Everyone knows spinach is super healthy, but how about for dogs?
The nutritional values are known to be off the charts. Yup! It would be nice to share.
So is feeding spinach to your dog a good idea? And what about the potentially harmful oxalates?
Good news…
You Can Feed Your Dog Some Spinach
Oxalates are not a factor for the amount you’ll be feeding.
Spinach in moderation is not toxic for dogs despite what you may have heard. You simply have to limit your pet’s portions.
Also keep in mind that the canine digestive system generally doesn’t process leafy greens that well.
You should stop sharing if your buddy’s stomach doesn’t agree. But again, modest amounts of spinach will normally be of benefit to your dog.
It Is a Superfood
Being a dark green vegetable, spinach certainly packs a powerful nutritional punch.
It is an immune system boost that restores energy and vitality. Be warned if you already have an energetic dog!
Spinach is also known to prevent cancer and is good for the heart.
And we can’t fail to mention that vitamins A, B, C & K as well as calcium, iron, potassium, fiber, manganese and folate levels are some of the great nutritional attributes of spinach.
Not Perfect Though
A questionable aspect of spinach for dogs is the oxalate factor.
In fact, it has high levels and cooking it does not help. This is true whether you have baby spinach or the large leaf style.
This happens to be the case with quinoa and beets as well.
A Health Hazard?
No, don’t worry too much.
The amount your dog will eat is modest. Kidney stones can develop if you eat spinach or not!
FYI: Science linking diet to kidney stones is actually inconclusive.
Some rare medical conditions, however, do warrant oxalate restriction. Thankfully, this doesn’t likely apply so much to dogs.
A Pesticide Reality
Another downside to spinach is that, unfortunately, it is known to be a contaminated vegetable due to pesticides.
Play it safe by thoroughly rinsing it.
But even then it could have been exposed to radiation.
These are unavoidable factors. Just do your best for your dog.
Try to get organic spinach if you can or grow it yourself!
Prepare The Spinach
Feed bland spinach to make it easy to eat (but also safe).
Cook it, but also keep it simple. Avoid adding ingredients like salt or onions or garlic.
Chop the spinach up so it is more digestible.
Better yet, puree it!
Dogs don’t chew all that well. You know how this plant gets all tangled together.
Take these considerations into account and it’s smart to add a bit of spinach to your dog’s regular meals.
You may also be interested in reading about the possibility of dogs eating kale. And another one worth checking out is kelp for canines!
The Bottom Line
You can feed your dog spinach. It is also healthy for hounds.
Do not worry about oxalates.
Simply wash it thoroughly, cook it and cut it up to avoid a choking mishap.
Mix spinach in with dog food to add extra nutrition to meals.
I am wondering if frozen spinach is OK. I have a Shetland Sheepdog and he has been on a veggie diet for some time now. His favorite is green beans.
How much spinach is safe to give to a Beagle mix dog?
Cleo, my adopted 6 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, has a sensitive tummy. We’ve run the gamut between kibble, raw diet, canned and now a combo of canned and kibble.
I was putting little bits of fresh spinach (from just 2 leaves) in my baby’s meals. But her intermittent bowel issues have made me very cautious. If it blocks absorption of calcium from other food, it would surely lead to runny stools.
So I think spinach is out for us. I just can’t handle the waste cleanup.
Glad to hear about this. One way that I plan on avoiding the toxins, that are sprayed on spinach from the market, is to try growing it myself instead.
My Pit Bull mix loves raw spinach. She has twice eaten entire bowls of raw spinach after knocking them off the counter. I like to give it to her as a treat sometimes. Glad to hear it is okay!
Give only organic and puree after steaming using no seasoning. Pureeing is recommended for ease of digestion.