Dragon fruit or pitaya, colorful and has a spike-like interior that is a member of the cacti family. The term dragon fruit has been around since 1963 from its appearance of spikes on its exterior. It is known as pitaya in Mexico, pitaya roja in Central America and South America. The fruit is also known as a strawberry pear.
To cut a long story short, your dog can eat dragon fruit. But, can a dog eat dragon fruit? It is okay for them to consume dragon fruit as long as you see that they don’t eat too much of it. Dragon fruit contains a lot of sugar which is not meant for dogs to consume.
Dragon fruit is low in calories and has a high fiber content with considerable vitamins and minerals. It also has traces of antioxidants that help prevent cells from any damage. Several traces also of betalains, hydroxycinnamates, and flavonoids are reported to be found in dragon fruit.
Dragon fruit’s popularity and high acceptability rate have increased in multitude in recent years. With its great taste and unique shape, its legion of enthusiasts has developed several recipes that include dragon fruit as a primary ingredient in one way or another. Dragon Fruit’s versatility has allowed fans to create or develop wonderful creating stunning and refreshing dragon fruit recipes.
- Dragon fruit can be made into a smoothie. Its natural sweetness and vibrant colors is perfect for strawberry coconut milk smoothie and matcha, coconut and kale smoothie. Either way it is simply perfect.
- You can create bowls with your dragon fruit. Blend some frozen dragon fruit, pair it with almond milk or with some coconut water until it becomes like ice cream, pour it in your breakfast bowl and voila, you have the perfect breakfast bowl that is high in nutrition and bursting with wonderful flavors. Dragon fruit is almost perfect with anything
- Slice it into salads, prepare it together with different greens the infusion of sour and sweet is just way to perfect to describe it
- Turn dragon fruit into a salsa. With a little bit of chopped grilled pineapples, olive oil, cilantro and dash of lemon juice vinaigrette and boom your are in for a treat.
- Dragon whipped fruit salad. If you don’t enjoy it, I do not know what else will
- Dragon fruit ice cream. Who else doesn’t enjoy ice cream, dragon fruit ice cream is just so tempting, it taste good, and the more you dig in it taste even better.
As you can see, dragon fruit can be made into a wide array of different delectable recipes. It is good, it is refreshing, and it is simply perfect in every sense. The right amount of sweetness coupled with the right amount of tanginess and all sorts of good stuff packed into a delicious fruit makes any ordinary day quite interesting. With that being said, sharing it with someone would be nice, and that would lead us to our next question, which is,
CAN DOGS EAT DRAGON FRUIT?
You can’t just munch on some goodies without remembering your best friend who is by your side through thick and thin. If you are enjoying your quiet afternoon with some cold delights, how about your dog? Can he share and enjoy your treat? To cut a long story short, your dog can eat dragon fruit. It is okay for them to consume dragon fruit as long as you see that they don’t eat too much of it. Dragon fruit contains a lot of sugar which is not meant for dogs to consume.
Dragon fruit is not non-toxic to dogs. It is sweet, delicious, and pack with all the essential nutrients that are good for our health and our dogs. We can share the dragon fruit treat with our pets. But as a reminder, you need to control how much they can consume because, as I have mentioned earlier, dragon fruit contains a high amount of sugar that will heighten their energy levels and make them somewhat cranky.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY DOG EATS A LOT OF DRAGON FRUIT
Your dog eating dragon fruit technically is not the problem. What causes problems is our inability to control our dog’s sugar intake and our inability to resist when our dogs use the “cuteness overload” technique that will make us a slave on their every whim. Some side effects of too much sugar consumption due to excessive eating of dragon fruit are:
- Depilation – Excessive sugar consumption on canines can causes hair falls and irritation of stomach. The dog’s system is not designed for consuming sugar and other products that contain large quantities of natural or artificially made sugar and other sweeteners. Please restrain yourself in giving in to your dogs every whims, you might be doing more harm than good, so please beware.
- Teeth problems – Excessive sugar consumption can damage your dog’s teeth. It leads to tooth decay and will visibly decrease your dog’s performance on some activities that your dog usually do. Their teeth is their primary weapon and tool of choice, a damaged tooth can make your dog’s performance and vitality decrease by a few notch.
- Obesity and other health-related problems – Your dog’s problem on being overweight is a serious health matter, their inability to talk and say that they are suffering adds more injury to the problem. If you notice that your dog’s mass increases and their movement decreases it could be a telling sign of being overweight. If after few sprints and they seem to tire easily that is also a sign of being overweight. If that is what you see, please refrain from giving your dog or at least control their food intake and their sugar consumption. Let them run wild outside and have a regular exercise to keep them healthy and fit.
ARE THERE ANY HEALTH BENEFITS IF I LET MY DOG EAT DRAGON FRUIT
The straightforward answer for whether dogs can eat dragon fruit and beneficial to them is a resounding YES. If consumed in moderate and controlled amounts, Dragon fruit can offer some good things to your dog. Here are some health benefits of your dog consuming dragon fruit:
- Dragon fruit has high amount of vitamin C – it will safely boost your dog’s immune system that will keep him healthy. Having vitamin C in your dog’s system can help him prevent some diseases. Just remember do not let your dog take too much of it, moderation and control is the key.
- High in fiber – your dog can benefit on the high fiber content of dragon fruit. The high fiber content of dragon fruit can help your dog’s digestive tract to be okay and function properly. It helps them expel some harmful toxins and great in maintaining their weight.
- Dragon fruit is rich in Omega-3 Fatty acids – A significant amount of Omega-3 has been found in dragon fruit. Omega-3 helps protect your dog’s coat and skin. It makes their fur shinier and strong. It helps decrease any inflammation in your dog’s system which is good and healthy.
- It has calcium and iron – Surprisingly high levels of calcium and iron are found in dragon fruit. Calcium is important for your dog’s bones to be healthy and strong. Iron on the other hand helps prevent anemia and helps promote the production of red blood cells that helps your dog to be energetic, vibrant and healthy all the time.
HOW OFTEN AND HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE MY DOG DRAGON FRUIT
Dragon fruit is non-toxic for your dog. You can give it to your dog raw, freshly cut, and with no other additives, a slice of dragon fruit. But it should be given with constraint. In moderation, a recommended amount for your dog is only a teaspoon, or else your dog will be super energized and super active because of its high sugar content. Again, as a reminder, control and moderation is the key.
