10,460 answers about dogs
From a puppy’s first feeding schedule to a senior dog’s comfort care, dog owners ask it all — this page gathers the dog library of KinsLe Answers in one place. Browse by topic below, from feeding and training to health, grooming, safety and travel. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
763 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 27 of 32
Only a small taste, if at all. Fig flesh is not toxic, but figs are sugary and fibrous, and a modest portion loosens the stool in many dogs, so most are better given a different fruit. If you offer any, keep it to no more than half of a small ripe fig, peeled, stem removed, and only occasionally. The rest of the plant…
Yes — dogs can eat flaxseed in small amounts, and the ground form is the useful one, because whole seeds pass through undigested inside their coats. Sprinkle ground flaxseed over food: a pinch for a small dog, half a teaspoon for a medium dog, and up to 1 teaspoon for a large dog, once a day. Ground flaxseed spoils…
Yes — dogs can eat edamame beans in small amounts, as long as the beans are shelled and served plain. Pop the beans out of the pod, because the pods are tough, fibrous, and a choking risk, and they should never be given whole. Steam or boil the beans with no salt, soy sauce, or seasoning: 1 teaspoon of shelled beans…
Yes — plain cooked duck is a safe protein for dogs. Serve it boneless and skinless, cooked thoroughly with no seasoning, and trim away the rich fat layer, because duck is considerably fattier than chicken and a generous fatty portion can upset the stomach. A few bite-sized pieces as a treat, or 2 to 3 tablespoons of…
Only with caution, and only a couple. Plain dried cranberries are not toxic to dogs, but most bags on the shelf are heavily sweetened with sugar or fruit juice concentrate, which turns a tart berry into a dense sugar lump a dog does not need. If the ingredient list shows cranberries and nothing else, 1 berry for a…
Yes — dogs can eat dragon fruit flesh in small amounts. Halve the fruit, scoop the flesh away from the skin, and cut it into small cubes: 1 teaspoon suits a small dog and 1 tablespoon suits a large dog. The tiny black seeds pass through harmlessly and need no picking out. The skin is the part to keep out of the bowl,…
Best avoided as a habit. Deli turkey is processed meat made for sandwiches, typically loaded with salt, often smoked or seasoned, and sometimes flavoured with garlic or onion powder, none of which suits a dog. A single small piece of the plain kind will not harm most healthy dogs, so a stolen scrap of it is not an…
Yes — dogs can eat a small amount of plain cooked couscous. It is a tiny wheat pasta, so it delivers calories and starchy energy but little fibre or nutrition, and it earns its place as an occasional filler rather than a food with a job to do. Cook it in plain water, let it cool, and stir 1 to 2 tablespoons into a…
Yes — most dogs can eat plain cottage cheese in small amounts, and many tolerate it better than harder cheeses because the curds carry relatively little lactose. Choose a plain, low-fat tub with no fruit, flavourings, or sweeteners, and start small: 1 teaspoon for a small dog, 1 tablespoon for a medium dog, or 2…
It depends entirely on the fruit. Plain cottage cheese is fine for most dogs in spoonfuls, and safe fruits such as blueberries, banana, and peeled apple without seeds can be added in small pieces. The traps sit in ready-mixed tubs and fruit blends: grapes, raisins, and currants are dangerous to dogs even in small…
No — never give a dog corn on the cob. The kernels are not the problem: plain cooked kernels cut off the cob are fine in a spoonful. The cob itself is the hazard, because dogs chew off chunks that do not digest, and a chunk can lodge in the intestine and block it. A blockage is an emergency that can need surgery, and…
Yes — dogs can eat cooked liver, and many love it, but it needs unusually strict portion control. Liver is exceptionally rich in vitamin A, which the body stores rather than sheds, so frequent or generous feeding can build vitamin A up to harmful levels over time. Cook it plainly, with no onion, garlic, butter, or…
Yes — dogs can eat cabbage that has been cooked plainly, in small amounts. Steam or boil it with no butter, oil, salt, onion, or garlic, chop it, and mix it through the meal: about 1 tablespoon for a small dog and 2 to 3 tablespoons for a large dog is plenty. Cooking softens the leaves and makes cabbage gentler than…
No — dogs must never eat chives, in any form. Chives are alliums, like onion, garlic, and leeks, and their compounds damage a dog's red blood cells, which can lead to anaemia. Cooking, drying, or grinding chives into powder does not remove that risk, and signs can take a few days to appear, so a dog can seem fine at…
Yes, dogs can eat chickpeas when they are plain and fully cooked, served in modest spoonfuls mixed into regular food. Rinse canned chickpeas well, and mash or split larger ones for small dogs so they are not gulped whole and round. Keep the dog's portion away from the spiced versions humans eat, and never substitute…
Yes, dogs can eat chia seeds in small amounts, served soaked in water until they swell into a soft gel or ground and sprinkled over food. A pinch suits a small dog and up to a teaspoon suits a large one. Dry seeds served by the spoonful are the wrong format, because chia absorbs a great deal of water as it swells and…
Yes, very occasionally: a few plain, unsalted cashews broken into small pieces are not toxic to dogs, and the small pieces matter because a whole cashew invites gulping. The caution is richness, since cashews are dense in fat and calories for their size, so one or two suit a medium dog and a single broken cashew is…
Yes, dogs can eat cantaloupe in small cubes, and its sweetness and water content make it a popular warm-day treat. Scrub the rind before cutting, then remove the rind and every seed, because both can upset or block the gut, and cut the flesh into pieces your dog will chew rather than gulp. Cantaloupe is sugary, so…
Yes, occasionally and in small amounts: canned tuna in water is not toxic to dogs, but it should never become a regular food. Tuna typically carries more mercury than smaller fish such as sardines, and that is the reason for the strict limit, while canned tuna can also be salty, so drain it, rinse it briefly and offer…
Yes, plain canned pumpkin is a genuinely useful cupboard food for dogs, gentle on digestion and a good source of fibre that can help a stool that is too loose or too firm. The label decides everything: the tin must hold pure pumpkin with nothing added, and never pumpkin pie filling, which brings sugar and spice a dog…
Yes, dogs can eat butternut squash when the flesh is peeled, deseeded and cooked plain until soft, and it makes a gentle, fibre-rich extra for many dogs. Serve it mashed or in soft cubes, a few spoonfuls at a time. Raw squash is the version to avoid: it is hard, difficult to digest and a choking risk in chunks, and…
Yes, dogs can eat Brussels sprouts in small amounts when they are cooked plainly and cut in half or quarters, so the round shape cannot lodge in the throat. One or two sprouts suit a medium dog, scaled down for a small dog. Sprouts are famously gassy, so a generous helping buys a windy evening and possibly an…
Yes, dogs can have bone broth, and a few spoonfuls warmed over food can tempt a fussy drinker or soften a dry meal, but only the right kind counts. It must be plain and low in salt, with absolutely no onion or garlic, which are toxic to dogs, and many shop-bought broths and stock cubes contain both. Make a simple…
Only as a rare, tiny taste: a plain black olive with the stone removed will not poison a healthy dog, but olives are brined, salty and fatty, which makes them a poor treat choice overall. Never offer one with the stone still in, because stones crack teeth and can choke or block the gut, and skip stuffed, oil-soaked or…
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