The Benefits And Dangers Of Your Dog Eating Squash

Dogs can eat squash, and it actually benefits them! A bit of squash in their food can promote digestive health, a smooth coat, better eyesight, and more. Squash is an awesome treat that can be served in small portions every day, or given less frequently depending on your preference.

Keep reading to learn more about this beneficial fruit, what parts of the squash your dog can eat, and how to best serve it to your pampered pup.

How Much Squash can a Dog Eat?

Dogs can eat squash every day if they want to! However, it’s important to keep in mind that squash is a treat. It should make up, at maximum, only 10% of your pup’s diet.

The other 90% should be their dog food. This ensures that they get the right nutrients to stay healthy, and also that they don’t overeat.

While squash is healthy for your dog, it’s not a substitute for well-balanced dog food and shouldn’t be fed as a meal.

What are the Benefits of Squash for Dogs?

Dogs can eat any type of squash: spaghetti squash, acorn squash, and butternut squash all offer plenty of health benefits. Squash contains:

• Vitamins A, B6, and C
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Iron
• Fiber
• Antioxidants

Squash promotes better eye, skin, coat, and digestive health, healthy cell growth, and more. The antioxidants in squash may even reduce your pup’s risk of cancer. It’s also low in calories and fat, making it a good treat if you’re working on weight loss.

Squash is also great for our little athletes who love to run and jump! It promotes good heart health and increases strength and coordination.

Can my Dog Eat Squash Raw?

Raw squash isn’t bad for your dog nutritionally, but it can be tough to chew and serves as a choking hazard. If you don’t want to cook squash, you can turn it into a puree or shred it into small pieces.

These shreds or puree can be mixed into dog treats, frozen into ice cubes, used as kibble toppers, or fed on their own. However, by the time you’re doing all that work, it may be easier to simply cook the squash!

Can Dogs Eat Squash Skin or Seeds?

No, dogs shouldn’t eat squash skin or seeds. While a sliver of leftover skin or a stray seed likely won’t hurt, these parts of the squash are much more difficult to digest.

Your pup might get an upset tummy or even an intestinal blockage if they eat too big of a piece of squash skin or too many seeds.

For this reason, you should always skin the squash and deseed it before serving it to your dog.

How to Cook Squash for Dogs

• First, wash the squash thoroughly. Just like we should wash fruits and veggies before serving them to humans, we should do the same for our dogs. The chemicals used on the produce can be harmful to them.
• Wash your hands. After handling unwashed fruit, always wash your hands with soap to remove any chemicals or debris from your skin before you continue cooking.
• Peel the squash and remove the seeds. As we discussed above, these are potential choking hazards and can be difficult to chew and digest.
• Cut the squash into pieces. Bite-sized chunks are best to avoid a choking hazard. Of course, this size will vary depending on your dog’s breed.
• Cook the squash however you’d like. You can bake it in the oven, simmer it on the stovetop, or grill it. No matter what, your pup is sure to love the final product!
• Don’t season it. Many common seasonings, such as garlic, are bad for dogs, so it’s best to simply avoid them. You also don’t want to add sugar, butter, garlic, or salt.
• If you’d like, cook the squash into homemade dog treats! There are plenty of tasty recipes online your dog will love.
• Always feed new foods in moderation. You never know how your dog will react, especially to large quantities of new food.

Up Next:

• Can Dogs Eat Pumpkin Pie? Mostly No, but Sometimes Yes
• Can Dogs Eat Pomegranates Safely?
• Can Dogs Eat Asparagus? It Depends

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/bergamont