Swiss chard is no stranger to animal enthusiasts, a popular meal recommended by many nutritionists.
Yet can dogs eat swiss chard? If you have the same doubt, this article may offer a helping hand! Keep scrolling down!
Can Dogs Eat Swiss Chard?
Can dogs have chard? Yes. The consumption of swiss chard is acceptable for your puppies, as it has long been accredited with various nutrients.
Some are enumerated, like vitamins A, C, K, and fiber. Thanks to these nutritional benefits, your dog’s overall health will likely be boosted.
But is swiss chard toxic? It can cause harm to your puppy if undercooked or raw.
Eating this dish excessively also threatens its well-being and development, so you should keep everything in moderation to avert worse scenarios.
What Are The Contraindications For Dogs When Being Fed With Swiss Chard?
When your dogs encounter one of the following conditions, you must not feed them swiss chard for the sake of their safety:
- Dogs are suffering from food intolerances.
- Dogs are allergic to swiss chard components. You should treat lamb dog foods for allergies instead.
- Puppies are struggling with digestive ailments, like urinary stones or gastroesophageal reflux.
- Dogs have problems with their kidneys.
- Dogs with abnormal heart rhythms.
- Some breeds of male puppies, like Chihuahuas or Miniature Schnauzers, should not eat swiss chard because they are more susceptible to calcium oxalate forming.
- Dogs are getting into anemia trouble.
What Are The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Feeding Your Dogs With Swiss Chard?
Below are some merits and demerits of swiss chard that you can consider before feeding it to your dogs.
Pros
- Chards are famous for their great source of dietary fiber, which greatly facilitates your puppies’ digestion and enhances their gut health.
Besides, it helps manage intestinal microbiota ratio and contributes to satiety. - Chards contain many important vitamins, such as vitamins A, C, B9, K, and B3. They are good at improving your dog’s immune system, colon, eyes, blood circulation, and liver health.
- Low-energy value is another noticeable advantage. Thanks to this property, swiss chards are often chosen for energy-reduced diets, solving the obesity problem for your canines.
- Mineral richness is enlisted. Several minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, iodine, etc., are beneficial for dogs.
- Swiss chards provide an amount of lutein, aiding cataract formation and maintaining visual acuity.
Cons
- Oxalic acid is a component of swiss chards. When chemically combined with calcium, it will turn into calcium oxalate, mainly creating bladder stones and urine weakness.
- Chards contain a minor level of nitrates. Although they are not toxic, they can induce methemoglobinemia or blood disorder disease if consumed in excess.
- When you over-feed your puppies with swiss chards, they are likely to catch up with flatulence, prompting an uncomfortable feeling within their stomachs.
How To Give Swiss Chard To Your Dog Safely?
Here are some helpful tips you should pay close attention to before giving swiss chard to your dogs:
1. If you want to serve a raw dish of swiss chards, follow this process:
- Step 1: Wash swiss chards carefully by rinsing them under water to get rid of dirt and worms. Remove some leaves that show signs of wilting.
- Step 2: You gently pluck the old leaves and stems because they are no longer nutritional. Wash swiss chards under water one more time.
- Step 3: Cut chards into pieces with a size suitable for your dog’s bite.
- Step 4: Place them in a bowl and mix the portions with other ingredients to raise their taste.
- Step 5: Serve your dogs as the final step.
2. Boiling seems to be a better option, as boiled swiss chards contain less oxalic acid than raw ones.
- Step 1: Prepare a bunch of swiss chards. Wash them carefully and remove some that are wilting.
- Step 2: Remove the old stems and leaves before rinsing the chards again.
- Step 3: Cut swiss chards into bite-sized pieces and place them in a saucepan.
- Step 4: Pour water into the saucepan until most of them are partly submerged.
- Step 5: Heat the saucepan for a couple of minutes. Remember to switch the heat moderately and stop boiling when the stem becomes tender.
- Step 6: Drain all water out.
- Step 7: Add some tablespoons to the dish and mix them gently. Now, a meal of boiled swiss chards is ready for your puppies.
3. Don’t forget that the portion size depends on your dogs’ age and development phase:
- If your dog is still small, one or two leaves of swiss chards are enough. More than this amount can facilitate the buildup of toxic chemicals.
- Suppose it grows older; you can add more swiss leaves, about three or four.
What Are The Alternatives To Swiss Chard?
- Some other leafy greens, like spinach, lettuce, kale, and cabbage, are all advantageous for your canines. They are indeed a good source of fiber and minerals.
- Your recipe could include root vegetables instead of swiss chards. Carrots, sweet potatoes, or parsnips are safe to feed your dogs. However, they are quite rich in sugar, so you must avoid serving them excessively.
- Stalks are another alternative. But they are not as tender as swiss chards; hence, your puppies might have trouble grinding up in their teeth.
- Squash is edible. Its primary function is helping dogs with bouts of diarrhea, yet its taste is not very delectable.
- Sun-dried tomatoes are a good idea but with moderate portions.
- Legumes are the next name in this list, including mature beans, sprouts, pinto, peas, etc. They are nearly the most widely-fed foods because of their rich proteins.
- Cauliflower, corn, broccoli, cucumber, and brussel sprouts are recommended.
However, most dogs give them an instant rejection when first munching. You should serve small quantities of these vegetables in the first place.
The Bottom Line
Our article has offered deep insights into the question: Can dogs eat swiss chard?
We also provide more details about its benefits and drawbacks and hope you will find them useful.
Thank you for being supportive, and have a nice day!
