There are many ways, in which, humans show their affection for their pets. Cuddling, playing games with them, taking them for walks, and so on. However, none comes close to the action of sharing your food with your pet. A bit from your plate can cheer up your pet, enormously. Yet, you must ask yourself. Is it wise to do so? Take the example of pet dogs. There is a lot of difference between your digestive system and that of your pet rodent. Ask yourself; is it affection or unintentional harm that you are afflicting upon your pet? Fruits and vegetables confuse most people, so let us pick one from that category for the sake of this discussion. The question we are going to address is can dogs eat watermelon?
A word about the melons
Watermelon is a plant species that belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. The plant has a scrambling nature, as it is a trailing vine. There are more than 1000 varieties of this plant, cultivated all over the world. But these are boring facts that you can dig up on Wikipedia anytime you like. We want to draw your attention to the fact that how popular snack watermelons are. In summer, on a hot day when muscles are tissues are all dehydrated, chilled pieces of watermelon are nothing but heavenly. You might be chilling in your lawn under a cool shade, eating this fruit when the idea of sharing it with your pet dog might pop up in your head. So, what should you do? Let us find out.
What do watermelons offer dogs?
We know that watermelons have great benefits to offer when it comes to human health. However, humans are not our primary concern in this discussion. Your furry little friend interests us the most today. Let us see why eating watermelons can be beneficial for your pet dog.
There are many nutrients in a slice of watermelon, it is impossible to discuss the efficacy of all these nutrients in detail. However, we feel that vitamins deserve a bit of discussion. You see, for us humans, a watermelon might not be the biggest source of vitamins like vitamin C. However, you will be amazed to find out the effects of watermelon on your dogs’ immunity. Vitamins like C are critical for boosting up the immune system. Therefore, we dare say that in terms of improved health status, watermelons are great for your dog. Your pet dog is likely to find them tasty as well. Oh, and because the water content is higher than other fruits, nothing like watermelon can keep you hydrated on summer days.
Beware, not everything on offer is good!
If watermelons are indeed as beneficial as we have just described them, why do not people feed their dogs this fruit all the time? Indeed, some of you might even be tempted to do the thing after reading the entire list of watermelon benefits. However, here is the thing, do not do it. There are plenty of problems associated with dogs eating watermelons.
Apart from the vitamins, watermelons are also rich in sugar. Now, we understand the look of amazement on your face. Yes, you might not feel anything except water while devouring on melons. However, it is a fact that the sugar content of watermelons is not suited for your dogs’ metabolism. Hence, you can see why offering large chunks or too many small pieces of watermelons to your pet rodent is not such a great idea. Also, we mentioned that the fruit could keep your furry friend well hydrated. However, it can be a downside as well, in case it begins to replace freshwater from your furry friends’ diet. If you are not careful about the proportions, your pet can end up with serious problems like diarrhea or certain other digestive troubles.
Can dogs eat watermelon?
We feel that now, we are in a better position to answer this question than we were at the start of this discussion. The short answer would be, yes. Yes, your rodent friend can eat watermelons. However, without knowing the pros and cons of dogs eating melons, it would be hardly prudent to continue with the deed. It all depends on how much of the fruit are you feeding to the pet, as well as how it is being fed. This is something that we will discuss in a while. For now, we want you to remember some important things, whenever you think of feeding watermelons to your dog.
First, organic watermelons are the premium stuff. They are not sprayed with all these modern toxic chemicals, something that can affect your pets’ digestive systems severely. However, we also understand that it might not be possible for you to lay your hands on organic fruits all the time. In that case, simply make sure that you use ample amounts of water for washing the watermelon thoroughly. Examine the slices that you are going to feed your pet carefully. Weed out the rotten bits and dispense them. Otherwise, there will be detrimental effects on your dogs’ health.
What about the rind and seeds?
It is an interesting question, and we thought it would be prudent to make it a part of this discussion. Well, firstly, why rind and seeds are important or unimportant is something that we need to understand. In the case of watermelon rind, it is high on all the beneficial nutrients that make watermelon a healthy snack. Of course, we are talking about zinc, potassium, certain vitamins like vitamin A and a few other elements. So, why do people seem to hesitate whenever feeding rind to the dog is mentioned? Well, some folks think that the dogs cannot digest this bit of the fruit. Hence, they are reluctant. However, we assure you that there is nothing wrong with feeding your pet, a bit of watermelon rind. It is much better to slice and strip the rind, rather than chucking the whole thing in the pets’ tray.
Oh, and we think you should not proceed with the watermelon seeds. It is not much wrong with the seeds themselves, but they can still pose a choking hazard.
How to feed watermelon to your dog?
In terms of frequency, you should be careful that watermelons do not become the prime element of your rodent pets’ diet. We feel that anywhere once or twice a week is more than enough. Be sure to remove all the seeds from the slice that you are giving to your pet. You can slice it up into small pieces, or give the fruit with the rind as well. Remember the bit about washing it well as well. Do monitor your pet after it has eaten the melon. In case you feel there is something wrong, the best course of action is to consult the vet.
Conclusion
We wish we could go on, but the limitations of time and space force us to conclude and wrap up things here. Nevertheless, we hope that you learned something, if not everything about melons and rodents. Remember, the key principle is to not feed anything in excess; it is not about just watermelons. Too much of anything can be bad for your dog. Hence, moderation must be considered.