Can dogs eat pickles? Pickles are usually common, especially in summer they are a regular part of our barbeque parties. Well, if you love pickles then your dog will also love them because they are always curious about what you eat. They also want to eat the same thing that you are eating.
Generally, pickles don’t have any harmful effect on dogs’ health, but the ingredients they are pickled with could be harmful. Pickles are always high in sodium so it’s not recommended by any VET.
If you are doing barbeque and some of the pickles fell on the floor. Your dog came here and ate those pickles in just a few seconds. So what now! You might be worried about Can dogs eat pickles?
COOL! A dog Can eat pickles but with some precautions. Want to know those precautions and everything about pickles? So just keep reading.
Pro-Tip; pickles are high in sodium, so if your dog is eating pickles for the first time or he ate pickles accidentally. In this case, give your canine excess water.
What are pickles?
pickles are something that we have bought fresh from Bazar but after that, we preserve it, by adding some vinegar, spices, and brine of salt.
When we are talking about pickles, we mostly meant cucumber because it is the most commonly used pickle and the safest for your dog.
Pickles are not recommended by anyone, either by your VET or anyone else because they can overweigh your furry friends.
Vegetables are good for your canine health but anything that has spices, salt, or frozen is not good for your pet. So avoid it as much as you can.
Can dogs eat pickles?
So let’s discuss in detail the most burning and awaited question, Can dogs eat Pickles? So the answer is YES! They can.
There are a lot of spices, herbs in pickles that could be harmful to your leg friend’s health. Avoid pickles as much as you can especially dill pickles. just add pickles as an occasional treat.
Cucumber pickles are mostly safe but it totally depends on spices, vinegar, and other toxic herbs included in pickles.
You might be wondering that cucumber is a vegetable and veggies are perfect for your dogs. But remember fresh veggies are good for your dog’s health not frozen or pickled.
Your dog can even suffer side effects from pickles, like vomiting or diarrhea, because of sodium and a lot of spices. A dog can also face the issue of dehydration due to pickles and can drink excessive water.
Which pickle spices are bad?
After knowing the fact that pickle spices are bad for your dog, Now! You are wondering which pickle spices are bad? Spices are the only reason to call pickles unhealthy for your dog. So let’s discuss one by one which pickle spice is bad for your dog and why?
- Vinegar – A big big no to vinegar because it can cause kidney issues for your dog. Also, avoid it if your dog had already kidney issues.
- Onions – Onions are another harmful spice in pickles because they can damage the red blood cells of your dog.
- Garlic – Another bad spice in pickles is garlic because it can upset the tummy and can cause anemia.
- Red chili flakes and black paper are other bad spices for your dog. Because the VET’s always recommending that avoid seasoning in dogs’ food. if you want to learn a complete guide to dog food you should read this.
- White vinegar – white vinegar is another cause to avoid pickles. But apple side vinegar or organic vinegar could be less harmful or even ok.
Why salt is bad for dogs?
According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO),
- dog food should contain 0.3% sodium known as salt. it is the minimum recommended level in dog food
- Salt helps in the body maintenance and development of dogs.
- In some cases or for some dogs it can cause poisoning.
What does it mean? It means a single pickle is ok for your dog but the excessive use of the dog can be harmful. If your dog had eaten excess pickles then you should consult your VET immediately.
High salt can cause………
- Thirst – because of dehydration
- Vomiting – excessive use of salt can harm the stomach of dogs
- Imbalance – a dog can feel dizzy at times
- Swelling – Dogs have to retain a lot of water in their body so it can cause swelling.
- Tired – because of dehydration dogs often feel tired.
- High blood pressure – just like humans excessive use of salt can cause blood presure for dogs.
Types of pickles
After discussing the health benefits of pickles you need to know the types of pickles. There are three types of pickles
- Dill pickles
- Sweat pickles
- Pickles juices
Here first comes first Dill pickles are pickles that have some herbs with vinegar, a lot of spices that are used after preserving them. One of the most famous pickles is cucumber and it is considered to be a much safer pickle for dogs as compared to other veggies or meat pickles.
While Sweat pickles are some kind of pickles that have some reddish or sweat flavor in them. They are also considered to be safe for your pet because it does not contain any spices or herbs.
The last one is pickle juice and it is worst for your canine. In simple words, we can say that Pickle juice is something that had left after using pickles, like vinegar, salt, herbs, spices left in the jar are known as pickle juice. Avoid it.
Do pickles have any health benefits?
I know you are concerned about dogs’ health and you had read the above all points carefully and now you are ambitious to know the health benefits of pickles for your dog.
There are a variety of pickles like meat, carrot, cucumber, or other veggies. but the cucumber is considered to be the safest for your dog’s health but excessive use is not allowed.
Cucumber pickles have a variety of vitamins, minerals in them. It also contains a healthy source of vitamin A, K, C, Calcium, and Phosphorus.
Which pickles are safe for dogs?
You might be wondering which pickle is safe for dogs so cucumber pickles are safe for dogs.
Cucumber pickles have low celery, which helps to lose weight of your dog. Cucumber pickles are also helpful for bones health.
If your dog is eager to eat pickles then you can give them a little bit but in bit-sized chunks only.
Which pickles are not safe for dogs?
The Dill pickles are not safe for your dog at all. Because they contain a lot of toxic human foods.
Dill pickles include ingredients like garlic, salt, herbs, antioxidants that are toxic for your dog’s health.
What are the Alternatives to pickles?
I think you are well aware now and ready to take your decision, but it’s better to have some knowledge of alternatives to pickles. So let’s discuss what are some alternatives to pickles and what is our recommendation.
You should skip pickles because fresh cucumbers have the same benefits as pickles have. Here are some healthy alternatives that you should try.
- Blueberries
- Seedless watermelon
- Pineapple
- Carrot
- Apple
Our recommendation; it’s is better to avoid pickles at all or excessive use of pickles. rather than pickles, you should add some celery diet to your dog’s food. worried about Can a dog eat celery?.
You should read our complete guidelines to can dog eat celery? And the dos and don’ts of the celery diet. In short, they can but with some precautions. Your dog will definitely love the crunchy flavor of calories.
So Can dogs eat pickles?
Giving pickles in small quantities to your furry friend is OK! again excessive use is not allowed.
As a matter of fact, most dogs don’t like pickles because of the acidity or sour taste that they have.
If your dog had eaten the pickles without your consent, no need to worry just contact your VET. in most cases dogs don’t have a sore effect on their health unless or until they had some excessive use of pickles.
Plain cucumbers are a better option instead of using pickles. It’s better to read the instruction on the pickle jar carefully before introducing it to your dog. It is also a good choice to consult VET before taking any decision about dog health.
So have you TRIED! Pickles or you are going to try pickles for your dogs let us know your opinion in the comment section we would love to hear.
