We know that pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are extremely beneficial to our health. We, humans, eat them with no ill effects, but what about our little pooches? Dog owners must carefully consider the pros and cons of their canine’s food intake before feeding. Pumpkin seeds may be on your mind if you’re considering offering pumpkin seeds to a dog. You are right to pause and think twice before feeding anything new to your pooch.
Yes, you can feed pumpkin seeds to dogs. They are even beneficial for a variety of reasons. They are high in vitamins and minerals, contain amino acids, and help reduce worms. It is necessary to limit the seeds you give your dog because anything in excess can be harmful, even to our dogs.
In this article, we will review the advantages and disadvantages of pumpkin seeds, as well as what can happen to your pup if you feed them pumpkin seeds. But before we do, let’s first review how exactly these tiny seeds contribute in big ways to our little Fido’s overall health.
What Happens If A Dog Eats Pumpkin Seeds?
Pumpkin seeds are completely safe to feed your canine. Dogs experience no adverse effects, so don’t worry.
It is important to know that pumpkin seeds are safe for your Fido to eat, but you should also know of the health benefits they provide to help your little pooch.
Pumpkin seeds are a nutrient powerhouse, and your furry friend will reap the rewards in the following ways if you include them in their regular diet.
The following are just a few of the many advantages that pumpkin seeds provide to our canines.
Boosts The Immune System
Pumpkin seeds give many health advantages to little pooches. When canines eat these seeds, their digestibility gets improved to a great extent which can potentially help overweight pooches to lose weight in a very short time.
These seeds also contribute to your Fido’s overall well-being and health and improve the immune system.
Benefits Urethral Health
Pumpkin seeds are beneficial to the bladder, which helps your puppy maintain good urethral health. Moreover, the oil in the seed is even more beneficial and can help your Fido avoid health issues related to the bladder and kidney.
Keep reading the article to get to know more benefits of pumpkin seed oil a little farther along!
Rich In Vitamins And Antioxidants
Pumpkin seeds are extremely high in powerful antioxidants that benefit canine’s eyesight and prevent various diseases. It also assists your pooch in developing a healthy coat, which will result in reduced hair fall.
High Fiber
These pumpkin seeds contain a high amount of fiber, which has many health benefits:
- Aids weight loss.
- Aids in the digestive process of your dog.
- Strengthens bones.
Soothe Allergic Reactions
Pumpkin seeds contain a significant amount of magnesium, which is beneficial to our canine buddy in many ways.
Magnesium helps canines with their energy production. It also helps them to control anxiety and stress. It is a perfect snack to offer itchy pooches suffering from an allergic reaction. It is an excellent addition to Fido’s diet to help keep your pooch healthy, fit, and allergy-free.
Ease Digestion
Pumpkin seeds also ease the digestion of your little canine in several ways:
- By absorbing maximum water through its soluble fiber content, it adds bulk to dogs’ stool.
- It stimulates intestinal sodium absorption.
- It lowers the level of pH in the intestine to reduce basicity.
- It supplies energy to cells by producing beneficial fatty acids via fiber fermentation.
Dewormer
Pumpkin seeds are a natural solution to get rid of worms naturally. Also, pumpkin seeds contain amino acids that have been shown to effectively kill and remove worms from your furry friend’s digestive system.
I will discuss this natural dewormer more ahead. Keep reading to find more interesting details! In addition to the apparent benefits of feeding pumpkin seeds to your Fido, there are still a few drawbacks to be aware of.
Upset Stomach
Consuming an excessive amount of pumpkin seeds causes an upset stomach and diarrhea in your puppy.
Hence, allowing your furry friends to eat more pumpkin seeds than they need can be problematic for you. Consult your vet if your Fido gulps down a large number of pumpkin seeds at once!
Added Salt
Most commercially available pumpkin seeds are salted, which is bad for dogs’ health. If you feed your puppy pumpkin seeds, make sure they are raw and free of any artificial sweeteners or salts.
That concludes the disadvantages. So now you can confidently feed these seeds to your canine, as long as you limit your dog’s intake to a reasonable number of seeds per day.
Well, one can offer his furry buddy one-quarter teaspoon of pumpkin seeds for every 10 lbs of its body weight without having potential side effects every single day!
