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Many vegetables are safe for dogs to eat, and sweet potatoes are one of them. In addition to tasting yummy, sweet potatoes offer an impressive range of health benefits for your canine companion.
Are Sweet Potatoes Good for Dogs?
Sweet potatoes aren’t just safe for your dog to consume, but they can also support its health in several ways including:
- Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, which promotes a healthy digestive and helps things move more effectively.
- Sweet potatoes are a common ingredient in commercial dog foods because they’re whole food. This translates into lower chances of triggering an immune response or causing damage to the digestive system.
- Sweet potatoes contain low levels of fat.
- Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins, including:
- Vitamin A — essential for a healthy coat, skin, eyes, nerves, and muscles.
- Vitamin B6 — promotes protein metabolism and can improve bladder health.
- Vitamin C — supports the dogs’ immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron. Each of these plays a key role in metabolism and bodily functions.
Can Sweet Potatoes Harm My Dog?
Sweet potatoes have a high glycemic index, which means they can cause a rapid increase in your dog’s blood sugar levels.
If your canine pet isn’t very active, is overweight, or suffers from diabetes, you need to be careful about feeding it sweet potato. Stick to giving your very small portions every now and then in these cases.
How Should I Give Sweet Potatoes to My Dog?
If you decide to feed your dog sweet potatoes, make sure you cook them and get rid of the skin. If you let your dog eat the skin, its digestive system will have a hard time dealing with it and may cause issues.
Never give raw sweet potatoes to your dog. In addition to being tough to chew, they can also cause stomach upsets and may lead to intestinal obstruction.
Also, there’s a chance that raw potatoes become a choking hazard because of their hard consistency. So they need to be softened by cooking prior to feeding.
Finally, make sure the sweet potatoes are free of butter, oil, seasonings, spices, or any other additives
Can I Give My Dog Sweet Potato Skin?
The digestive system of dogs isn’t optimized to break down potato skins. So, you should get rid of any skin from sweet potatoes before giving it to your barking buddy.
How Often Should I Feed My Dog Sweet Potatoes?
Start by giving your dog only a small amount of sweet potatoes and keep an eye out for any signs of gastrointestinal discomfort such as diarrhea or vomiting. If there aren’t any issues, you can give your dog sweet potatoes more frequently.
Be very careful when giving your dog sweet potatoes if it suffers from health issues such as obesity or diabetes.
Think of sweet potatoes as a treat for your dog. It won’t hurt to let it snack on a few pieces from time to time, but they should make up less than 10% of your dog’s daily diet.
