Summer Fruit and Vegetables Your Dog Can Eat

With summer’s approach smack on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to add some of the fresh, seasonal fruit and veggies you’re enjoying to your dog’s diet routine as well. Summer fruit and vegetables your dog can eat are the snacks with benefits, having lower calories, and more vitamins and nutrients than many commercially available dog treats.

A few words about health and safety

If eating fruit and vegetables are new to your dog, the extra fiber may be unsettling to their digestive system. Take it slow. Add only one item to your dog’s diet at a time, so you can see how it settles with their system. As with any treat, moderation is key, even with fruit and veggies. Whether commercially purchased, or fresh from the garden, treats should never make up more than 10% of your dog’s diet.

Go fresh with seasonal fruit and and veggies. Canned fruit often has added sugar, while canned veggies tend to be high in salt. You’ll want to avoid added sugar and salt if you’re sharing with your pup.

Always remove the core, seeds, pit, rind, etc. Whether it has toxic components, or poses a choking, or intestinal blockage hazard to your dog, never give your dog a whole fruit or vegetable without removing the parts that can harm your pet first.

Be sure to wash produce before giving it to your dog, just as you would for yourself. And make sure to cut into pieces to suit the size of your dog. If you have any concerns about what fruits and vegetable are safe for your dog’s specific conditions, consult with your trusted veterinarian.

What summer fruit can dogs eat?

Bring on the berries! Fresh blueberries and strawberries are readily available this time of year. Full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, both of these berries are a safe treat for your dog. Blueberries make an excellent whole food stand-in for training treats. And strawberries contain the enzyme malic acid, which can whiten your dog’s teeth, as well as your own.

Watermelon is my favorite fruit of the summer, and it’s perfect for sharing with your pup. Low in calories and high in Vitamin C, watermelon is 92% water. Hello hydration on those dog days of summer! Seedless watermelon varieties are safest for your dog, as you only have to worry about removing the rind. Other nutritious and high water content melons to share with your dog are cantaloupe and honeydew.

The flesh of summer stone fruit like peaches and nectarines are safe for dogs to enjoy. These fruits are high in vitamins A and C, benefitting both your dog’s vision and immune response. It should go without saying but let me say it again: The key to stone fruit safety for your dog is removing the stone, or pit. The pit is not only toxic, but it poses a choking hazard, and an intestinal blockage hazard for your dog.

There are also tropical fruits which are safe for your dog to enjoy in moderation. Mango, also a stone fruit, is another vitamin A and C powerhouse. It’s also high in fiber, as is the papaya, which I’ve relied on for years whenever I have a pup suffering from constipation.

don’t forget your veggies

Adding summer vegetables to your dog’s snack routine is another nutritious choice. My girls love zucchini and summer squash, and also carrots. They are always willing to “help” with dinner if it means they might snag a crunchy snack in the process.

Cucumbers and green beans are other healthy summer veggies that make great snacks for your dog. I like to keep a bag of haricot vert on hand as a low calorie snack for the girls. You know, because these affluent dogs are fancy like that! 😂

With summer comes fresh summer salads, and there are a some leafy greens that are safe for your dog to share (before the toppings and dressing, of course). Romaine, iceberg, and even arugula are all safe for you dog to enjoy. Brussels sprouts and cabbage, while completely safe for your dog, can cause gas, so you’ll probably want to avoid sharing these.

Another word of caution: Spinach and kale are not great choices to share with your dog. Both of these greens are high in oxalic acid, which blocks calcium absorption and can lead to kidney and bladder stones. A leaf or two here and there are probably low risk, but it’s best to choose another vegetable.

Will my dog eat fruits and vegetables?

Not all dogs are willing to eat their fruits and veggies. Lemon, like her predecessors, does not discriminate when it comes to new snacks. Olive was a little more skeptical. Seeing that Lemon was enjoying made her want to try new things, but you could tell the texture was not always something she expected! I found if I talked to her excitedly about the “Yummy zucchini! Oh we’re having zucchini! It’s so good!” she would cautiously chew it and get it down. Now she enjoys fruit and veggie snacks just like Lemon, and Ruby has just followed the pack and takes whatever is being doled out.

Does your dog enjoy summer fruits and veggies? Tell me their favorite fresh snacks in the comments below.

You might also enjoy:

• Stuff some of those summer fruit and veggies into your West Paw Toppl Treat Toy
• Check out American Kennel Club’s recommendations on Fruits and Vegetables Dogs Can or Can’t Eat