When it comes to having my dear fido drink fruit juices, one of the major questions I always get asked is whether dogs can drink apple juice and how do you make it for your dog.
Dogs can drink apple juice, and you can make a glass of apple juice for your dog with the help of a blender. In fact, consumption of apple juice does bring about certain health benefits in dogs. For safety, it is recommended not to add any sweeteners and flavoring additives, but to retain the fiber content while preparing the blended apple juice.
I have been able to give my canine friend apple juice since he was a puppy. But this depends on several factors, such as the type of apple juice and the number of servings.
In this article, we will look at everything regarding apple juice that can affect your canine friend. We will see if 100% apple juice is recommended for your dog, if your dog can have cold-pressed apple juice, and if apple juice is a suitable remedy for constipation in canines.
Also, we will see how to make apple juice at home for your furry friend, and if your canine buddy can have Mott’s apple juice. But before then, let’s answer the question of popular interest. What is going to happen if a dog drinks apple juice?
What Happens If A Dog Drinks Apple Juice?
Whenever your furry companion drinks commercially produced apple juice or any other fruit drinks, it may leave them prone to having intestinal problems, such as abdominal pains, irregular bowel movements, and diarrhea.
Apple juice purchased from most stores does not contain 100% fruit concentrate. They contain sugars, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives to enhance their taste and improve their shelf life. More so, they have little to no fiber content.
Whenever your furry friend drinks apple juice, these sugars, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives can upset the bowels of your furry companions. Therefore, we do not recommend that your canine buddy drink apple juice containing these artificially added ingredients.
Can Dogs Drink 100% Apple Juice?
This largely depends on what type of 100% apple juice it is, homemade or commercially made. However, even though having your furry partner to drink 100% apple juice is better than having it to drink artificially flavored apple juice, we still do not recommend it.
This is because 100% apple juice, despite being unsweetened, still lacks fiber content and is likely to pose intestinal problems for your canine friend, just like sweetened apple juice.
In addition, commercially made 100% apple juices are often found to have artificial preservatives to improve their shelf life. These preservatives when consumed together with the juice are capable of causing intestinal disturbances to dogs.
Apart from intestinal disturbances, artificial preservatives can also cause cancer, allergy, and neurological damage to your four-legged furry friend. For these reasons, we do not recommend 100% apple juice to dogs for consumption.
Is Fiber Important In Apple Juice For My Dog?
Yes, fibers in apple juice are very important. Apart from resolving constipation problems in dogs, they help to regulate the absorption of fructose whenever your furry friend takes apple juice.
Apple juice, just like other whole fruit juices, has high fructose contents. When ingested into the body, the fructose is not quickly absorbed into the body system. This is due to the fibers slowing down the rate of fructose absorption in the bloodstream.
With the absence of these fibers in fruit drinks like apple juice, the fructose can be readily absorbed and the result has a similar effect to consuming sweetened apple juice.
Unsweetened apple juice or 100% apple juice is usually without any fiber content. Hence, fructose is readily absorbed when consumed, and it may well lead to diabetes complications in the future for your dear fido upon regular consumption.
Can Dogs Drink Cold Pressed Apple Juice?
Yes, your furry partner can drink cold-pressed apple juice but with caution. We recommend that you give your pooch cold-pressed apple juice in small quantities. Two glass cups of cold-pressed apple juice once a month is perfect for your furry friend.
Cold-press apple juice is made at home or in a non-industrial way and they do not undergo the rigorous industrial process used in producing other commercial apple juices. Hence they are not enhanced with artificial sweeteners and they retain most of their fiber contents.
Can Dogs Have Apple Juice For Constipation?
Yes, dogs can have apple juice for constipation. However, not all major commercial brands of apple juices may help your dog with pooping.
The fibers contained in fruits are key in helping with constipation issues. Processed apple juices, such as sweetened apple juice or 100% apple juice, will have most of their fiber content removed, invalidating itself as a suitable remedy for constipation.
Cold-pressed apple juice is a better remedy option because much of its fiber contents are retained during the preparation processes.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that when it comes to constipation, the best home remedy is to serve the apple whole and unprocessed with plenty of water, instead of fruit juice. This is because the fruit itself has all the fiber contents in its unprocessed state.
A better fruit option for constipation is oranges. Oranges have greater fiber content than apples and they are thus more suitable in resolving constipation problems in canines.
How Do You Make Apple Juice For Dogs?
There are two common methods of making apple juice for your canine buddy. The first involves the use of a juicer or a blender and the second is without a blender.
