Almost every dog goes bananas for bananas! This is not a surprise keeping in mind how sweet and tasty they are. Luckily, bananas are dog-friendly fruit, and if they are served as a treat and in moderation, they will certainly benefit your dog’s diet and overall health.
However, have you ever thought about what would happen if a dog eats a whole banana? Can dogs eat banana peels? Can that be harmful to them? If your pooch is mischievous and he tends to steal food (in this case, read bananas), this should particularly worry you.
To find out why the dog should avoid eating banana peels, read on!
Are Banana Peels Toxic To Dogs?
Dogs love to munch on fruit in general, especially when it is so full of flavor and texture like bananas, but as I already said, the key is in moderation since fruit has high sugar content. Bananas contain three types of sugar – glucose, fructose, and sucrose. This means bananas should be consumed in moderation since they can increase blood sugar and body weight.
Also, experts say that it is not a good idea to feed your dog banana peels. But why not? We all know that banana peel is packed with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibers, so why should banana peel be eliminated from a dog’s diet?
Well, first thing first, because they have too many fibers which can’t be easily digested by dogs. Besides, dogs will have a hard time swallowing banana peels as large as they are, and in most cases, the peel will cause bowel obstruction.
Also, banana peels contain a high content of potassium. High doses of potassium can be toxic for dogs, but they would need to eat more than one whole banana peel to get intoxicated, so you do not need to worry about this.
In case you have a small dog, the amount of fiber in the banana peel will cause digesting problems like vomiting and diarrhea, and in some severe cases, it might lead to intestinal blockage. This does not need larger dogs are good to eat banana peels!
When your dog suffers from a blockage, no matter the size, he will start vomiting, and this will directly lead to dehydration since he will start losing the water and electrolytes, which will further reduce doggo’s need to do peepee and poopoo. In case it gets so severe, your dog will experience weight loss and sluggishness.
There are different types of blockage that can affect your dog. Some will occur in the dog’s stomach, and some will affect the intestines. Remember, once the stomach has accumulated too much liquid and solids, there is no other way to cure this problem than by undergoing gastric obstruction.
To conclude, banana peel is not toxic to your dog, but it can harm your dog’s sensitive stomach. If you, in any case, insist on feeding banana peels, consider beating the peel into a mash or chopping it into very tiny bits to help your pooch digest it.
Can Banana Peels Hurt Dogs?
Like I already said, when an adult dog eats a fresh banana peel, there are high chances of an upset stomach. Usually, dogs will vomit banana peels after consuming them, and if this happens, you should consider yourself lucky since their stomach is now clean, and there is no need for any treatment, but just in case, contact your vet.
However, banana peels can be lethal for small dogs and puppies!
If your pooch doesn’t vomit the banana peel, you must visit your vet as soon as possible. Puppies are very susceptible to stomach blockages from banana peels since they are still very small and weak. If the peel isn’t removed immediately, it will prevent your pup from taking a poop, which will lead to serious complications that can result in death.
How Can You Tell If Your Dog Has Eaten Banana Peels?
If you doubt that your dog has eaten a banana peel, the only thing you can do is search for evidence of banana peel remnants, or if you don’t see any, then search for missing bananas. However, the stomach ache or blockage caused by a banana peel is easy to notice and will manifest quite soon:
- Your dog will vomit immediately or a few hours after eating banana peels
- Lack of appetite
- Possible diarrhea
- He will show visible signs of abdominal distress
- Abdominal pain
- He will be passive or restless after a few hours, which will indicate a blockage that must be attended by a vet
How to recognize signs of intestinal blockage:
- Severe vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Bloating
- Hunching the body
- Whining and discomfort
If you notice these symptoms, take your dog to the vet immediately to prevent intestinal rupture, which can lead to death.
What To Do When Your Dog Eats Banana Peels?
You should closely monitor your dog if you are not sure if he/she has ingested banana peel. If, after a few hours, your dog doesn’t vomit or poop the peel out, but they show visible signs of discomfort, take a trip to your vet. Some dogs might eat the banana peel and do not experience any harmful effects, yet you must be very careful with puppies and smaller dogs.
How Do You Stop Your Dog From Eating Banana Peels?
Dogs will eat almost everything they come across, and that’s a fact. But luckily, there are some precautions that you can take to prevent your dog from eating banana peels.
The first and most logical thing to do is keep bananas out of sight and reach your pupper. The next thing is to dispose of banana peels securely in an inaccessible trash can after consuming a banana.
It is also important to keep your dog full since a hungry dog will more likely eat anything that comes in his way. When you feed your dog bananas, peel them to keep the temptation away.
How To Safely Serve Your Pup Bananas?
Large and medium dogs should have half of a banana a day, and small dogs and puppies should only have two or three slices of banana per day. Please do not ignore these recommendations since bananas can cause diarrhea and vomiting when consumed excessively.
The best way is to share a banana with your pup. You can slice it into tiny pieces or give them larger chunks depending on the size of your dog. You can also mash it and mix it with dry foods. Mashed bananas can be served in toys such as Kong or puzzle feeders; this way, you will entertain the puppy and treat him to a tasty meal. You can mix mashed banana with yogurt and freeze it to make a tasty pupsicle.
Suppose you tend to make homemade puppy treats, then you can add bananas in them easily and make them even tastier. There are a lot of banana treat recipes online, so don’t be lazy and explore it until you find the one your pooch likes the most.
Final Thoughts
Despite all our efforts to protect our dogs, they usually end up eating some forbidden food, so if your dog ate a banana peel, don’t panic and wait to see how he will react.
As I said, banana peels are not toxic to dogs. In the worst-case scenario, he will experience vomiting or diarrhea. Those symptoms should subside within a few hours, and if it does not take your dog to the vet.
Learn More: What Can Dogs Eat? A Comprehensive List Of Dog-safe Foods
