Can Poodles Eat Bananas? [Feeding Guide]

One of the things that might be challenging when having a poodle is knowing whether certain types of foods are good for them.

It can be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle – as is often the case with nutritional choices for humans. But certain foods are good for both you and your poodle. Which foods are these? Let’s consider the banana in this post.

So, can poodles eat bananas?

Poodles can eat bananas but only occasionally and as a treat. Bananas contain a substantial nutritional value such as vitamins, fiber, fats, proteins, and minerals that your poodle needs for growth. However, overfeeding bananas can lead to gastric and weight problems. Keep banana in poodles diet in moderation.

But first…

Why Bananas are good for Poodles

As far as edible fruits go, the banana ranks as one of the best fruits for your poodle. In bananas, your poodle gets a natural source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and potassium. These nutrients are important:

• Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. Without going into animal biology, Vitamin C basically helps your poodle to maintain the heat and energy to keep his body running. Although poodles produce Vitamin C by themselves, unlike humans, levels of Vitamin C can decrease when poodles are stressed or sick. Old poodles also become less capable of producing Vitamin C by themselves in their twilight years. Therefore, a banana can literally reinvigorate your poodle in these moments.
• Vitamin B6 helps your poodle to synthesis protein which is required for proper growth. In addition, this nutrient helps to improve the mood of your poodle by increasing serotonin levels in his brain. Also, through melatonin, Vitamin B6 helps to regulate the sleeping habits of poodles.
• Vitamin B7, also known as Biotin, is a nutrient that maintains healthy skin and hair for poodles. Therefore, this nutrient will help your poodle to keep a healthy coat.
• Potassium helps to control your poodle’s nerve functioning, muscle activity, brain function, and heart function. Suffice to say, this nutrient is necessary for proper body functioning. Thankfully, bananas are a safe and cheap source of potassium.

In addition to the nutrients, bananas are good for poodles because they are easily digestible. Also, bananas are rich in fiber; which helps your poodle in maintaining regular bowel movements and treating constipation.

Now that we’ve determined that bananas can reinvigorate your poodle, improve his bodily functions, keep him looking fresh, and liven up his mood, are there some side effects of feeding bananas to your poodle? In some cases.

Things to watch out for

Bananas provide immense nutritional value for your poodle. But everything should be done in moderation – and bananas are no different.

Weight gain

Bananas are rich in sugar and contain substantial calorie units: 89 calories to be exact. Therefore, it’s important to control the amount you feed to your poodle.

Veterinarians advise owners to substitute high calories treats for bananas rather than feeding the high-calorie treats alongside bananas.

You may be wondering how many bananas are enough for your poodle. I address this below.

 Constipation

Bananas treat constipation in poodles, but they can also lead to constipation if you’re not careful. This is because the fiber in bananas may soak up water and lead to hard stool.

Of course, a simple solution is for poodles to drink enough water. However, since you can’t force your poodle to drink more water than he wants to, it’s better to control the intake of fiber; ergo, how many bananas he eats.

Diarrhea

This one is a doozy – bananas causing both constipation and diarrhea? It’s possible.

Bananas have significant amounts of insoluble fiber. Mixed with large amounts of water, this insoluble fiber may create loose stool which could become diarrhea. Again, moderation is the way to go as far as preventing diarrhea.

Decaying teeth

You’ll need to worry about this if you feed your poodle too many bananas too often without daily brushing.

This is because the high sugar content in bananas speeds up the decaying process in canines – just as happens in humans.

However, if you feed your poodle a controlled amount of bananas, even without daily brushing, you won’t have to worry about his teeth decaying. But brush his teeth daily anyway.

How Many Bananas are Safe for Poodles?

After consulting multiple experts’ opinions, I’d say that a suitably moderate number of bananas is two small pieces of banana per day for toy and mini poodles and half a banana for standard poodles per day. A full banana is never a good idea.

But those amounts are just approximations. To be on the safe side, consult your veterinarian so that you get a precise apportionment for your poodle’s exact size, age, and more considerations.

Some experts have this rule called the 90/10 rule: ninety percent of your poodle’s calorie intake should come from his dog food whereas the rest (ten percent) comes from his treat.

And remember I mentioned above that serving bananas as treats are the right idea? This is why.

Banana Allergies

Some poodles may have allergies towards bananas. A sign that your poodle may be allergic is excessive itching following his consumption of a banana. In this case, it’s important to avoid serving him bananas in the future.

In addition, it’s safe to avoid feeding bananas to poodles that have diabetic conditions or problems of high blood sugar –bananas have huge amounts of sugar that may harm diabetic poodles.

Banana Peels for Poodles

Banana peels are not recommended for poodles because they are difficult to digest. However, if your poodle happens to gorge himself on an entire peel, you don’t have to worry too much: banana peels are not toxic for poodles.

How Can Poodles eat Bananas?

One way is to peel the banana and cut it into appropriate sizes for your poodle. You can also mash the banana in his food if the slices are intimidating.

Another way is to serve the bananas frozen. If you realize that your poodle is not into fresh bananas, this could be something to explore.

It will change the texture and temperature of this treat – and might even seem like an entirely new treat to your poodle! Of course, the frozen banana treat is more suitable on hot days.

Conclusion

Bananas are good for poodles. These sugary treats will boost the health and mood of your poodle. Serve them with moderation though. Less than a banana may seem like a waste but it is well worth sparking your poodle’s taste buds once in a while.