Whenever our dogs see us eating something, they also seem to want a bite, no matter what that might be. Such moments make us think about whether we can feed our dogs food that we like. Dogs have more nutritional needs than humans, and therefore not all food that is perfect for human consumption is safe for dogs.
Dog owners need to do their homework before giving their canine best friend some new stuff to eat. But generally speaking, most fruits are relatively healthy for dogs, and bananas are top on the list of highly nutritious fruits. To answer can dogs eat bananas or not, we present you with this article in which we have written all about this topic.
How Can Dogs Benefit From Eating Bananas?
Bananas are great food options for dogs as they are packed with a wide range of nutrients that our dogs need to have normal growth and a robust immune system. Bananas are also extremely low in cholesterol, and therefore you don’t have to worry about your dog fattening up while giving him bananas. Following are all the great reasons that prove that bananas are highly healthy for our four-legged best friends, and therefore dogs can eat bananas.
- High in Potassium
- Loaded with Vitamins
- Full of Biotin
- Good for digestion
- Rich in copper
High in Potassium
While discussing the health benefits of bananas for dogs, it would be best to keep in mind that this tasty fruit is full of Potassium. Potassium is an essential nutrient that dogs need to have normal growth and a healthy body. We owners need to make sure that our dog’s potassium levels are optimal as Potassium plays a list of essential functions in dogs. Some of which are as follows.
Strengthens the nervous system
Potassium plays a vital role in the nervous system of dogs as they essentially are the reason for nerve impulses moving from one part of the body to the other. Nerve impulses are messages that originate from the brain or spinal cord and then move to the various parts of the body through nerve impulses which are electric currents flowing throughout the body. This electric current requires charged particles for its conduction, and Potassium fills that particular need. Without optimal potassium levels in the blood, the nervous system becomes slow to react, which can cause muscular contractions in the heart and other vital organs to halt. All this can prove to be fatal for our canine best friend. Low potassium levels can also affect your dog’s cognitive abilities, resulting in him being slow in learning new things, failing to recognize faces, and acting violently.
Therefore, dog owners need to make sure that their dogs have ample amounts of Potassium in their bodies, and the best way to do that is by feeding them bananas.
Promotes muscle growth
As mentioned earlier, Potassium plays a vital role in the relaxation and contraction of muscles by enabling nerve impulses to generate and travel freely throughout the body. This also means that Potassium plays a role in muscle growth as the only way to grow muscles and strengthen them is by exercising them. During exercise, the muscle fibers break apart, and more robust and denser muscle fibers, in turn, replace them. This exercise primarily includes the contraction and relaxation of muscles, and this can only be done if your pooch has enough amounts of Potassium in his bloodstream. This also means that Potassium is also vital for having a healthy and functioning heart as the heart’s primary function is mainly to contract and relax. All this also answers the question of can dogs eat bananas as it is clear that it’s safe for dogs to consume bananas.
Dog owners must make sure to provide their dogs with good sources of Potassium, such as bananas, as failing to do so can result in diminished muscle growth in your dogs, and this can make your dog extremely weak.
Stronger Bones
Potassium also acts to regulate the acidity of the bloodstream and works to maintain it on an optimal level. This provides many benefits, including protecting vital organs from acidity, protecting the regular rate of metabolism, and keeping the circadian rhythm of our pooch. But the most important function of Potassium’s regulatory nature is that it promotes the absorption of calcium in bones and stops the calcium deposited in the bones from leaking into the bloodstream. All this serves to strengthen the bone structure of our canines. And this is why dogs that have optimal levels of Potassium are reported to have stronger bones than dogs that don’t have the required amounts of Potassium.
Loaded with Vitamins
The nutritional benefits of bananas are manifolds, and these also include the fact that bananas are excellent sources of essential vitamins that dogs need to have a healthy lifestyle. Essential vitamins are defined as vitamins that dogs can’t synthesize on their own, and therefore dogs rely on their meals to fulfill the need for these essential vitamins. The role and functions of some vitamins present in bananas are listed below.
Vitamins B6
Vitamin B6 is regarded as an essential vitamin for our canine friends. This essential vitamin plays a wide range of functions in dogs, all of which are integral for the well-being of our pooches.
Glucose generation
Glucose is the primary unit of energy in animals, and this is the essential component from all lifeform derive energy for the upkeep of their bodies. The same goes for dogs, as they depend on glucose present in their bodies for their energy needs. Glucose is produced from carbohydrates and fats, and this process is called Glucogenesis. The most crucial component for Glucogenesis is Vitamin B6, as this vitamin is responsible for starting and regulating the process of converting carbohydrates, lipids, and fats into glucose.
