Good news for your furry friend: Sweet potatoes are safe for dogs and a healthy, affordable treat!
This versatile, starchy vegetable can be served boiled, baked, steamed, or dehydrated – plain and simple, with no seasonings or toppings.
Sweet potatoes may make a terrific treat for your pet if you prepare them correctly, including baking, boiling, or dehydrating them without additional seasonings or toppings.
Available year-round and easy to prepare, sweet potatoes offer a budget-friendly way to delight your pup.
Read on to learn how to prepare this wholesome snack for your dog safely.
Nutritional Data for Sweet Potatoes
103 calories, 2.29 grams of protein, 23.6 grams of carbs, 0.27 grams of fat, 3.8 grams of fiber, and 7.39 grams of sugar are included in one medium baked sweet potato with skin, according to the USDA.
While a medium baked white potato with skin has 115 calories, 2.49 grams of protein, 0.06 grams of fat, 26.71 grams of carbohydrates, 4.6 grams of fiber, and 0.81 grams of sugar, it also has 2.49 grams of protein and 0.06 grams of fat.
Additionally, high in potassium, vitamins C and B, and sweet potatoes.
Carbohydrates make up the majority of sweet potatoes.
Most carbohydrates are from starch, but sweet potatoes also provide a fair bit of fiber.
A medium-sized sweet potato has 27 grams of carbohydrates when it is boiled without the skin.
Advantages of Feeding Your Dog Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes have advantages for dogs.
Can dogs eat sweet potatoes?
Yes! Sweet potatoes can be a wholesome supplement to your dog’s balanced diet when given in moderation.
Sweet potatoes contain a lot of fiber, which helps your dog’s stomach and encourages good digestion.
They include a lot of beta-carotene, an excellent antioxidant.
Leave the skin on if you want to reap the full health advantages of this orange vegetable.
The level of antioxidants in sweet potato skin is over ten times higher than in the remainder of the vegetable.
Sweet potatoes provide the following nutrients for your pet:
- Vitamin C: This antioxidant supports your dog’s immune system.
Vitamin C is regarded as a non-essential nutrient because your dog’s body usually creates enough of it on its own.
However, an additional dose can support elderly dogs and canines with compromised immune systems.
- Vitamin B6: Your dog’s body needs this necessary nutrient to make proteins, hormones, and neurotransmitters.
- Beta–carotene: Your dog’s body transforms beta-carotene into vitamin A, a necessary nutrient for maintaining healthy skin, fur, nerves, and muscles.
Mango, papaya, carrots, and pumpkin are other foods high in this vitamin suitable for dogs.
- Calcium: Healthy Growth depends on this element.
Your dog still needs calcium even if it is no longer growing, since it supports its bones, muscles, and neurological system.
- Potassium: As an electrolyte, potassium supports the healthy operation of your dog’s heart, nervous system, and muscles.
They may also be able to keep up a normal level of energy.
Dogs may convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which strengthens the immune system and benefits your dog’s skin, vision, and coat.
They provide protein and nutrients that are advantageous for your dogs, such as manganese and potassium, as well as vitamins C, B6, and B5.
Risks Associated with Feeding Your Dog Sweet Potato
The vet offers some advice to consider before giving your dog sweet potato, even though it can be eaten as a treat or combined with your dog’s regular food:
Only cooked sweet potatoes should be given to dogs.
Raw sweet potatoes can be hard to chew, pose a choking risk, and block the digestive system.
Feed your dog nothing but raw sweet potatoes.
No more milk, cream, butter, oil, salt, or other seasonings are allowed.
There are many potential risks of having sweet potatoes.
Even if it’s a complete meal suitable for dogs, there’s always a chance that your dog won’t enjoy trying anything new.
Although sweet potatoes are considered safe for dogs in the short term (they are non-toxic, and dog owners report relatively few negative reactions), it is unclear how giving dogs sweet potatoes will affect them over the long run.
Intestinal upset
Any new food might upset your stomach and make you throw up or have diarrhea, especially if you consume a lot of it.