Can Dogs Eat Raw Pumpkin Seeds With Shells?
Yes, dogs can eat raw pumpkin seeds in their shells.
It’s totally safe to offer raw pumpkin seeds with shells to your Fido. In fact, the pumpkin seed’s shell adds crunch and nutritional value to the seed; however, it can alter the taste. It actually increases the fiber content of your canine’s diet!
Pumpkin seed oil is another extremely beneficial thing you can add to your pooch’s diet. Like the pumpkin seed, its oil significantly increases the wellness of humans’ best friends. It’s not merely savory but also beneficial to their health.
In fact, pumpkin seed oil production increased by five times the market’s pumpkin production in 2016 and continues to increase more!
The pumpkin seed oil contains a high concentration of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids required for the normal functioning of a canine’s body. However, your pooch’s body can’t make it on its own. Moreover, this oil protects your pooch from dehydration and detoxification.
In addition to fatty acids, pumpkin oil contains essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals like selenium, sulfur, zinc, iodine, chlorine, fluorine, and vitamins A, B, C, and E.
Pumpkin seed oil serves as a natural anti-parasitic, strengthens the heart muscles, and increases the power of your furry friend. Pumpkin oil is also thought to have wound-healing properties.
Fatty acids, including linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, and arachidic acid, make up about 90% of a pumpkin seed’s composition. The remainder holds vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium. So this oil is really nutritional for little Fidos!
How Would I Prepare Pumpkin Seeds For My Dog?
There are many ways to serve pumpkin seeds, including simple, raw, roasted, or pre-cooked seeds.
No special skills are required when preparing the pumpkin seeds for your pup’s diet. When giving roasted pumpkin seeds to your Fido, remember to rinse and soak them properly before serving.
If opting for canned seeds, always check the ingredients carefully. Avoid ingredients like artificial flavors and seasonings that are highly harmful to your dog. Simple pumpkin seeds are the only way to go!
Still, there are a few things that you should keep in mind before offering plain pumpkin seeds to your Fido.
Rinse And Soak Pumpkin Seeds
One of the most common questions concerning pumpkin seeds is whether to rinse them. Because fungus can grow on seeds that aren’t thoroughly rinsed, it’s always a good idea to wash them properly. However, just rinsing the seeds will not help. This won’t get rid of all of the mold’s bad effects.
The best course of action is to thoroughly rinse and soak the pumpkin seeds the night before you plan to use them.
Soaking the pumpkin seeds provides various advantages:
- Helps increase digestibility.
- Removes dust.
- Helps get rid of anti-nutrients present on the seeds, like phytic acid, which reduces mineral availability for canines.
- Prevents dehydration and nutrient loss.
- Improves the concentration of vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids.
How Do You Soak Pumpkin Seeds?
To rinse the seeds thoroughly, place them in a water bowl. There is no need to add any spices or salts. However, consider adding acidic mediums like vinegar or apple cider to get rid of anti-nutrients. Acidic mediums are thought to work even better than water!
Remember to soak the seeds overnight for 10 to 12 hours.
Here’s a pro-tip. Always check for fungus before beginning the soaking process for pumpkin seeds. It’s very likely that mold grows on it.
Also, always buy them from a trustworthy pet store so that your pooch doesn’t suffer any negative side effects from poor quality.
Roasted Or Salted Pumpkin Seeds
Never add salt to the pumpkin seeds when preparing for your Fido. Salted seeds can harm the health of your pooch. Salted pumpkin seeds can pose serious health issues as they may increase the dog’s sodium level. Therefore, it is better to keep the seeds plain and simple!
Try roasting the seeds before giving them to your pooch. Roasting the pumpkin seeds extends their shelf life. They also taste better than plain seeds.
How Do You Dry Roast Pumpkin Seeds?
Dry roasting pumpkin seeds is easy. Simply take out a pan and fry the pumpkin seeds on low heat until golden brown.
Don’t add any oil or butter because it prevents the hard crunch result, which is the purpose of roasting. The seeds will become soft instead of crunchy if you fry them with oil or butter.
