The persimmon is a delicious fruit known for its orange skin and tomato-like appearance. It also happens to be rich in nutrients.
As pet parents, we want our fur babies to be in excellent health. So should we share such a nutritious treat with our dogs?
The short answer is yes, you can feed dogs persimmons as long as you remove the pits first. Persimmons are also best eaten occasionally.
Join us as we discuss persimmons as food for dogs!
The potential risks of eating persimmons
Persimmons aren’t toxic to canines, but they can still harm your pooch.
The pits can cause choking or blockage
The persimmon pits, or seeds, are large enough that they can get lodged in a dog’s throat to cause choking. The smaller the dog, the greater the choking potential.
Because the pits are also indigestible, they can get stuck in the stomach or intestines. This can cause a bowel obstruction, which reduces the amount of blood the bowels receive, potentially resulting in the deterioration of parts of the bowels. The pits can even pierce the stomach or intestines, leading to internal damage. Again, smaller dogs are at greater risk.
The symptoms of bowel obstruction include:
- Repetitive vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Straining when trying to pass feces
- Weakness
- Dehydration
- Poor appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Whining or hunching
If you observe such symptoms in your dog, stop feeding them food and bring them to the vet immediately. Untreated bowel obstruction can lead to extreme discomfort, extensive fluid loss, severe intestinal damage, and even death.
For all the above reasons, always remove a persimmon’s seeds before feeding it to your dog.
Too much vitamin C can cause bladder stones
Persimmons are rich in vitamin C. This is good news for humans. For dogs? Not so much.
Dogs produce their own vitamin C, so they rarely need this nutrient from external sources. In fact, ingesting an excess of vitamin C can raise the urine’s acidity level, which is conducive to the formation of calcium oxalate bladder stones.
Bladder stone symptoms include:
- Bloody urine (hematuria)
- Straining to urinate (dysuria)
- Frequent urination; your dog may also pee in smaller amounts
- Accidental/inappropriate urination in your house
- Urine with a sharper odor than usual
- Excessive licking of the genital area
- Discomfort in the abdominal or kidney area
If your dog exhibits such symptoms, take them to the vet immediately to have the stones removed. Stones can cause obstructions preventing urine from leaving the bladder. As the urine accumulates, the bladder expands until it explodes – a potentially lethal condition known as bladder rupture.
To prevent bladder stones in your dog, feed them persimmons in moderation.
Gastrointestinal issues
The doggy digestive system is highly sensitive. After eating persimmons, an unlucky dog may experience diarrhea, a stomach ache, a loss of appetite, lethargy, and dehydration.
Eating lots of persimmons may result in extremes of such symptoms, which can be deadly if untreated.
Seek veterinary assistance as soon as possible if your pet shows signs of gastrointestinal problems.
The health benefits of persimmons
With the bad stuff out of the way, let’s talk about why persimmons are good for dogs.
Antioxidants
Persimmons are packed with antioxidants – compounds that keep the immune system healthy and prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals.
Antioxidants help prevent many health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and infection. They also offer protection against toxins, which is vital for dogs given they’re often exposed to such health hazards.
Minerals
Persimmons are particularly rich in potassium, a mineral that aids in many biological processes such as nerve impulse transmission and osmotic balance maintenance.
They’re high in phosphorus, which plays a significant role in protein synthesis, cell growth, and tissue function and maintenance.
Persimmons also have calcium, a mineral necessary for healthy bones and teeth.
Vitamins
Persimmons contain a decent amount of vitamin A, which helps a dog’s vision, skin, growth, and reproductive system. As an antioxidant, this nutrient also boosts the immune system and helps safeguard your pet against heart disease and some cancers.
As previously stated, persimmons are abundant in vitamin C – a nutrient your dog doesn’t need a surplus of. However, if your dog is ill and in need of vitamin C supplements, feeding them persimmons may help. Just make sure to ask your vet first if this is appropriate for your pet.