Due to their high dietary fiber content, fruits and vegetables are significantly more prone to result in these reactions.
Introduce new foods slowly, a few nibbles at a time, and in tiny portions.
Support your dog’s digestive tract with probiotics and pumpkins for dogs if they aren’t used to eating a high-fiber diet.
Intestinal obstruction
It’s important to stress that feeding dogs raw sweet potatoes might cause intestinal blockages.
Visit your veterinarian immediately if you experience any of the symptoms of intestinal blockage we listed.
Glycemic Index High
Although sweet potatoes’ glycemic index can be lowered by boiling them, it still remains high when compared to many other fruits and vegetables.
Healthy dogs are not affected by this, but if your dog is diabetic or obese, you should avoid giving him this orange vegetable.
Begin modestly.
If your dog has never consumed sweet potatoes, start by giving them a small amount to determine if they react negatively, such as having an allergic reaction or an upset stomach.
After that, you can gradually raise the amount over time.
A larger dog can consume 1 tablespoon of cooked sweet potato daily, while a smaller dog can consume roughly 1 teaspoon.
How to Feed Your Dog Sweet Potato
You should always consult your veterinarian to determine the proper quantity and size for your dog when serving sweet potatoes.
Your dog’s ideal daily balanced diet should include nutritious treats like sweet potatoes. Sweet potato can be:
Either dehydrated, roasted, steamed, or cooked. You can feed your dog sweet potatoes in any of these ways.
Peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes, ensuring the size and weight of the cubes suit your dog.
A quick snack. No more than 10% of a dog’s daily caloric intake should come from treats.
Additionally, eating too much sweet potato, which is fiber-heavy, can irritate your stomach.
Added to their usual diet. If your dog wants to work for this tasty treat, try hiding the sweet potato under their regular kibble.
Sweet potatoes uncooked: Definitely, no!
Raw sweet potatoes must be less fibrous for your dog to digest comfortably.
They risk developing an intestinal blockage if they consume a lot of raw sweet potatoes, since they can build up in their digestive tract.
A blockage is a dangerous and occasionally fatal ailment known as a gastrointestinal obstruction.
Don’t give uncooked sweet potatoes to your dog.
If they consume it when you aren’t looking, keep a close eye on them for the ensuing several days.
An intestinal blockage can cause vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, low energy, hunching, and whining.
If you detect any of these symptoms, visit the vet for your dog right away.
Sweet potatoes baked: Yes
You can feed your dog a baked sweet potato if you don’t add butter, salt, pepper, sugar, or marshmallows.
Even if we love these toppings, our dogs shouldn’t eat them.
Dogs aren’t as picky as we are, so they’ll think this tuber is delicious without additional ingredients.
Yes, boiling sweet potatoes for your dog is probably the healthiest method of doing so.
This method softens the potato’s peel and meat, breaks down some of its carbohydrates, and may facilitate the absorption of its antioxidants and other nutrients.
Additionally, compared to roasted sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index, so your dog’s blood sugar won’t likely surge after eating them.
No to fried sweet potatoes
Think twice before offering your dog some sweet potato fries.
Fried meals are poisonous to dogs, making them one of the least healthful food preparation methods.
If our dogs consume a lot of fried sweet potatoes, their high fat content can cause pancreatitis.
Additionally, fried foods have been related to a number of human cancers.
Although we dog owners may decide to eat fried foods anyhow, our dogs cannot make an informed decision. Thus, we must decide on their behalf.
Yes, you can dehydrate sweet potatoes.
The technique is similar to baking, except you’ll do it at a much lower temperature for a much longer period of time.
Sweet potatoes can be dried using a dehydrator or your oven.
Use these as homemade dog treats when they have all dried out completely and been stored at room temperature.
Our organic chicken bone broth for dogs also contains dried sweet potatoes.
Use it to top your pet’s meal with nutrients and collagen, or make a wonderful homemade dog treat out of it.
FAQ
Can I feed sweet potatoes to my stomach-sensitive dog?
Sweet potatoes are a vegetable with a medium glycemic load and a high carbohydrate content.
That implies that it converts to sugar fast and raises blood sugar levels significantly.
Additionally, it may result in a sharp drop or crash in blood sugar.
This is why sweet potatoes should occasionally be offered as a treat to dogs that have sensitive stomachs.
Consult your veterinarian before feeding sweet potatoes to your dog if they have stomach issues.
Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Sweet Potatoes
The condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) causes the heart to grow, which hinders the heart’s capacity to pump blood efficiently throughout a dog’s body.
Sudden heart attacks and severe congestive heart failure may result from this.
Can my dog eat the peels from sweet potatoes?
Although sweet potato skin is not harmful to dogs, it could be a choking hazard if consumed in large chunks.
This is particularly true for dogs of tiny breeds.
Additionally, they have trouble digesting the skin.
It’s a good idea to peel the vegetables before feeding them, but if you decide to leave the sweet potato’s skin on, cut or slice it into little, thin pieces for simpler digestion and chewing.
Can my dog eat sweet potatoes in a can?
Most canned sweet potatoes have artificial sweeteners and other additives, making them dangerous for your dog.
Your dog can have organic, unsweetened canned sweet potatoes with water as the sole additional component.
It should be noted that the canning process causes some nutritional loss.
Can sweet potatoes cause allergies in dogs?
Indeed and no.
Since sweet potatoes are seen as a full food, your dog is less likely to react negatively or become sensitive to them.
But when you give your dog a new meal, watch for rashes, respiratory problems, or itching.
Dogs with yeast or candida difficulties (ear infections or severe itching), should be watched for symptom flare-ups because sweet potatoes are a starchy carbohydrate. In the body,
Carbohydrates break down to sugar, which in turn feeds yeast or candida.
Can I feed sweet potatoes to my diabetic dog?
Sweet potatoes are a vegetable with a medium glycemic load and a high carbohydrate content.
That implies that it converts to sugar fast and raises blood sugar levels significantly.
Additionally, it may result in a sharp drop or crash in blood sugar.
This is why sweet potatoes should occasionally be offered to treat dogs with diabetes.
Consult your veterinarian before feeding sweet potatoes to your dog if they have diabetes.
How Much Sweet Potato Can a Dog Eat?
A general guideline is to limit sweet potatoes to around 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake. For a 20-pound dog, this would be approximately half a cup of cooked sweet potato daily.
Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Sweet Potatoes
The condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) causes the heart to grow, which hinders the heart’s capacity to pump blood efficiently throughout a dog’s body.
Sudden heart attacks and severe congestive heart failure may result from this.
Concerns and research on grain-free diets with few ingredients in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy have increased in recent years.
Concerns about dogs being diagnosed with DCM in breeds without known genetic predisposition led to the study’s inception.
The dogs frequently followed a diet with few ingredients.
The research did not pinpoint the reason for the rise in DCM cases, but they found that 93% of the dogs who had the disease consumed meals with peas or lentils as a main component.
There were significantly fewer dogs with DCM who consumed diets with potatoes or sweet potatoes.
As a result, giving your dog a treat of sweet potatoes won’t hurt him or cause DCM.
Although more research is needed, it is currently believed that sweet potatoes do not influence the development of DCM in dogs that are not genetically susceptible to the condition.
Conclusion
Dogs may temporarily eat sweet potatoes.
This vegetable has few short-term dangers and is packed with nutrients that can help your dog.
Sweet potatoes can upset your dog’s stomach when you first add them to their diet, just like other new foods might.
Start by giving your dog only a few nibbles of this meal at a time, and support his or her system with probiotics and pumpkin.
It appears that pulses, rather than sweet potatoes, are the potentially dangerous component of these foods, according to the evidence from the FDA inquiry into grain-free diets.
However, you can substitute adding pumpkin to your dog’s meal to provide comparable nutritional content if you’d rather continue with the utmost caution.
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