Coconut oil works well if you still want to use oil. However, apply as little as possible to prevent the seeds from turning rancid.
Storage Of Pumpkin Seeds
You can easily store pumpkin seeds in sealed containers and bags. Place those containers in some cool and dry place. The best option here is to put them very next to the back wall of your refrigerator. You can get this easy access for such a long time because sealed bags increase the storage time of seeds to over six months!
How Many Pumpkin Seeds Can You Give Your Dog?
You can feed your furry friend a handful of raw pumpkin seeds after every meal. The nutritional content of pumpkin seeds is beneficial to your pooch in many ways.
A handful of raw pumpkin seeds contain almost 110 to 120 calories. So, if your canine is overweight or has other health issues, consider giving fewer pumpkin seeds. In fact, for an overweight pooch, the oil of raw pumpkin seeds is preferable and highly recommended.
Instead of using oils such as flaxseed oil or fish oil in dog food, it is better to use pumpkin seed oil because it contains vitamins like vitamin E.
Vitamin E is equally beneficial to humans and dogs. Just like with us, vitamin E boosts the immune system, prevents blood thickening, and fights against oxidative damages in canines too.
Giving pumpkin seeds to your Fido daily is safe. However, since pumpkin seeds are rich in fiber, they can lead to dehydration sometimes. Therefore, make sure that your furry friend drinks a lot of water.
Can Your Dog Eat Pumpkin Puree?
A 100% pure pumpkin puree is an excellent option to include in your dog’s diet. However, you should always make sure that it is completely pure!
Never feed canines artificial sweeteners, nutmeg, and sugar-containing puree because:
- Nutmeg makes dogs hallucinate as they are highly toxic.
- Puree rich in sugar can cause problems like obesity in canines.
Pumpkin Seeds Treat Recipe
A recipe prepared by mixing pumpkin seeds and puree is healthy, nutritious, and yummy for our little pooches.
Ingredients
- Half cup of pumpkin seeds
- Half cup of 100% pure pumpkin puree
- One cup of oats
- One teaspoon of cinnamon
- An egg
- Half cup of whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven up to 325 °F (or 165 °C).
- Add pumpkin seeds, puree, egg, and all other ingredients in a bowl except for flour and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add flour to the mixture.
- Roll and cut them in small bites for your pup.
- Place rolls on a cookie sheet.
- Put the cookie sheet in the oven.
- Heat for about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the bites.
- Once ready, give them to your Fido, and store the rest in a sealable bag for up to 2 weeks.
Do Pumpkin Seeds Act As A Natural Dewormer For Dogs?
Pumpkin seeds are a well-known dewormer for our little canines. Giving a sufficient amount of pumpkin seeds can kill the parasitic worms residing inside the stomach of your pup.
Pumpkin seeds are an extremely effective deworming and anti-parasitic agent.
Intestinal worms easily take up residence in our pooch’s stomach, causing health problems. Moreover, young canines are more affected due to their weaker immune systems.
These worms enter your Fido when they accidentally consume infected animals, soil, or milk. After ingestion, the worms eat your canine’s intestinal wall. The most common intestinal worms that can infect your furry friend are tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms.
A sufficient amount of pumpkin seeds can kill the parasitic worms that your canine ingested. The reason pumpkin seeds are extremely strong dewormers lies in their composition. Pumpkin seeds contain an amino acid called cucurbitacin. It paralyzes the intestinal worms, causing them to die. Later these dead worms easily pass out of the intestine.
Pumpkin seeds also act as a natural laxative for your furry friend! Pumpkin seeds are highly rich in fiber. An ounce of pumpkin seeds contains nearly 1.1 g of fiber.
If your canine suffers from constipation, pumpkin seed’s high fiber content will help pass the stool by softening it. No matter how severe constipation becomes, pumpkin treatment can easily treat it within 24 hours by helping the easy elimination of waste by providing water content to dry feces.
Add around one to four tablespoons of pumpkin seeds to your pooch’s feed. It’s better to start with smaller amounts to avoid any complications. The quantity of seeds necessary highly depends on the age and weight of your Fido.
If your furry friend does not poop after this treatment, consult your veterinarian for a better direction on what to do next!
