Can dogs eat blueberries?

Fruit and vegetables are not only important for us, our animals should also receive a sufficient portion for their vitamin balance. However, our dogs are not allowed to eat many types of fruit and vegetables as they can be poisonous for our four-legged friends. In this article, we take a closer look at blueberries and answer the question: Can dogs eat blueberries?

Dangerous or healthy for dogs? Blueberries as a snack

Blueberries, also better known as bilberries, are not only healthy for dogs, but also particularly nutritious. They provide dogs with lots of vitamins and other important nutrients. Blueberries for dogs are so popular and proven in the diet that they are even added to dog food. They contain lots of fiber, which aids digestion and even helps with gastrointestinal problems.

Due to their low calorie content, blueberries can be given to dogs as a treat between meals, but they can also be added pureed to their food.

But can dogs also eat blueberries if they have diabetes? This is another advantage of blueberries: They are low in sugar and can therefore also be snacked on occasion by dogs with diabetes. If you want to play it safe with your dog's diabetes diet, we recommend that you contact our veterinary practitioners and animal nutritionists. They can help you with the composition of the right nutrients.

Can dogs eat blueberries to boost their immune system?

Blueberries are particularly well-known and popular for their high vitamin C content. Vitamin C is involved in many of the body's own processes and is particularly essential for a strong immune system. The vitamin combats oxidative stress by binding free radicals and thus counteracting the ageing process.

But vitamin C does more than just strengthen the immune system in dogs: it influences the absorption of iron in the dog's body and removes toxic heavy metals. It also plays an important role in relieving inflammation in dogs. Dogs can usually synthesize vitamin C themselves from the liver.

But can dogs eat blueberries if they have health problems? Due to the numerous nutrients, dogs should eat blueberries especially if they have health problems. This is because the body's own vitamin C production can be disrupted by illness or health problems. The liver can then no longer produce vitamin C from glucose and a deficiency of this vitamin occurs. Wound healing disorders in dogs also indicate that there is a vitamin C deficiency.

Alternatives to blueberries for dogs

Rosehips are definitely a good alternative to blueberries for dogs. These fruits come from the rose family and can be fed to dogs as a whole fruit or, even better, as a powder. In contrast to blueberries, rosehips and rosehip powder for dogs contain a significantly higher amount of vitamin C, and even more than lemons.

If you want to spice up your four-legged friend's vitamin C content, which is particularly useful in the cold season, you should definitely reach for rosehip powder for dogs. The powder can easily be added to wet food or to the BARF portion. For dogs that are fed dry food, the rosehip powder can be mixed into a small portion of yogurt, quark or similar and given to the dog in addition.

Blueberry muffins for dogs

Ingredients:

• 150 g buckwheat flour
• 100 g coconut flour
• 150 g pureed blueberries
• 150 g quark
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp rosehip powder
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• water as required
• Muffin tins

1. Mix the buckwheat flour and coconut flour.
2. Mix the puréed blueberries and quark together
3. Add the quark and blueberry mixture to the flour mixture and stir together
4. Beat the egg until frothy and stir into the batter until smooth. Add the rosehip powder and coconut oil.
5. Pour into muffin tins. But be careful not to overfill the tins.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees top/bottom heat.