Kiwis are an amazing fruit that we all enjoy and yes, dogs can eat kiwis too. Even more so, they provide tons of nutritional benefits including Vitamin C and potassium. Kiwis however can cause stomach aches and diarrhea.
This is because the fruit is very fibrous, these risks cannot be avoided. The short and long answer is your dog can indeed eat kiwi.
Since every dog is unique, monitor your dog when they eat kiwi for the first time. We will discuss the details about kiwis in this post.
Can Dogs Eat Kiwi?
Kiwi has tons of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients. The bonus is it tastes delicious. However, is kiwi safe and healthy for your pet? At moderate levels, kiwi is not dangerous. Hence, sharing a little with your dog is in no way harmful.
You can use it as an occasional treat for obedience training. Sometimes, your dog’s tummy may not entirely agree with the fruit. Digestive sensitivity is different for every canine. While not forgetting that dogs do not need fruit in their diet, to be healthy like us. You can only hope your dog enjoys the fruit. If it does, it counts as a good boost of potassium, vitamin C, fiber & beta-carotene.
Benefits of Feeding Your Dog Kiwi
This green fuzzy fruit is nutritious for both humans and dogs. Filled with many different nutritional benefits for your dog.
Kiwi is capable of protecting against cellular oxidative damage.
It also improves respiratory diseases since it contains high levels of vitamin C. On a side note, dogs produce vitamin C on their own. Maybe they do not even need this extra source.
The fruit packs a bunch of folates too.
Moreover, flavonoids plus carotenoids contained in kiwis, makes them a fantastic anti-cancer food.
Studies suggest a few more benefits including prevention of macular degeneration, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, lowered blood pressure, improved digestive health, boosted immune system, and skin nourishment. While these benefits are great for humans, they are not too bad for a dog as well.
Check out the below table from the USDA FoodData Central Database showing what can be found in your average Kiwi.
100g Serving of Kiwi
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 61kcal |
| Protein | 1.35g |
| Total Lipid (fat) | 0.68g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 14.86g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 2.7g |
| Sugars, total including NLEA | 8.78g |
| Calcium, Ca | 41mg |
| Iron, Fe | 0.24mg |
| Potassium, K | 311mg |
| Sodium, Na | 0mg |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 93.2g |
| Vitamin A, IU | 68IU |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 37.8ug |
Prepping Kiwi For Your Dog
Preparing this fruit for your dog is really easy. You should always go for fresh fruit and not any frozen or dried fruit as a rule of thumb. Frozen usually has preservatives and other things in it and dried will sometimes have more sugar than needed in it.
To start you just have to remove the brownish outer skin and cut it into smaller pieces. While not forgetting to remove the seeds part of the kiwi. Bite-size pieces are the perfect size to feed to your dogs. There is no guarantee that your dog will even like kiwi.
The prep work is pretty simple when it comes to kiwi. All you need to remove is the skin and seeds.
Finally, as always monitor your dog after they have tried kiwi for the first time. It should only be a very small portion to start with. There is a couple of reason why you should do this. You need to see if their digestive system can handle the kiwi or even if they are allergic to it.
Some dogs can be allergic to things, while other dogs cannot. Just like humans. It is always best to be safe than sorry. You can always consult your local veterinarian when you next see them about kiwis and your dog.
If your dog is not interested in the fruit, then that is not a problem. As mentioned above, dogs do not need fruit in their diet. It is just a treat. There is no point in giving them a treat if they do not enjoy it. There are many different foods dogs can have as treat, that can also be beneficial to their health.
Can Dogs Eat Kiwi Skin?
They are not toxic, but they still should not eat the kiwi skin. The kiwi skin contains all the insoluble fiber, commonly dubbed as ‘roughage’. It helps stimulate the intestines, thereby making food pass through rather quickly. High levels of fiber in a dog’s diet are unnecessary.
It may cause stomach upsets or bad cases of diarrhea. Although the outer coat is safe to eat for us, it is ideal to remove it before giving it to your dog.
The kiwi skin is also quite tough and can be a serious choking hazard for your dog. While causing your dog problems when trying to digest the skin as well.
Can Dogs Eat Kiwi Seeds?
No, they are not safe for your dog. You should always remove the seeds from the kiwi. We know it can be a bit of a hassle. If you are cutting it up into small portions, this should not be a problem.
The problem is Kiwi seeds are toxic to dogs and they can have trouble digesting them fully. Which can cause your dog some issues when they want to go for a poo outside. The build-up from the undigested seeds is what can cause the problem here.
For this reason, you should always remove the seeds. If you do not want to remove the seeds and skin, you should opt for a different fruit as a treat.
As you can see from the below image, if you cut out the part where the seeds are, it takes a lot of the kiwi with it. This is the quickest way to do it, but does not leave you much Kiwi left.
Safety Concerns
Since kiwis are small in size, dogs may likely take it as a whole. You should be careful to not leave kiwis laying around your dog’s reach.
For instance, a smaller breed like a pug may get it stuck in their mouth. However, a larger breed like a German Shepherd can devour the fruit in just a bite.
Even then, the fruit can get lodged in their throat and block critical airways. Hence, to avoid such a hazardous situation cut the fruit into numerous bite-size pieces. Feed your dog a tiny bit at a time to avoid unnecessary complications.
This is not just for fruits but for when introducing any human food. Start slowly to monitor how the dog reacts. Some dogs have a very low tolerance for human foods.
Though canines have evolved to take in human food, not all canines can readily digest them all. Regardless of the amount of love you have for your dog, it cannot just eat everything you share with them.
Conclusion
Accepting reality. Kiwis are a terrific fruit, they offer immense benefits to humans. But your dog does not need it for any significant benefits to their health. On the contrary, kiwis may have a laxative effect on your dog.
Ideally, you must limit kiwi consumption per sitting and also limit the frequency in which you use kiwi as treat. Nevertheless, there is nothing atrocious in feeding your pet with rationed kiwi.
There are always risks of diarrhea and stomach aches. Keep kiwis as an occasional special treat. Regardless, pay close attention to your dog after it tastes kiwi for the first time.
You should always remember that fruits are not an essential part of a dog’s diet. Based on their evolutionary profile, dogs do not need fruits at all.
Lastly, always remember to remove the skin and seeds from the kiwi. This should be done every time without exception.