Gene activation
Another essential function of Vitamin B6 is the activation of Genes. Genes are protein molecules that contain all the information about a specific characteristic and are responsible for showing that particular characteristic. For genes to exhibit their assigned characteristics, Vitamin B6 needs to be in the standard amounts in the body. Without this, Genes will not be able to show themselves properly, and this will, in turn, lead to an incomplete transfer of characteristics from one generation to another. This can cause physical deformities and even gene-based diseases, all of which can be fatal.
Vitamin C
Another vitamin found abundantly in bananas is Vitamin C. Like Vitamin B6, vitamin C is also a critical factor in ensuring good health in dogs. Therefore, owners must make sure that their four-legged best friends can meet their vitamin C needs. Unlike Vitamin B6, Vitamin C is a non-essential vitamin which means that dogs can synthesize it themselves. However, it is still recommended to supplement their vitamin C with food supplements to boost the immune system of dogs.
Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, and therefore it plays a significant role in eliminating any harmful agents that might enter the body and cause diseases. That’s why vitamin C is regarded as essential for having a robust immune system. Vitamin C also has many anti-aging effects, and it also helps significantly in improving the cognitive skills of our canine friends.
Good for digestion
Dogs often suffer from digestion-related problems, which can be caused due to several different reasons. But the main reason for dogs developing digestion-related problems is low-quality food that is low on fiber content. Fibers are integral for promoting healthy digestion in dogs as they aid in absorbing fluids and various other food components. Therefore, dog owners must provide their dogs with fiber-rich food, and bananas are made to fill that need. All this also answers the question of can dogs eat bananas as it is clear that it’s safe for dogs to consume bananas.
Bananas are an excellent food for dogs as not only are they delicious, but they are also full of fibers that can help prevent your pooch from almost all digestion-related problems. Dogs that don’t receive enough fibers often have problems getting all the nutrients from their food, and as a result, such dogs tend to be weaker than their counterparts. Such dogs also have a fragile immune system which makes them highly susceptible to a broad spectrum of serious diseases.
Frequently asked questions
As we have answered the question of can dogs have bananas or not, it now turns to answer some more questions that dog owner often has regarding giving banana products to dogs. These questions include questions like Can dogs eat banana peels. Can dogs eat banana chips, and can dogs eat banana bread.
Can Dogs Eat Banana Peels?
Dogs often go crazy for bananas, and therefore incidents, where dogs end up eating banana peels are more common than you think. Such incidents often make you think that dogs can eat banana peels? Well, we are here to answer just that.
Banana peels are complex and quite hard to chew as their primary function is to protect the inner flesh of the banana. These characteristics make banana peels extremely hard to digest, and it can also lead to intestinal blockage in dogs which can make your dog seriously ill.
Banana peels also have a toxic nature, which can make our pooches ill and can even cause long-term diseases. That’s why it is recommended that dog owners keep their canines away from banana peels. And this answers our question of can dogs eat banana peels?
To summarize, the answer to the question of “Can dogs eat banana peels’ is a big No. Banana peels is not exactly a safe food option for our canine friends as it can cause several problems. Therefore. Dogs should not be fed banana peels.
Can Dogs Eat Banana Bread?
Bananas on their own are excellent treats for dogs as they are full of many nutrients. But as far as Can dogs eat Banana bread is concerned, well, we can’t give you a concrete answer to that as the answer to this question depends upon your dog.
If your pooch doesn’t suffer from any wheat, grain, or gluten allergies, then banana bread is a fantastic treat for your dog, and therefore you can safely feed banana bread to your dog. Do not overfeed them, as too much banana bread can make your dog overweight very soon, which can be bad for your canine friend.
But it’s a whole different story if your four-legged best friend is allergic to grains, wheat, or gluten. Feeding your allergic dog banana bread full of such allergens can spell immense trouble for your dog as this can lead to his start exhibiting symptoms of allergies. This can also cause his respiratory system to stop functioning, his skin to develop various rashes, and his digestive system to completely halt.
Therefore, to answer the question of Can dogs eat Banana bread, you first need to check whether your dog is allergic to different allergens present in the bread.
Can Dogs Eat Banana Chips?
Wondering about “Can dogs eat banana chips?” well, then no need to wonder anymore as banana chips are excellent treats for our canine best friends. Banana chips are full of various nutrients like Potassium, copper, and biotin. These chips are also a good source of vitamins such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. This means that dogs can benefit significantly from banana chips. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the answer to the question of “Can dogs eat banana chips?” is a huge affirmative.
Banana chips can also provide our dogs with reasonable amounts of fibers, which can aid them in their digestion-related problems.
Final Thoughts
Can dogs have bananas? It is a general question amongst dog lovers. Fortunately, the answer to the question of can dogs have bananas is a huge yes. Bananas are excellent sources of various essential nutrients for dogs, and all of them help boost the health of our canine friends.
Another reason we think that the answer to this question is a yes is bananas are also perfect sources of natural fibers for dogs which can help them a lot.