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Can dogs eat pickles?
Can dogs eat pickled ginger?
Can dogs eat Dill pickles?
Pickles are over go-to option whenever we want to add taste to our food, and there are many good reasons for that. Pickles can boost our dining experience and help us digest the food. But what about our canine buddies? Can you feed pickled Stuff to your dogs? Can dogs eat pickles?
These are the questions that keep most dog owners awake at night. Fortunately, we are here to answer the question of Can dogs eat Pickles once and for all. So here we go.
What are pickles in the first place?
The first step in answering the question can dogs eat pickles or not is learning a little about pickles and how they are made. Pickles can be made from any vegetable such as carrots, garlic, and chilies, and you can also find pickles made up of fruits like unripe mangoes and lemons. So, therefore, it is safe to say that you can find all sorts of pickles around the globe. But the most common type of pickles in North America is pickles made up of Cucumbers. There is not really a clear understanding as to how cucumbers became the fav pickled veggie amongst Americans but still, it’s a fact etched in concrete that when Americans talk about pickles, they are always referring to pickled Cucumbers. There are a plethora of ways when it comes to making pickles, as there is not really a standard recipe when it comes to pickles. This is the reason why every city and every state has a different variation of pickles to offer.
Pickled cucumbers can be made in a variety of manners, but the most traditional and straightforward method of making pickles is by leaving cucumbers in a brine solution. Usually, the brine solution is also packed with some spices.
Another trendy pickle type is dill pickle, made by adding a herb called dill in the brine solution in which cucumbers are already present. Dill carries natural antioxidant qualities, and therefore dill pickles can prove to be beneficial for our dogs.
There are other types of pickles as well, which are called bread and butter types. They are used to add a zest to the food and are meant to be eaten alongside the food. Therefore these pickles are made less sour than general pickles by adding sugars in them. These pickles are also loaded with garlic and a whole different set of spices. These bread and butter pickles are well-liked for their unique sweet and sour taste.
Last but certainly not least, there are specially designed spicy pickled for catering to the taste buds of spice lovers amongst ourselves. These spicy pickles carry additional spices and are therefore are considered fit for consumption for folks that can really handle the spice.
Are there any benefits of feeding pickles to dogs?
To answer the question “Can dogs eat Pickles?” It’s important for us to discuss all the benefits of feeding pickles to dogs. There are many pros of feeding pickles to dogs, as these pickles carry all the nutritional benefits of cucumbers. Moreover, herbs like dill that are often added to pickles can also provide your dog with enough antioxidants to keep him healthy.
Antioxidants can be explained as agents that protect the animal body from all the harmful effects of oxidation. This oxidation is normally caused by the presence of oxygen radicals that are produced as a by-product of respiration. Oxygen Radicals are essentially oxygen atoms that lack a single electron in their outermost shell in order to complete their valency and become stable according to the octet rule. This lack of valence electrons causes these oxygen radicals to become highly reactive. As a result, they tend to react with cells present in the body in order to snatch away electrons from those cells. This causes the cells to suffer from decomposition at an atomic level, and this can also amount to case permanent organ damage in the body. Therefore it is vital to protect dogs from all the harmful effects of oxidation by oxygen radicals and other oxidizing agents. And the best way to do that is by feeding ample amounts of food rich in antioxidants to dogs.
As mentioned above, pickles are basically cucumbers, and cucumbers are full of health benefits for our dogs, and therefore we should feed cucumbers to our canines. But don’t take our words for that as we have provided a detailed account of all the health benefits of Cucumbers below.
Cucumbers include a variety of components that are beneficial for our four-legged best friends. These components are as follows.
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin B6
- Molybdenum
- Potassium
- Manganese
- Copper
- Biotin
Role of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is responsible for performing and regulating a lot of functions in your dog’s body. Some of them are mentioned below to give our valued readers a better understanding of the importance of Vitamin K for dogs.
- Help boost the health of Heart muscles
- Vitamin K also helps in removing excess calcium ions from arteries
- Vitamin K plays an integral role in the blood clotting process
Of all the functions mentioned above of Vitamin K, its role in the blood clotting process is the most noteworthy, and therefore we have described it in great detail below.
The reason for mammalian blood having this characteristic is the presence of several proteins responsible for clotting. These clotting proteins are better known as Coagulation Factors. These coagulation proteins work with the platelets already present in the blood to complete the blood’s clotting process.
Now you must be thinking, where does Vitamin K lie in all this process. If you were thinking about the same thing, then we are here to tell you that a total of thirteen coagulation factors are present in the bloodstream, and four out of those thirteen factors require Vitamin K for their production and activation. In other words, one-third of the entire mechanism responsible for clotting the blood depends upon the presence of Vitamin K in the body; This shows the importance of ensuring that your pooch is getting the required amounts of Vitamin K from his diet. And one of the best sources of Vitamin K is Cucumbers, and therefore, Owners must feed cucumbers to their canine best friends without having any doubts regarding them.
