Soft, squishy and scrumptious beyond belief, the banana is a fantastic fruit to feed to your four-legged friend. Like coconut and papaya, this tropical treat is packed with heaps of healthy and wholesome goodness and some bananas a day can help support your dog’s health and wellbeing in super ways.
Since our launch, our peanut butter and banana healthy bites and dental sticks are one of our best-selling treats so we thought it best to highlight all the brilliant benefits bananas have to offer. Mashed, sliced, frozen or dehydrated, banana is a great treat to keep your canine companion happy and healthy all year around.
Can dogs eat Banana safely?
As one of the sweetest fruits Mother Nature has to offer, banana has been synonymous with sugary desserts for centuries. From banoffee pie to banana splits, this tropical fruit must be fed to dogs in moderation as overconsumption can lead to weight gain due to its sugary content.
High in fibre, giving your dog too much banana can cause a little gastrointestinal upset such as loose stools and excessive flatulence so it is best to stick to the recommended amount of two to three pieces for smaller dogs and half a banana for larger dogs per day.
Can dogs eat Banana peels?
Like many tropical fruits such as coconuts and pineapples, it is advised to just feed your dog the flesh rather than the peel or outer skin. Although banana peel is not toxic for our furry friends, banana peel can cause intestinal blockages as it is extremely difficult for our dogs to digest. It is vital to never just give a whole unpeeled banana to your dog and prepare properly for them to reap the brilliant benefits.
If you believe your dog has ingested banana peel, it is best to give your vet a call depending on how much banana peel your dog has eaten, their vet may prescribe something to induce vomiting or diarrhoea in your dog to make sure the peel is released from the digestive tract. However, your dog has consumed a lot, so it is best to seek veterinary advice immediately.
Benefits of Banana for Dogs
Like many fruits, bananas are brilliantly beneficial when added to your dog’s daily diet. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, bananas are a great way of keeping an eye on your dog’s immune, digestive and muscle health. So, adding a little banana to your dog's food or replacing their treats with bananas can help support them in the following ways.
Support a Healthy Digestion
Packed with pawfuls of fabulous fibre, bananas are great at keeping your dog’s digestive system working exactly as it should. Helping to push out any built-up toxins and nastiness in their colon, the high fibre content keeps their bowel movements regular meaning the less likelihood of developing problems like constipation.
Adding healthy amounts of fibre to your dog’s diet ensures you maintain a good digestive system aiding in weight management, and cholesterol levels and even helping to fight off issues like diabetes.
Maintain Healthy Muscles
Bananas are full of potassium which is great for managing your dog’s muscle health. As we know, as dogs grow older, their muscle mass depletes and their bones and joints are more susceptible to problems with arthritis. As bananas are a great treat for older dogs due to being low in calories, their potassium levels are an added bonus for keeping our golden oldies fighting fitter for longer.
Provide Immune Support
Containing vitamins like C and B6, bananas can be a great way of supporting your dog’s immune health keeping nasty bugs and bacteria at bay.
How to give Banana to your dog
Want to give a banana to your dog but unsure of how to prepare it? Well, giving your dog a banana is much easier than you think. Simply peel, cut into halves (for larger dogs) or 3 pieces (for smaller dogs) and mash with a fork or masher and spoon onto their food or serve on a lickimatt.
Combine with Peanut Butter
Known for their classic combination, peanut butter and banana have become a worldwide duo in the dog food world. Our dogs love peanut butter and banana so much - it would be hard to find a pet store that doesn’t stock at least one treat that contains this classic combo. Add a teaspoon of peanut butter to your banana for a tasty treat that your dog will love repeatedly.
Add to a Kong Treat
When it comes to treating our pet, giving them a scrumptious snack whilst providing mental stimulation helps to keep your pet active without them gulping down calories with little effort. Adding mashed banana into treat chews like Kong fillable chews is a wonderful way of making your pet earn their ravishing reward. For a treat that lasts a little longer, try freezing after stuffing it into their Kong way.
Treat them with Plant & Paws
Here at Plant & Paws, we understand that sometimes simple is the most scrumptious so we have the best way of feeding bananas to your four-legged friend. Combined with peanut butter, our banana dental sticks and healthy bites are a wonderful way to give this tropical treat to your furry friend.
Low-in calorie, grain-free and suitable for puppies, adult and senior dogs, our range of banana-based snacks is the best way to reward your dog. As mentioned before, our healthy bites are low-in-fat and at just 3 calories per healthy bite, they are a terrific treat if your dog needs to lose weight or you simply need to watch what they eat.
Treat your Dog to All-Natural Banana Treats
Whether they are mashed, pureed, fresh or frozen, bananas are a great treat for your four-legged friend. Here at Plant & Paws, we understand how great a banana is for your dog. We crammed it into our range of healthy bites and dental sticks which have become one of our best-selling treats.
So, if your dog is a fan of this wonky yellow wonder, then bag them some bananas today and give your dog a whole bunch of banana brilliance.