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Beets are obviously healthy and you’ll be happy to hear this applies to dogs as well.
Yup! This root vegetable is not only nutritious, but it can also improve your canine’s skin and coat.
For sure, you can allow your best buddy to enjoy a small amount of beets.
In fact, having it in your dog’s diet will deliver valuable:
- Vitamin C
- Folate
- Fiber
- Manganese
- Potassium
And this low calorie (88% water) veggie happens to be a fantastic antioxidant. These are excellent for a precious pet pooch!
Your Dog Can Eat Beets
There is no harm in sharing.
Beets are in no way toxic for dogs. The ASPCA confirms this fact.
But avoid feeding canned beets because your dog doesn’t need that extra sodium.
Recommendation: A great way to incorporate this vegetable is with a quality dog food that contains dried beet pulp.
Limit Your Pet’s Portions
A downside to eating too many beets is the high oxalates factor. This can be problematic if your dog is prone to kidney or bladder stones.
Beets are also on the acidic side. The thing is excessive amounts may not sit well with your dog’s stomach.
Don’t go overboard!
Feed pet-friendly portions which means reasonably appropriate based on body weight.
You may not know how your dog handles beets (more on this aspect later).
Feeding Fresh Red Beets
So we’ve confirmed that beets, much like kale, are a nutritional powerhouse as long as you don’t overdo it.
Keep it simple.
Provide your dog pure, fresh, red beetroot and without added ingredients.
An easy way to do this is to get the most digestible (for dogs) form of this high nutrient content veggie.
Raw or Cooked Beets?
Pet dogs can be fed either cooked or raw beets. Either way won’t be harmful.
Lightly boiled or steamed is how you can deliver your dog the most benefits. This is typically how they are prepared anyway.
Peel the beets and cut them up into small pieces to prevent a possibility that your dog could choke.
Raw, shredded beetroot is a good option.
Again, we do not recommend adding any other ingredients for the sake of improving taste.
Confirm No Allergies
Whenever you introduce your dog to a new food you have to be somewhat cautious. This very much applies to beets as well.
The first time they eat beetroot is when you’ll watch for signs of allergic reactions. Chances are low, but you still have to be on the lookout.
Beets are known to be a skin remedy, but the opposite effect sometimes occurs.
In particular, some people are allergic to beet juice. This may be true for some dogs.
The Bottom Line
You can feed your dog some beets.
This food is healthy for hounds in moderation. Beetroot has excellent attributes assuming allergies are not a factor.
Low in calories and high in nutrients including antioxidants, beets are a winner for dogs!
I found your article to be very helpful. The only thing missing is recommended portion sizes. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your articles, suggestions and advice. In the sea of info online, your site has provided me with the most true facts.
My dog love beets and she’s very healthy.
I make a vegetable juice every few days which includes beetroot, carrots, celery and other greens. The vegetable matter, which is the residue, I feed to my Maremma dog with her evening minced meat, about 1 tablespoon full to each meal.
At 9 1/2 years of age she is still running around early morning and the cool in the evening. Marie Maremma and I live on the warm Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. She does not like the heat, but loves the cool.
Beets are actually pretty good for dogs. They help with skin allergies. Beets are worth trying.
What about beet pulp that manufacturers put into kibble? Fromm’s, Eukanuba, etc. all put beet pulp in their kibble. Is this harmful to the dogs? Does it cause dietary issues?
I mix beets into my dog’s kibble to keep him from just eating dry food. He enjoys it.
I have a very finicky puppy. I can’t get him to eat just about any high quality puppy food. So far he’ll eat ground turkey, which I’ve snuck rice and carrots into. I just discovered, though, that he is a maniac for beets! He just loves them.
This little dog has issues with hypoglycemia. That combined with such finicky tastes can spell trouble, and has! So, if he loves beets, that is definitely reason enough to give them to him as often as possible, especially when he won’t eat anything else.