Can Dogs Eat Watermelons? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

Watermelon pieces can make a great healthy treat for dogs on a hot summer day. Most dogs can eat watermelon safely but with some precautions.

Benefits of Watermelon for Dogs

Watermelons can offer a number of benefits to dogs. First, eating watermelon pieces is a great way for dogs to stay hydrated. This is really useful for dogs that don’t like to drink water as much as they should. According to research, a single bite of watermelon can contain about 92% water!

Another benefit is the nutrients. Watermelons are packed with nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and magnesium. Dogs should already be getting most of their necessary nutrients from the regular dog food but it doesn’t hurt to supplement their diet further with fruit-based nutrients.

Last but not least, watermelons are also packed with antioxidants, which play an important role in preventing or slowing down damage to cells caused by free radicals. Do note, however, that watermelons contain a decent amount of sugar (one bite of watermelon is about 6% sugar) so it’s important to not let a dog eat more than a few pieces per day.

How to Safely Feed Watermelon to Dogs

Don’t just hand over a watermelon to a dog. In addition to slicing the watermelon into smaller pieces, there are a few additional preparation steps involved in order to make it safe for a dog to eat watermelon. First, make sure you cut out and discard the watermelon rind. They have a tough texture and can cause intestinal blockage if the dog accidentally swallows a large piece.

The watermelon seeds should also be taken out. They can also be an intestinal blockage hazard, especially for smaller dogs. If you don’t want your dog to suffer from stomach pains after eating watermelon then it’s important to take the above preparation steps.

If you would like, it will be perfectly fine to let your dog eat frozen watermelon pieces. Your dog is sure to appreciate the frozen treat when the weather is hot. As stated earlier, just make sure you aren’t giving your dog more than a few pieces per day. Dogs that eat too many pieces of watermelon in one sitting may end up with temporary digestive problems. The same applies to other sweet fruits like figs.

Want to know what other fruits and vegetables dogs can and cannot eat? Our human food database has it covered. You can check a list of over 100 human food items and see if it’s safe for dogs to eat.