Can Dogs Eat Celery? Is Celery Bad for a Dog
There are many people out there who wish to supplement some of their dog’s diet in order to feed them extra grains and vegetables. While this is perfectly fine if you do it, you need to keep in mind that not all of the vegetables and fruits are considered to be safe, or even healthy for your dog to eat. One of the most common vegetables that you may want to give to your dog is celery. But is it ok for dogs to eat celery?
Are Dogs Able to Eat Celery?
To answer this question in one word, yes. Celery is considered to be one of the vegetables that are safe for your dog to eat. In fact, if your dog is overweight and you would like them to lose some of it through diet, celery is one of the things that is recommended as a weight losing treat for your dog to eat.
So yes, celery is perfectly safe for your dog to eat, as long as it is in smaller quantities. Just keep in mind that when you do give your dog celery, it needs to be in the form of a snack, not as a type of meal replacement. The only exception to this would be if your veterinarian were to direct you to do otherwise. When you do give your dog celery as a healthy snack, be sure that you always cut it into smaller pieces to help minimize any chocking hazard. This is important as dogs normally don’t chew their food really well and celery can easily get lodged into their throat, obstructing their airway. Also, be sure that you always remove the celery leaves before giving the vegetable to your dog. Celery seeds are ok for them to eat, but only in smaller quantities.
Breaking Down the Nutrients in Celery for Your Dog
You may be asking yourself the question, ‘since celery is safe for my dog to eat, is my dog going to actually benefit from any of the nutritional value it provides?’
While celery is an extremely low-calorie snack that packs a very appealing crunch that your dog will simply love, it is 95 percent water, which makes it nice and refreshing on a hot day. As far as the nutritional part of celery, your dog is going to benefit from eating it as a snack.
Similar to humans, as well as any other species of animals on the planet, your dog does require a good mix of minerals and vitamins in order to keep them healthy and strong. When you give your dog celery as a snack, they will be benefiting from the vitamins and minerals that it contains. For example, celery is a great source of fiber. Fiber is going to help keep their digestive system working at optimal performance. On top of that, celery also contains vitamins C, K, and A, as well as manganese, potassium and folate. While this can sound like celery is a super food for your dog and they need to eat it all the time, most of these vitamins and minerals are typically ingested when your dog eats their regular food, if they are on a balanced diet.
Possible Celery Side Effects
As with any vegetable that you feed to your dog and has a high supply of fiber, when your dog eats too much celery, they are then at risk of becoming both gassy, as well as having diarrhea. If your dog is allergic to celery, although it is rare, celery can possibly give them an upset stomach. If you do decide to give your dog a large amount of celery, it can cause them to start urinating much more than they normally do.
The Best Celery Recipe for Your Dog
Since celery is a healthy vegetable that will have positive health benefits for your dog if it is eaten as part of their daily diet, it is the perfect ingredient to put into their dog food. That is, if you make their dog food at home. In fact, if you do make your own dog food, celery is an excellent ingredient, as it will add more vitamins and fiber into their food. Here is a Simply Pets healthy dog food recipe that your dog will find delicious.
Ingredients:
- 2lb-minced chicken
- 1-cup macaroni
- 1-cup rice
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium gravy powder
- 5-cups water
- First you want to cook the chicken mince without using any types of oils. In a separate pan, boil all the pasta and rice together in 2 cups of water, until well cooked and soft to the touch.
- Add all the remaining water to your minced chicken.
- Chop all the celery and carrots finely. This can be done in either a food processor or you can grate it. Add to the chicken and water mixture to soften.
- Once soft, add the macaroni and rice mixture to the chicken mixture.
- Boil a little water and add gravy powder to form a paste. Stir into the chicken mix.
- Allow to cool fully before you try and feed your homemade dog food to your dog. Be sure to store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. This way it will last for up to 3 days from when it is made.
Can Dogs Eat Celery Conclusion
When it comes to feeding your dog celery, it is a healthy snack that can be used to add additional vitamins and minerals into their diet, as well as to help them lose weight. Just be sure that you don’t feed them any of the celery leaves, only give the celery to them after it has been cut up into smaller pieces, and try not to add too many extra toppings to the celery. While your dog may love peanut butter or other toppings with the celery, if you are not accounting for those extra calories within their daily diet, they will be at risk for gaining weight and even becoming obese.
