Can Dogs Eat Plums?

Can Dogs Eat Plums? The Answer Is Complicated! The task of the owner is to monitor the health of the pet. Compliance with the rules developed by nutritionists and veterinarians guarantees the normal development and full functioning of the dog’s body. This is the only way to achieve stable immunity, to provide the dog with vigor and activity from a very young age. Today we will discuss whether dogs can eat plums and the benefits and harms of feeding plums to dogs.

Is there any benefit of plums?

Often, owners restrict their pets from eating fruits for fear of allergies or poisoning. As for eating plums, just like peaches or persimmons, they can weaken the intestines. But this does not mean that this delicacy should be wholly excluded from your pet’s diet. Plum is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals necessary for the harmonious development of the body.

Advice. When choosing a plum for your pet, prefer the Hungarian variety. It causes stomach cleansing less than others, which means it will not affect the stool of your four-legged friend.

Doctors recommend including plums in the diet for dogs of large and sedentary breeds, such as St. Bernard or Tibetan Mastiff. You should monitor the number of plums eaten to prevent unpleasant consequences.

Potential harm and allergies

You also have to consider allergies when deciding if your dogs can eat plums. Allergy to plums, as well as to fruits in general, in dogs is a relatively rare phenomenon. As a rule, allergies are caused by certain types of proteins. However, if your pet develops allergies while eating plums, you should immediately take him to a veterinary clinic for an examination.

The following signs determine allergy in dogs:

Itching and redness of the skin: your dog often scratches his ears and behind the ears, rubs against furniture, and gnaws his skin.
Some areas of the skin become inflamed, hair falls out on them, redness of the eyes, tearing: the animal often sneezes or coughs, and a cloudy liquid appears in the corners of the eyes.
Seals appear on the skin.

Modern examination methods allow for identifying allergies in dogs with high accuracy. In case of an allergy, symptomatic treatment is suggested, eliminating plums from your pet’s diet.

Important! When buying a plum for a dog, you need to choose fresh and natural fruits. If you feel the plum has a tart wine smell – refrain from buying. With a high probability, such fruit has already been fermented, and its use will cause intestinal upset.

A sign of good fruit is a slight coating on the skin, a dry, hard stem, and uniform color of the fruit.

How to give?

The organisms of a dog and a person are strikingly different, and what is helpful to the owner, the pet can provoke a severe deterioration of health. Therefore, the owner of the animal should carefully monitor what and in what quantities the dog eats, and it is essential to adhere to specific rules:

A new product is introduced into the dog’s menu gradually, starting with a small piece – after that, it is necessary to observe the condition and behavior of the dog for two days. And if there are no noticeable changes, you can gradually increase the portion.

If the pet does not show interest in a new yummy and flatly refuses to eat it, you cannot force it. Perhaps he feels that this product is of poor quality or contains unpleasant components for the animal.
Fruit goes well with cereals, so you can add pieces and berries to a warm dish, making the leading food more healthy and palatable.
If the dog “became attached” to certain products of this category, which are helpful for him, then you should not save on a pet. You should buy ripe, high-quality fruits and regularly introduce them into the diet.

After understanding the risks, pros, and cons of eating plums, you need to determine how often and how much you can give plums to your pets. Plum, like many other fruits, is not a natural food for dogs, so the owner must control the diet of his pet, even if the pet loves fruits. The recommended frequency of use is once or twice a week, half an hour before the main meal.

Important! To avoid injury to the animal, the owner must adequately prepare the plum: wash it, and peel it from the stone and legs. Removing the peel, cutting the fruit into small slices, and feeding the plum to your pet are also advisable. This will relieve the health problems of the dog.

Before your dogs can eat plums the fruit must be prepared for consumption:

remove the plum pit (required);
peel the skin (preferably);
divide the fruit into small, approximately equal in size slices.

What can you do if your dogs eat the pit of a plum?

However, not all dog owners follow the recommendations and give their pets a plum with a stone. Or, due to an oversight, the pet himself found and ate such a fruit.

In this case, the first thing to do is give the dog a softly enveloping medicine. These drugs will help prevent damage to the internal walls of the stomach and intestines and contribute to the natural removal of the bone from the animal’s body.

But the main danger of eating the seeds is not this – the seeds of plums, cherries, and peaches contain cyanide, which is a dangerous poison and harmful to humans and dogs.

Advice. Even if you are convinced that the bone has left your pet’s body, showing it to a specialist is still recommended. Eating plum pits can cause inflammation of the small intestine in dogs, intestinal obstruction, all sorts of damage, and scratching of the esophagus.

Can dogs eat plums if they are pregnant or lactating?

Particular attention should be paid to pregnant lactating females because their diet significantly affects the condition and health of puppies. Veterinarians do not recommend including plums in the menu of lactating females and puppies, like many fruits, because despite their beneficial properties, plums will cause a laxative effect, hurting the fragile digestive system of puppies.

Is there any alternative for plums?

If your pet still loves fruits very much but is allergic to plums, then you can always find an alternative in the form of other equally healthy plant products.

Papaya is an excellent option for dogs as it is non-allergic, strengthens the digestive system, and provides most of the micronutrients your dog needs. Veterinary pharmacies sell food supplements with papaya extract.

Bananas can also be given to dogs for a varied diet. Bananas clean teeth from plaque and kill bacteria in dogs’ mouths. It is strongly discouraged to feed dogs with overripe or spoiled bananas. It is also not recommended to feed bananas to dogs that have diabetes.

Apples are a great plant food choice for your pet. They contain more vitamin A, which improves eyesight and makes the coat smoother and shinier.

Pumpkin normalizes digestion and lowers the acidity of the stomach. It is often used in the prevention of helminthiasis.

Recommendations for the dog’s diet of fruits

Now about the main thing – about precautions. No matter how omnivorous your dog may seem, you have no right to risk its health. Begging, compassionate eyes, and even insistent demands are not a reason to go on about.

If you want to pamper your pet with fruits or berries, the benefits of which you doubt, you should resort to precautionary measures:

New fruits and berries are fed in small quantities. No more than a teaspoon. After, the dog’s condition must be observed for at least one day.
If you do not notice itching, irritation of the mucous membranes, or other strange symptoms, the dose of treats can be increased by 2-3 times and observed again. In the future, the pet can not be limited (within reason). If, after eating fruit, the dog begins to itch, we immediately give an antihistamine and reduce the next feeding to neutral foods (rice, beef). An allergic reaction can be persistent, so we extend the diet for 2-3 days or until the symptoms are eliminated.
For feeding puppies, fruits and berries should be mixed with grated vegetables or porridge.
If the dog categorically refuses to eat a treat, even apples – do not insist and stop at vegetables.

Remember that overfeeding fruits can lead to weight gain.

Strict prohibitions can be imposed only on products that cause allergies. The risk group includes citrus fruits, kiwi, watermelon, and other exotic fruits. In addition, you need to understand that “imported sources of vitamins” contain not only valuable substances. For transportation, protection from parasites, and preservation of the presentation, fruits are treated with chemicals and gases, representing the main danger.

Conclusion

Dogs Eat Plums! The main rule in compiling a pet’s diet is to listen to his food preferences. You should not force an animal to eat this or that product simply because it is valid (unless we discuss mandatory treatment and a special diet). Also, do not introduce meaningless restrictions or completely deprive the pet of his beloved, albeit non-standard, treats.