Having your beloved furry take homemade apple juice is a good way to avoid the artificial sweeteners of the commercial apple juice and provide it with a rather natural apple flavor.
Homemade apple juice for your canine buddy offers not only the advantage of not adding artificial sweeteners but also the benefits of retaining most of the fibers found in apples, particularly useful for treating constipation issues in your dear canine.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that depending on the method used, the amount of fibers retained in the juice varies and this affects their use as a suitable fruit drink for your canine buddy.
How To Make Homemade Apple Juice With A Juicer Or Blender For Your Dog?
Making homemade apple juice with a juicer or blender retains more than 95% of the fiber content in the apple juice.
To make homemade apple juice using this method, you need a juicer, a knife, a bowl, table salt, running water, and of course, your apples.
The steps below explain the method of producing apple juice using a blender or juicer.
- Place the apples that you want to blend inside the bowl of water and sprinkle some salts on them, leaving them inside the water for about 5 minutes.
- Wash and rinse the apples under the running water gently.
- Using the knife, cut and slice each apple into 4 to 6 pieces. Ensure that you don’t peel the skin of the apple. Peeling the skin removes a very important part, the fiber from it.
- Do ensure that all the apple seeds are removed from it before placing the apple slices into the juicer. Apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide which is harmful to health including the life of your dear furry friend.
- Subsequently, on completing step 3 gradually place the apple slices into the juicer. It is better to place two to three apple slices gradually instead of placing them once. This ensures that the juicer does not get clumpy and that the apple juice produced is smooth.
- Add ½ cup of water to further smoothen and dilute the apple juice. Doing this also reduces the sweetness of the apple juice allowing it to be friendly on your canine buddy tummy.
- There is no need for artificial flavorings or additives, such as cinnamon or vanilla, to be added at this stage. The blended apple juice is already rich in taste for your pooch.
- Pour the juice into a bottle and seal. Sealing it prevents the apple juice from browning as apple juice always oxidizes when exposed to air.
- Finally, serve your beloved fido the homemade apple juice using a glass cup. A glass cup of apple juice is perfect for your furry friend and beyond one glass, their stomachs may get upset.
- Alternatively, instead of serving your dear fido directly using a glass cup, you can put some of the juice in a mini ice tray and freeze the apple juice in a freezer for about 3 to 4 hours until they are solid.
During summer or especially warm weather conditions, to help cool its body quicker, try serving your furry companion frozen cubes of apple juice using the above preparation method. You will find your pooch enjoying every drop of the juice.
How To Make Homemade Apple Juice Without A Juicer Or Blender For Your Dog?
The following steps will show you how to make apple juice for your dear fido without the use of a blender.
- Wash and cut each apple into 7 to 8 pieces and remove all the seeds in them. Remember that apple seeds should never be consumed by your canine friend because of the trace amounts of cyanide in apple seeds. Cyanide is toxic to your pooch’s health when consumed in quantities.
- Next, place the apple inside a pot and add water that is sufficient to cover them.
- Boil the apples inside the pot for 25 to 30 minutes until they get soft but not too soft. You should allow the apples to get soft, making sure that it is just enough to allow you to press the juice out.
- Attach the cheesecloth to the mesh strainer and place them over a bowl.
- Bring out the apple slices and place them on the cheesecloth and gently squeeze out or mash the apple juice into the bowl underneath.
- After collecting the apple juice in the bowl, pour it into a bottle and seal.
- Finally, place it in a refrigerator to lower its temperature before serving.
This method is a good way to use if you don’t have a blender. Instead, you could make use of a mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or coffee filter, a bowl, and a pot.
However, we do not recommend this method of making apple juice for your furry companion because it retains no fiber content in the juice. The fibers are separated from the juice when they are strained off by the mesh.
Can Dogs Have Mott’s Apple Juice?
Dogs can have Mott’s apple juice only when it has been diluted. This is another great way to make apple juice for your canine buddy at home.
Mott’s apple juice is essentially apple juice concentrate with no added sugars. Despite this, we do not recommend Mott’s apple juice because it has very little fiber and as such, it may not be suitable for your pooch’s belly.
Nevertheless, some pet lovers do decide to give their canine friend Mott’s apple juice. If that is the case, we recommend the juice to be diluted in a ratio, 2 parts of water to 1 part of Mott’s apple juice. And its serving should be once every month and in small servings not exceeding a glass cup. Doing this should not irritate the gastrointestinal tract of your canine friend.
