A person gets many useful vitamins and minerals from watermelon: iron, calcium, copper, zinc, vitamins B, A, C, E. Like tomatoes, it contains lycopene, which helps fight cancer. But can this berry be eaten by dogs?
Now many people feed their pets with ready-made dry food. It is convenient and fast. It is believed that their composition is completely balanced and designed with the needs of the animals in mind. But, even if you successfully managed to find food for your furry friend, he still needs natural products.
Both the benefit and the harm
Some veterinarians believe that watermelon in a dog's diet is not only acceptable, but even necessary. Its beneficial properties extend to animals, which, unfortunately, suffer from many human diseases. So, watermelon can be an excellent prevention of kidney disease, because it has a pronounced diuretic effect. It will even help flush sand out of the kidneys before stones form. For the same reason, a dog can be given a watermelon if it is constipated. However, with existing chronic kidney disease, watermelon, on the contrary, should not be given.
Watermelon is made up almost entirely of water, but it also contains a lot of fiber that dogs need. At the same time, there is a lot of sugar in watermelon, this is another reason why this berry should be treated to a pet with care. Dogs are not designed to process sugar. But the sweet taste is pleasant to dogs, so you can pamper your four-legged friend with a watermelon during training if the task is successful. The berry can only be a reward, but not the basis of nutrition, so the piece should be small, especially if the dog is a room breed. It is strictly forbidden to give watermelon to puppies.
We feed according to the rules
Before offering a berry to a pet, it should be cleaned of peel and seeds - they can be dangerous to the gastrointestinal tract. And most importantly: the treat is given between main meals, the berry cannot be mixed with a full meal.
People are suspicious of the early watermelons that hit stores in early summer. They are known to accumulate nitrates, and berries that appeared on the shelves ahead of their due date are crammed with chemistry. This is very dangerous for the fragile organism of animals, therefore, you can treat a dog with a berry only with the watermelon that you, according to all the rules, chose for yourself in the season - August and September. But in order for the pet to get the maximum amount of vitamins from food, it is best to give him vegetables, not fruits. The reason for this is the same sugar, and some types of fruits, for example, citrus fruits, are also strong allergens.