Fiber
Persimmons are rich in fiber, which maintains digestive system health to prevent issues such as constipation and diarrhea. Fiber also keeps the bad bacteria populations down and allows the colon to recover quickly from injury.
Fiber may even protect your dog against colon cancer.
Carbohydrates
Persimmons are an excellent source of carbohydrates, which supply a dog with the energy they need to move around and stay alive. Carbohydrates are especially important to breeds with high-energy needs.
Low fat, low calories
Persimmons are low in fat and calories, so you don’t have to worry about your dog gaining unhealthy weight from eating them.
Feeding dogs persimmons: safety tips
If you want to feed your dog persimmons, it’s best to keep several safety measures in mind.
Consult a vet
Because a vet can tell you whether or not persimmons are appropriate for your pet, it’s always a good idea to seek their advice before turning this fruit into a doggy treat.
Serving size and frequency
Your dog should eat persimmons as an occasional treat only.
A vet can determine how much of this fruit your dog can consume weekly. In general, however, a few slices of persimmon a couple of times a week should suffice. A tiny dog should be fed fewer slices. A larger dog may be able to ingest more.
Remember the 10% rule when giving your dog treats. Persimmons and other snacks should make up only 10% of the food your dog eats.
And don’t forget to remove those pits!
Organic or non-organic?
Non-organic fruits a.k.a. GMO fruits are grown and processed using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. These chemicals can all be unhealthy for your dog, so wash non-organic persimmons thoroughly before every feeding session.
Of course, the ideal thing to do is to give your dog naturally grown organic persimmons, which lack any human-made chemicals that can make them ill.
Can dogs eat persimmon skin?
If the persimmon is organic, then yes; there’s no need to peel the skin when feeding your dog persimmons.
A non-organic persimmon may contain chemicals that can make a dog ill. Therefore, you can either peel the skin or wash the skin thoroughly before serving the fruit to your pet.
Can dogs eat persimmon leaves?
Yes, but don’t feed them too many. Persimmon leaves are high in fiber. Consuming excess fiber can cause digestive problems such as an upset stomach.
Can dogs eat persimmon seeds?
No. As discussed above, persimmon seeds can cause choking or bowel obstruction – both of which can be lethal.
Can dogs eat cooked persimmons?
It depends on how the persimmons are cooked.
Seasonings and ingredients such as salt, sugar, spices, herbs, dairy, fat, and oil can harm a dog, so make sure you don’t add such substances to the persimmons if you’re planning to feed them to your pet.
In other words, cooked persimmons should be as plain as possible if your dog is to eat them.
Can dogs eat dried persimmons?
It’s not a good idea to feed dogs dried persimmons as they’re high in sugar. Ingesting surplus sugar can lead to digestive issues, unhealthy weight gain, tooth decay, and sugar addiction. It can also cause more serious long-term problems such as pancreatitis and obesity.
Can dogs eat stale or spoiled persimmons?
Feeding a dog any food that’s going bad or already expired can result in digestive issues such as vomiting and diarrhea. Worse, your pooch may ingest microorganisms capable of causing deadly toxicity.
For such reasons, never give your dog stale or rotting persimmons. Seek veterinary aid in case your dog ingests such food.
Introducing persimmons to your dog
The first time your dog eats persimmons, feed them fewer slices than the recommended amount, then monitor them for problems such as a stomach ache and diarrhea. If the fruit causes your dog no issues, wait a couple of days before giving them slightly more slices.
In the following weeks, keep increasing the number of slices so that their tummy gets used to the food. Once it’s clear persimmons aren’t making them ill, you can start giving them the recommended amount per week.
If your dog exhibits any symptoms of health problems, contact your vet.
Conclusion
While persimmons are nutritious, they can also cause issues if you don’t exercise caution when feeding them to your dog. To ensure no problems occur, remove the fruit’s pits and feed only a few persimmon slices to your pet per week. And remember to ask a vet for advice before introducing this new food to your dog!