Can Dogs Have Asparagus?
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? If you like the veggie yourself, you may wonder: Can dogs have asparagus? Asparagus is not toxic to dogs, but how you cook and serve it makes all the difference. Boiled, plain asparagus is a good treat for your dog, but leave raw, seasoned, or fried asparagus to you.
Keep reading for more on dogs eating asparagus.
The Benefits of Asparagus for Dogs
Asparagus has several nutrients for canines, such as:
The Risks of Asparagus for Dogs
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? While asparagus is full of nutrients, it might pose some risks for dogs when it’s raw or prepared with dog-poisonous ingredients.
Choking Hazards of Asparagus
Asparagus, especially when in a raw form, is a possible reason behind choking in dogs. If you do choose to serve your dog the vegetable, you need to cook it (plain) and then chop it into small pieces such that the danger of choking is minimized.
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? When you cook any vegetables, they become depleted of their nutritive value. If your dog has trouble digesting raw asparagus, you might be better served to change over to a more easily digestible raw vegetable like celery, carrots, or cucumbers, as they will get more vitamins from them. When consumed whole, these vegetables are a potential choking hazard, especially to small dogs. Make sure you chop them up into bite-sized morsels before feeding.
Feeding your dog asparagus will also make their urine smell unpleasant (something that does happen in people, too). But if your dog is perfectly housebroken, this will not be a problem.
The last warning regarding asparagus is that asparagus fern, which is the part of the asparagus you won’t be eating, is toxic to canines. If you have asparagus in your garden, you must enclose it so that your dog will not be able to get a hold of this. It will make them throw up, give them diarrhea, and result in horrible stomach cramps.
Takeaways
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? So, do dogs consume asparagus? Yes, but honestly, there is no necessity of feeding it to them. They would probably find it difficult to chew and digest raw, so you might prefer to have a softer vegetable instead. Also, if you are cultivating your own, take care that your dog does not snack on the asparagus fern.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Asparagus?
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? Yes, dogs can eat raw asparagus safely. However, raw asparagus is very hard and difficult for dogs to chew and digest. Uncooked asparagus can pose a serious choking hazard for dogs and may even cause intestinal blockage. Your dog is also likely to vomit, be gassy, or have diarrhea when digesting asparagus.
Can Dogs Eat Cooked Asparagus?
Blanched asparagus is actually quite safer for dogs to munch on—if blanched correctly—because it’s easier to chew, swallow, and digest.
When preparing asparagus for your canine, prepare it plain. Don’t add any butter, salt, onion, garlic, or else that will be harmful to your dog.
How to Feed Your Dog Asparagus Safely
Whether you offer asparagus cooked or raw, be sure to offer it plain and in small, bite-sized amounts. Here are a few tips on how to get asparagus ready and serve it safely to your dog.
- Steam plain asparagus, cool it, and chop into small, bite-sized pieces to serve as treats or as a food topper.
- Boil plain asparagus. Chop it into tiny, bite-sized pieces and cool it before serving. Boiled asparagus can also be used as treats or as a food topper.
- Blend asparagus with dog-safe fruits like bananas, apples, and blueberries to create a healthy smoothie. Add some plain, sugar-free, and xylitol-free yogurt next.
- Chop up asparagus, then dry them out in a dehydrator. This option is healthier than store-bought dehydrated asparagus, which often contains excess salt and added preservatives.
- Make a dog-safe soup with asparagus, sodium-free chicken broth, and other dog-safe vegetables like chopped carrots, celery, and boiled, boneless, skinless chicken.
How to Feed Asparagus to Your Dog
- Cook it. Don’t feed your dog raw asparagus because it’s too easy for your dog to choke on and will be hard for your dog to digest once down. But don’t cook asparagus in butter or oil — instead, boil or steam your dog’s spears of asparagus. That’ll keep you from introducing any dangerous ingredients into your dog’s system and will keep you from wasting good nutrients.
- Chop it up. Always chop the asparagus up into little pieces so it is easy for your dog to chew and swallow.
- Avoid the add-ons. Avoid giving your dog asparagus that has been seasoned or cooked with salt, oils, butter, cheese, garlic, or onions.
- Keep it small. Same with any other food that you are not giving your dog as a regular basis, too much will irritate their tummies. So keep the amount of asparagus you give your dog minimal.
So, Can Dogs Eat Asparagus or Not?
Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? You might still be wondering: Can my dog have asparagus? The answer is that yes, your dog can eat asparagus. It’s not harmful to pets and does include many nutrients that are good for your dog’s health.
But remember that just because a dog can eat asparagus, that doesn’t necessarily mean they should. Your dog is already receiving everything they need from their standard dog food, so there’s just no use in giving them asparagus at all.
Always keep the portion size small in general. This way, you can have confidence that you’re providing your dog with a healthy snack with no excess risk.