Can Dogs Eat Lemons for Health Benefits?
Lemons are not very healthy fruits for dogs. Though the vitamins they contain are a vital part of your dog’s diet, they also have plant compounds that can be highly toxic if consumed in large quantities—and your dog would have to eat a lot of lemons to gain any health benefits from them.
Though lemons themselves are not a good idea, they contain vitamins that your dog needs, including vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and calcium. Make sure your dog gets enough of these vitamins from other safe foods, including healthy dog food and pup-friendly fruits.
A good citrus alternative for dogs is oranges. Oranges are safe for dogs in appropriate quantities. They are much lower in citric acid and bitter plant compounds, but your dog still might not be interested. If they are, make sure you give your pup oranges only as an occasional treat, since they are high in sugar and do contain citric acid. Don’t feed them the peel, as this has the highest concentration of essential oils and can cause stomach upset.
Health Concerns Of Lemons for Dogs
As we’ve mentioned, your dog is highly unlikely to try to eat lemons. Their reaction to bitter tastes is an evolutionary development that reduces their risk of ingesting poisonous foods. But if your dog does get hold of a lemon and for some reason eats a significant amount of it, here is what you should know.
Lemons are high in essential oils and plant compounds known as psoralens. These can be toxic if consumed in large quantities. They are found in the rind of the lemon, not the fruit, so if your dog licks up a bit of lemon juice, there is no cause for concern.
Large quantities of lemon juice can also be harmful, however, since it contains high levels of citric acid. Dogs are extremely sensitive to this and it can cause gastric upset.
If your dog eats lemon skin or rind, you should call your vet and monitor them for signs of poisoning. These compounds are extremely difficult for dogs to digest, so you might notice your pup might get sick almost immediately. Minor poisoning from citrus fruits will manifest as gastrointestinal distress, including diarrhea and vomiting.
In severe cases, your dog might suffer from: poor circulation, lethargy, sensitivity to light, drooling, skin irritation, low blood pressure, panting, fur on end, difficulty standing or walking, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, collapsing, if extreme cases go untreated, even death.
Although these symptoms are frightening and should be addressed immediately with an emergency veterinarian, remember that they’re rare. Dogs dislike citrus for a reason, and they rarely try to eat it, especially not in large quantities.
If your dog does happen to eat more than a small amount of lemon, do the following:
Consisting mostly of water, these cheery, sour yellow fruits are a great source of vitamin C. Lemons are low in calories and contain potassium, antioxidants and dietary fiber. And while these health benefits are great for people, dogs who are eating a balanced diet get all the nutrients they need and do not need to eat lemons for the health benefits.
Lemons contain citric acid which in large quantities can be too much for your dog’s digestive system. Eating too much lemon can cause upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea. Though most dogs will likely not seek out lemons to eat, it’s a good idea to keep lemons out of reach from pups that will eat anything.
Though lemons aren’t particularly necessary for dogs to eat, they are great at repelling fleas and ticks. Lemon juice is a common ingredient in all-natural and homemade pest repellents for dogs and cats because it can keep bugs away without the use of toxic chemicals. Though lemon spray doesn’t kill bugs, it is thought that the scent works as a disguise to bugs that are attracted to certain smells, like your pet’s exhaled breath.
Stacy has always been an animal lover and has worked in the pet industry and pet insurance specifically for over a decade. As a writer since early childhood, content writing for Healthy Paws pet insurance was a natural career path to combine her two passions. She currently lives in Florida with her boyfriend and Taiwanese rescue dog, Kaya.
Can Dogs Eat Lemon? | Side Effects of Lemon For Dogs
Lemons are a type of citrus fruit that has an intensely sour flavor. This fruit is generally not eaten as is because of its strong taste but is instead used in combination with spices and herbs in cooking, or in desserts and drinks. But can dogs eat lemons, or are lemons bad for dogs?
If youve been wondering, “can dogs have lemon,” the answer is – YES, dogs can eat lemons technically because in very small amounts theyre not toxic to them. However, because of how acidic this fruit it, only extremely small amount of lemon (or lemon juice itself) can be given to dogs. Also, we should question whether lemons are even needed for dogs and if theres any reason to give dog a lemon to eat.
Lemons is a nutritionally powerful fruit and provides many health benefits for people. But the amounts in which can dogs have lemons differ significantly, and in this article well look at what happens when dog eats lemon whole, are lemons bad for dogs in any instance, can dogs eat lemons on a regular basis and more.