutrients that support its growth while maintaining a healthy tummy.
This carbohydrate also prevents constipation as it is a great addition to help regulate bowel movement in dogs.
A good amount of fiber can help your dog feel full after eating mangos, which helps in managing its weight and diet. But with this comes strict moderation to prevent any mango-related fullness. A dog’s diet should be balanced and not consist of a single food source.
Risks of Mangos for Dogs
Dogs can eat mangos, but it is important to take note of the risks involved in feeding them mangos. As dog owners, we must understand our best friend’s diet and what mangos can do to their diet, whether it disrupts it or enhances it. Here are some of the precautions to take note of when dogs eat mangos:
Overfeeding and Obesity
Due to their high sugar content, mangos can be dangerous and unhealthy for dogs if consumed in large portions. Ingesting too much sugar can be dangerous to your dog’s diet and overall health, as it can lead to diseases such as diabetes. Mangos also contain considerable amounts of fiber, which can lead to obesity in dogs.
Allergies and Stomach Issues
Allergies with mangos are rare in dogs, but this can happen. It’s better to make sure rather than have more issues the further you go. Symptoms such as redness, swelling, and itchiness will make life hard for your dog, and we don’t want that.
Along with allergies, stomach issues are a huge possibility when dogs eat mangos excessively. Your dog’s stomach may not respond well to mangos, and this can cause digestive issues, which can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal problems.
Choking Hazard
Mangos can pose a choking hazard to your dogs when large amounts are consumed quickly. In addition to this, the mango pit is a big choking hazard that may become lodged in your dog’s throat, blocking its airway. The pit can also be swallowed and may cause problems further down the gastrointestinal tract, which requires the help of surgery to remove.
It is also important to note that mango pits contain cyanide, a chemical highly toxic to dogs.
How to Prepare Mangos for Dogs?
Preparing mangos for your dog to eat is a simple task that should be given the most attention. Dogs need our assistance whenever they eat, and we need to make sure they eat their food properly in order to avoid any complications down the road. As their dog owners, it is our responsibility to make sure the food they eat is safe.
Here are some of the ways you can prepare mangos for your dogs to eat:
Peel and Remove
When preparing mangos for your dogs, it is crucial to remove the skin. The skin of the mango can cause digestive problems since dogs have a hard time breaking down the skin. To avoid this, peel the mango thoroughly and make sure no skin is left on the fruit.
The next step is to separate the fruit from the seed. The mango pit is highly toxic for dogs since it contains cyanide. Never let your dogs bite the pit.
Slice in Small Portions
Once you have the peeled fruit, slice it up into small pieces for your dogs to eat. This prevents any large pieces from causing any choking hazards, and it allows you to control how much mango your dog consumes.
Feed Gradually
When you have sliced the mango into small pieces, start feeding gradually. Make sure your dog swallows it before giving it another piece. This allows you to control your dog’s appetite and prevent overfeeding it. Feeding slowly also allows you to monitor your dog and check for any reactions it may have.
Conclusion
While dogs can eat mangos, it’s important to consider that these should only be given as treats due to the nutrients they contain. Your dog will benefit more from a balanced meal rather than from a single fruit such as a mango.
As caretakers of our dogs, it falls upon us to make sure our dog’s diet is beneficial for their health and well-being. It all starts by taking responsibility for your best friend.
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