What Fruits CAN and CAN’T Dogs Eat?

Fruits Dogs Can and Can’t Eat

You may be aware that there are many human foods that are not safe for dogs to eat, but are there fruits that dogs can or can’t eat?

Are fruits safe for dogs to eat? Do fruits make a healthy treat for dogs? These are some of the questions we pondered too.

We decided to answer these questions for you and put together a handy list of common fruits that dogs CAN and CAN’T eat.

Fruits that Dogs CAN Eat

Apples

Dogs can eat apples as they make a healthy treat, sliced with the skin on. Full of water and fibre, and not too much sugar. 

Bananas 

Bananas are quite high in sugar with less water than some other fruits, but great for fibre and potassium. Yes, dogs can eat bananas.

Blueberries

Blueberries are full of goodies like antioxidants, making them good helpers for the immune system.

Cranberries 

Fresh or dried, but cranberries can be quite sour so your dog might not be too tempted!

Mango

Packed with vitamins including A and E, it’s high in sugar though.

Melon

Good for its water and fibre content, it is also full of vitamins

Orange

Dogs may not be tempted by the citrus scent as we humans are, but oranges are a safe treat

Peach

A source of vitamin A and fibre, with the stone removed, fresh peaches can be a healthy sweet treat 

Pear

A nice sliced pear is a good source of vitamins including vitamin K, and fibre

Pineapple

Pineapple contains bromelain which is an enzyme that helps with the absorption of proteins, as well as other vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are very sweet though, so a few chunks with the skin removed, is a juicy treat for your dog. 

Raspberry

Raspberries in small amounts are a great option, with lower sugar and high fibre, vitamins and antioxidants.

Strawberry

A tasty summer treat which is quite high in sugar but also fibre and vitamins, strawberries may well be loved by your pooch! 

Watermelon

Another summery treat which your dog may enjoy frozen like a popsicle, do remove seeds first. Great for hydration!

Do Fruits Make a Healthy Treat?

It’s worth mentioning that on the whole, a dog is best fed a complete, specially formulated dog food, either dry dog food or wet food or even a combination. 

As a general rule of thumb, 90% of their daily requirements should be from this type of food, and 10% from treats – we all enjoy a treat! 

Therefore, any fruit you feed your dog should be in small portions, and if large, chopped and prepared into safe bite-sized pieces to avoid choking. 

Remove seeds/pips from those fruits which have them, as many pips and stones contain small amounts of cyanide and are therefore potentially dangerous if chewed.

However, the fruits listed above generally make for great natural and healthy treat options! Kept in moderation, fruits are packed full of goodness including vitamins, minerals and fibre. 

Fruits like apples can help with dental health too, as the skins can work a bit like a toothbrush.

Fruits that Dogs CAN’T Eat

Avocado

Contains something called persin, mainly in the leaves, skin and seeds but also the fruit, and this can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs.  

Cherry

The cherry stones contain cyanide which can cause poisoning. Many pips and stones of fruit contain cyanide but the cherry stones are more likely for example, than a tiny apple pip, to be crunched and chewed, which will release the cyanide and harm the dog. They are best avoided.

Grapefruit

Too acidic for a dogs stomach, it will cause upset if eaten

Grapes

Grapes, and raisins are really toxic to dogs and may cause acute renal (kidney) failure. It isn’t known why grapes are poisonous and the effects vary from dog to dog. 

Lemon & Limes

These fruits are too acidic and will cause stomach upsets 

Plums 

Like cherries, the pit contains cyanide and the pit itself can have sharp pointy ends which could cause intestinal damage or obstruction so is best avoided. 

Rhubarb

Rhubarb contains oxalic acid (in the leaves) which is toxic to dogs 

Tomatoes

Ripe tomatoes are actually OK, but green ones contain something called solanine which is toxic to dogs in large quantities. 

So there you have a handy reference list on the fruits that dogs can and can’t eat. You may be interested to know which vegetables dogs can and can’t eat, or other tasty treats that dogs may love. Remember to feed all treats in doggy-sized portions and don’t be tempted to overfeed, as it may lead to problems with obesity and poor dental health.