12 Delicious Reasons Why Dachshunds Should Eat Pumpkin
Boost your Dachshund’s immune system this season by adding some yummy pumpkin purée to their kibble. Pumpkin is like nature’s superhero, loaded with goodies like magnesium, potassium, and fiber just to name a few.
Discover 12 Delicious Reasons Why Dachshunds Should Eat Pumpkin.
Table Of Contents
Is Pumpkin Puree Good For Dogs?
You Bet! Plain pumpkin puree adds healthy fiber to your dog’s diet and can help with stomach issues like constipation.
Make sure it is plain pumpkin puree (preferably organic), not canned pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin pie filling also comes in a can, but has added ingredients like sugar and spice, which are not good for your pup.
1. Pumpkin Benefits for Dogs: It’s Nutritious!
Pumpkin is a super food packed with fiber, beta carotene, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, folate, and vitamins A and C.
Note: Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and improves muscle health.
2. Treating an Upset Stomach
If your pup’s stool is too loose or too hard, pumpkin can be their solution to a calmer stomach.
The fiber found in pureed pumpkin helps treat stomach issues like constipation. Fiber absorbs excess water and binds your dog’s stool, which helps move it through their digestive tract.
3. Improved Vision
Pumpkin is also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which helps lower the risk of eye disease. The Vitamin A in pumpkin helps promote healthy eyesight.
4. Immune System Boost
The vitamins C, A, E, and antioxidants found in pumpkin can give your Dachshund a healthy immune system boost.
5. Worms & Parasites
We all know that our cute little dachshunds love to eat poo, roll in poo, eat garbage, etc… Well, sometimes they pick up some undesirable worms and parasites in the process.
When you are scooping out your Jack-O-Lantern this October, make sure to hang onto those precious Pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds are not only a nutritious snack for you, but they can actually help get rid of worms and other nasty parasites! Pumpkin contains a high number of amino acids, called cucurbitacin, which is poisonous to parasites.
How To Make Pumpkin Seed Powder:
- Let your pumpkin seeds dry out.
- Then grind them up into a fine powder using your food processor or coffee grinder.
- Add a teaspoon of pumpkin seed powder to your dog’s food.
- Store this powder in the refrigerator for future use.
- Here is a YouTube video for help with this process from Thriving Canine.
6. Smooth & Shiny Coat
Does anyone else envy those beautifully groomed doxies in the fancy dog show competitions?
Well, get this, pumpkin can help with that too! The nutrients found in pumpkin (vitamin A and zinc) can help make your dachshund’s coat shine and reduce the amount of shedding and flaky skin.
Dachshunds are more prone to itchy skin issues than other dog breeds. The pumpkin seeds have a hardy dose of Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which helps stop itchy dry skin.
Post You May Like: How To Prevent Dachshund Skin Issues
7. Kidney Stones & Incontinence
The omega fatty acids found in pumpkin and pumpkin seeds act as an anti-inflammatory, which can help prevent and dislodge kidney stones. It also can reduce urinary incontinence in your dog.
Pumpkin seeds (seed powder) can lower the calcium levels that promote kidney stone formation in the urine and provide high phosphorus levels which also lowers the risk of stone formation.
Note: If your dachshund has kidney disease, please be aware that pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are very high in potassium and phosphorous. Please consult your vet before adding pumpkin or pumpkin seeds to your dog’s diet.
8. Digestive System Regularity
If your dachshund is having any issues with constipation, give them a dose of pumpkin to work things out. Pumpkin provides a good amount of fiber to help your dog go potty with ease.
9. Weight Loss
Dachshunds are known for packing on the pounds. Unfortunately, dachshunds go crazy for people food, which causes obesity, health issues, and can lead to a serious spinal disease called IVDD.
As a dachshund parent, it is crucial to help your pup maintain a healthy body weight.
Adding some pumpkin puree to your doxie’s food once in a while can help your dog feel fuller longer. The high amount of fiber and nutrients found in pumpkin puree can help your dachshund stay regular and keep those extra fatty pounds off.
Post You May Like: 5 Weight Loss Tips For Dachshunds
10. Extra Hydration
Some dachshunds that only eat ‘dry’ dog food can sometimes suffer from mild dehydration.
If your dog doesn’t take the time to hydrate themselves daily, especially in the hot summer months, they need some extra moisture added to their diet.
Pumpkin contains lots of water! Adding 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin to your dog’s food will help keep them more hydrated.
11. Anal Glands
My Dachshund, Reno, had major anal gland issues. He had to get his glands expressed by the vet every month. He was eating high quality dog food, but was missing out on the extra fiber needed to keep the glands cleaned out.
Unfortunately, smaller pups, like the dachshund dog breed, sometimes struggle to express their glands naturally, so they need extra fiber to help them out.
You can use 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree daily when they need some extra fiber to reduce the amount of visits to the vet for gland expression.
12. It’s Delicious!
My dachshunds absolutely love eating pumpkin with their dog food. They literally do a little dance when pumpkin is added to their meal.
Most dogs love the taste of pumpkin. They get so excited to have something added to their boring daily dog food. Shh…they don’t know it’s super healthy for them.
Raw, Canned, or Cooked Pumpkin?
Dogs can eat raw, canned, or cooked pumpkin.
Raw pumpkin can cause loose stool if they eat too much. There is a lot of mixed opinions on feeding dogs raw pumpkin. I don’t give it to my dogs, I stick to the canned pumpkin instead.
Canned pumpkin (organic, no sugar added) can be found in the grocery store all year round, so it’s super easy to find! This is my choice of pumpkin for my dogs.
Fresh cooked pumpkin from home is the most healthy option because you know where your ingredients are coming from.
How Much Pumpkin Can I Give My Dog?
Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, doctor, nutritionist, or dietician. Please review our Food and Nutrition Disclaimer.
I usually give my Dachshunds 1/2 teaspoon of the pumpkin puree a couple times per week during the fall season. I mix it into my dog’s kibble usually in the morning.
Treat the pumpkin puree as a supplement added to your dog’s food. It shouldn’t exceed 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake.
Suggested Amount: 1 teaspoon of pumpkin puree per 1 cup of dry dog food, a couple times per week.
Note: Pumpkin puree is a great way to provide extra fiber and nutrients to your doxie’s diet, but please remember to always talk to your vet about any health issues your pup may be having.
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