Should Dogs Eat Blueberries?

Fruit and vegetables are not only important for us, our pets should also receive a sufficient portion for their vitamin balance. However, our dogs are not allowed to eat many types of fruit and vegetables, as they can be poisonous for them. In this post we take a close look at blueberries and answer the question: are dogs allowed to eat blueberries?

Dangerous or healthy for dogs?

Blueberries are not only healthy for dogs, they are also particularly nutritious. They provide our furry friends with plenty of vitamins and other important nutrients. Blueberries for dogs are so popular in the diet that they are even added to dog food. They contain a lot of fibre, which aids digestion and is even helpful with gastrointestinal problems.

Because of the low number of calories, dogs can be given blueberries as a reward in between meals, but they can also be added to food in pure form.

But can dogs eat blueberries even if they have diabetes? Another benefit of blueberries: they are low in sugar, so dogs with diabetes can occasionally snack on them. If you want to be on the safe side with your dog's diabetes diet, we recommend that you contact our animal health practitioner/pet nutritionist. They can help you with the composition of the right diet.

Should dogs eat blueberries to strengthen their immune system?

Blueberries are best known and loved for their high vitamin C content. Vitamin C is involved in many of the body's own processes and is particularly essential for a strong immune system. The vitamin combats oxidative stress by binding free radicals and thus counteracting the aging process.

However, vitamin C does more than just strengthen the defense of the immune system in dogs: it influences the absorption of iron in the dog's body and removes toxic heavy metals. Additionally, it plays an important role in relieving inflammation.

But can dogs eat blueberries if they have health problems? Dogs should eat blueberries especially in health-impaired situations, because illnesses can disrupt the body's own vitamin C production. The liver can then no longer produce vitamin C from glucose and this vitamin becomes deficient. Wound healing disorders in dogs also indicate that there is a vitamin C deficiency.

Alternatives to blueberries for dogs

A good alternative to blueberries for dogs are rose hips. These fruits come from the rose family and can be fed as a whole fruit or even better, as a powder for dogs. Rose hips contain a significantly higher amount of vitamin C, even more than lemons. Rose Hip powder can easily be added to wet food or to your dog’s daily BARF portion. For dogs that are fed with dry food, the rose hip powder can be mixed into a small portion of yoghurt or quark.

Blueberry Muffins for Dogs

Ingredients:

150 g buckwheat flour

100 g coconut flour

150 g pureed blueberries

150 g quark

1 egg

1 tbsp rose hip powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

Water as needed

Muffin tins

Instructions:

Mix the buckwheat flour and coconut flour.

Mix the pureed blueberries and quark together.

Add the quark and blueberry mixture to the flour mixture and stir.

Beat the egg until frothy and stir into the dough until smooth. Add the rose hip powder and coconut oil.

Fill into muffin cups, be careful not to overfill the molds.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees.