Can Dogs Eat Beets? A Look at the Nutritional Benefits and Risks

Beets have a lot of nutritional value for humans, but do they have the same advantages for dogs? It turns out that dogs can eat beets, and they can benefit from the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that beets provide.

Beets can help with digestion and skin health, but they should be fed in moderation because of their sugar and oxalate content. As always, talk to your vet before adding anything new to your dog’s diet.

In the sections below, we’ll take a deep dive into veterinary nutrition research and studies on canine nutrition to learn more about how beets can impact your dog’s health. This will include looking at the nutritional makeup of beets, the potential benefits of feeding your dog beets, and the potential downsides.

We’ll also talk about how to make sure you’re feeding your dog the right amount and how to prepare beets to make sure they’re safe and healthy for your dog to eat.

How Beets Can Help Your Dog’s Diet

Beets can have a positive impact on your dog’s health because they are full of important nutrients. According to Healthline, beets are a great source of fiber, potassium, iron, and vitamins, such as folate (vitamin B9) and vitamin C. The fiber helps with digestion and regularity, while the antioxidants in beets, like betalains, help fight cell damage and inflammation.

Medical News Today also notes that the nitrates found in beets are converted to nitric oxide in the body, which can improve blood flow, leading to better heart health and even improved exercise performance in dogs.

Beetroot, which is the form of beets most often given to dogs, is not the same as sugar beets, which are used to make sugar. According to Medical News Today, beetroot provides a type of fiber and antioxidants that sugar beets do not, and it doesn’t have the high sugar content of sugar beets, making it a better option for dogs.

Adding beetroot to your dog’s diet can help ensure they get a well-rounded diet with some potential health benefits, as long as it’s given in the right way and in the right amount.

It’s important to add beets to your dog’s diet in a way that complements their specific nutritional needs, even though beets do have some nutritional benefits.

How Fiber Impacts Your Dog’s Diet

When feeding your dog beets, it’s important to remember that beets contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which are both important for digestive health. Soluble fiber is a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in your dog’s gut, while insoluble fiber supports healthy digestion and can help with weight management, according to The Farmer’s Dog.

It’s important to make sure your dog gets a healthy balance of both types of fiber to maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which is important for good digestion and nutrient absorption.

Moreover, a study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that certain beet fibers can impact the gut microbiota and lead to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are important for colon health and reducing the risk of disease.

The right fiber profile in your dog’s diet can also have a major impact on fecal quality, helping to ensure that your dog doesn’t experience diarrhea or constipation, which shows just how important fiber is to your dog’s overall health.

As a review in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine explains, maintaining the right fiber profile in your dog’s diet can be key to managing chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Making sure your dog gets the right amount of fiber in their diet can help prevent obesity and digestive issues, showing how important fiber is to your dog’s health and well-being.

While fiber is an important part of your dog’s diet, it’s important to make sure your dog gets the right amount and that the fiber is prepared in a way that makes it most beneficial.

Portion Control and Preparation Are Important

Portion control and preparation are important to make sure that beets are safe for your dog to eat. In terms of portion control, PetMD recommends that you feed your dog 1–2 teaspoons of beet puree for every 15 pounds of body weight a few times a week.

Meanwhile, Petco recommends that you feed your dog fresh or home-cooked beets that are free of seasoning and oils to avoid digestive issues. In terms of preparation, it’s best to cook beets before feeding them to your dog to make them easier to digest and to prevent any potential choking hazards that can come with feeding dogs raw beets.

That said, it’s important to make sure that you’re feeding your dog beets in moderation. Overeating beets can lead to digestive issues and imbalances in your dog’s diet, especially given the high oxalate content in beets, which, as The Native Pet notes, can lead to the formation of bladder or kidney stones if consumed in large amounts.

To be safe, start with small amounts and see how your dog reacts before feeding them more. And, as always, make sure to talk to your vet before making any changes to your dog’s diet.

If you follow these guidelines, you can make sure that you’re feeding your dog beets in a way that maximizes their health benefits while minimizing the risks associated with their natural sugar content.

Understanding the Risks: Sugar Intake and Health Concerns

The natural sweetness of beets may lead to concerns about sugar intake in dogs. According to Volhard Dog Nutrition, while natural sugars in fruits and vegetables like beets are okay for dogs, they should be consumed in moderation.

This is especially important because too much sugar can lead to a number of health problems, including obesity, which affects 25–30% of dogs, and diabetes. In fact, sugar beets, which are high in simple carbohydrates, can cause a dog’s blood sugar to spike, leading to weight gain and other metabolic changes.

According to PetMD, some of the risks of regular sugar consumption in dogs include an upset stomach and more serious issues like pancreatitis.

The effect of sugar on a dog’s dental health is another concern. According to Holiday Barn, natural sugars can lead to tooth decay and other dental problems in dogs just like in humans. It’s important to note the high glycemic index of sugary foods because it can lead to an imbalance of gut bacteria and digestive problems.

Dog owners with dogs that are sensitive to the effects of sugar should consider low-sugar vegetable options and make sure their dogs are eating a well-balanced diet to help prevent these issues. This way, dog owners can help ensure their dogs’ health and diet are well-managed without missing out on the potential benefits of vegetables like beets.

How to Deal With Food Sensitivities: Can Dogs Be Allergic to Beets?

Although beets are not a common dog allergen, individual sensitivities can still occur. PetMD lists the signs of food allergies in dogs, which can range from itching, hives, and swelling to digestive issues. To determine if your dog is having an allergic reaction to beets, dog owners will need to monitor their pets for these symptoms after they eat beets.

An elimination diet, which is conducted under the supervision of a veterinarian, is the most reliable way to figure out if a dog is allergic to a specific food. This means that, as Dr. Jangi Bajwa of VetDERM Clinic explains, the dog is fed a simple diet that does not include any potential allergens, including beets, and then the allergens are slowly added back in to see if the allergy occurs.

If a dog is allergic to beets, the experts recommend stopping the consumption of beets immediately and contacting a veterinarian. The vet may recommend a food trial with a novel protein or a hydrolyzed diet to rule out food allergies, according to a study on PubMed Central. With careful monitoring and control, pet parents can work to figure out what their pets are allergic to and ensure that they are comfortable and healthy.

So, Can Dogs Have Beets?

Beets are a great source of essential nutrients for dogs, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals. As noted by Healthline, these nutrients can help dogs with digestion and other health issues.

That said, it’s important to make sure that you’re feeding your dog beets in moderation and that you’re preparing them in a way that’s safe for your dog. This is especially true given the high sugar content of beets, which can lead to issues like obesity and dental problems.

It’s also worth noting that portion control is important because feeding your dog too many beets can lead to an upset stomach and nutritional imbalances. Both PetMD and The Farmer’s Dog offer advice on how to safely feed beets to dogs. While beets aren’t a common allergen, it’s always possible for dogs to have individual sensitivities, so it’s important to pay attention to how your dog reacts to beets.

As always, it’s best to talk to your vet before introducing beets or any new food into your dog’s diet. This way, you can be sure that any dietary changes you make are in line with your dog’s specific health needs and that you’re not throwing off the balance of their diet and health.