The above statements about the importance of Vitamin K also help us to answer, ” Can dogs eat pickles? “
Role of Biotin
Another essential nutrient that cucumbers are full of is Biotin. Biotin is essentially a variant of the water-soluble Vitamin B and is also known as Vitamin B7. This makes Biotin a part of the Vitamin B complex.
This essential vitamin is sometimes called Vitamin H and is vital for ensuring excellent coat and hair quality in dogs. Vitamin is characterized by having the capability to boost keratin production in animals. Keratin is a protein that acts as the building block of hairs and nails. Therefore, if you want your pooch to show quality fur and hairs, then it’s better to supply your dog with Biotin supplements. This will boost the production of new hair follicles and heal any damage in already present hair follicles.
Role of Potassium
Animal bodies need potassium for the normal functioning of several vital functions. That’s why it’s important for dog owners to provide their dogs with a sufficient amount of potassium by feeding them foods like pickles.
Potassium is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the body as potassium ions act as the medium on which nerve impulses travel. Potassium also regulates the blood acidity level, and in this way, it protects calcium ions deposited in bones from being stripped away. That’s how potassium also acts to strengthen bones.
Is pickle a good choice for dogs?
Now that we have told you all about how pickles are made and what are the nutritional benefits that come with feeding pickles to dogs. We think that it’s just appropriate for us to tell you about all the cons of feeding pickles to our four-legged best friends.
As mentioned above, pickles are jam-packed with sodium as they are soaked in brine water for an extended period of time. All this makes pickles very high in sodium. And yes, we agree that these are some benefits of sodium, but the harms of feeding your excess dog amounts of sodium far outweigh the benefits. This is the reason why we, along with vets all across the globe, advise dog owners against feeding sodium-rich products to dogs, including Pickles.
Sodium can cause a plethora of problems in dogs and can lead to severe medical complications and fatal diseases in dogs. The most prominent diseases caused by high sodium intake in dogs are as follows
- Heart complications and diseases
- Obesity
- High Blood pressure
- Mineral imbalance
- Kidney related issues such as renal stones and even renal failure
- Dehydration
The diseases mentioned above make sodium’s harm obvious, and therefore we suggest our readers keep their pooches far away from pickles. Yes, we know that previously we answered the question of can dogs eat pickles as a yes, and we still stand with it. The issue of whether dogs can eat pickles or not is a question of should you rather than can you. This means that although dogs can consume pickles, it doesn’t mean that you should start feeding pickles to your canines as there are lots of cons to feeding pickles to dogs.
Moreover, the spices used in the making of pickles can also do significant harm to dogs. These spices can not only introduce large amounts of unneeded minerals like sodium and chemicals such as Capsicum in dogs, but they can also act as highly active allergens and can result in dogs experiencing several allergic reactions.
So, what’s the final verdict?
You must be waiting anxiously for a definitive answer to the question Can dogs eat Pickles? And that’s why we are here.
In our expert opinion, you should never feed pickles to dogs. Pickles tend to be loaded with sodium and spices, all of which can make any dog seriously ill. The demerits of feeding pickles to dogs far outweigh the benefits, and hence, therefore, our final verdict on the question of can dogs eat pickles or not is that you must keep your dogs as far away from pickles as possible.
Can dogs eat dill pickles?
Dill pickle is a pickle that has a herb called dill present in it. Dill is known to boost the overall taste and smell of pickles. Another major reason why dill is used in pickles is its natural antioxidant qualities. This makes dill pickles a far healthier option for us, but what about canines?
The fact that dill pickle is a healthier option might make dog owners ponder over the question, “can dogs eat dill pickles.” There is a very straightforward answer to this question which is a Huge No.
The reason for us being against the idea of feeding dill pickles to dogs is due to the fact that even when we factor in the antioxidant qualities of dill, the cons of feeding pickles to dogs still outweigh the pros. This is the reason why we think a big no is the only appropriate answer to the question of Can dogs eat dill pickles?
Can dogs eat Pickled ginger?
No, dogs can certainly not eat pickled ginger, and therefore dog owners should never force their pooch to eat pickled ginger. Most dogs are not very big fans of all the vinegar, and citric acid used to make pickled ginger. Ginger tends to be very tough, and therefore extra amounts of brine are required in order to ferment the ginger properly. All this adds high amounts of sodium to pickled ginger, making them extremely dangerous for the well-being of our canine best friends. Therefore, A huge No is the only appropriate answer to the question of can dogs eat pickled ginger?