Are Carrots Good for Dogs?

Using carrots as a treat or dietary supplement for dogs seems to be very much in fashion, yet it isn't quite the miracle vegetable it appears to be, or that some would have us believe.

While it's true that carrots do offer certain benefits, it's equally true that they can pose a danger. Let's look in detail at what benefits they bring our dog, what amounts we should use and when.

Carrot as a Food: Is It Good for Dogs?

The carrot, or Daucus carota, is a tuber widely used in Mediterranean cooking. We humans are used to eating it raw, grilled, boiled and, of course, as part of stews.

Its nutritional composition is:

• 87.8% water.
• 7% carbohydrates.
• 2.6% fibre.
• Less than 1% fat and protein, among which are B-group vitamins, vitamin A (which we'll come to later) and vitamin E.

What Is Carrot For in a Dog's Diet?

It's a recurring item on the ingredient lists of kibbles and formulations of every kind. One quality that makes it extremely interesting is the very reason it's orange: its large amount of beta-carotene (in fact, the plant's scientific name is Daucus carota), or provitamin A. This molecule splits into two molecules of vitamin A, which is why it has always been a good source of this nutrient.

On the other hand, it has a significant amount of fibre. Although 2.6% may seem little, if you take that percentage without the moisture (dry matter) it rises to 21%. And finally, it's an interesting source of carbohydrates. How digestible these are depends on how well cooked it is: given raw, they're indigestible. But cooked, they're highly digestible. In the next section we'll look at how to serve this food according to the qualities you're after.

How Much Carrot Can a Dog Eat?

Depending on the benefits you want from this wholesome, healthy vegetable, you'll need to give it raw or cooked, peeled or with the skin on. Always clean, and with the ends cut off (both the top and the tip).

Should You Give Raw Carrots to Dogs?

In this case the carrot will be a very indigestible, hard food. With the skin on it will have its full fibre content, and being raw its carbohydrates will be poorly digestible. For dogs with diarrhoea it will be completely inadvisable, since the indigestibility will speed up gut transit and make the condition worse.

For dogs with compromised dental health (periodontal disease or missing teeth) it isn't recommended either, because its hardness will make chewing painful and could worsen the animal's condition.

Paradoxically, in a healthy dog this hard texture can help its dental health, as does eating other foods of this kind (hard ones), although this property hasn't been fully demonstrated.

On the other hand, for constipated dogs it can be a useful help, but always given in small amounts and well chopped, since we have to prevent excessive fermentation in the gut. In general, for healthy dogs it can be a very worthwhile occasional snack.

Is It Better to Cook Carrots for Dogs?

This time the food changes. Given the long cooking time, its carbohydrates are tremendously digestible (boiled they'll be more edible than grilled or pan-seared). On top of that, this gives it a slightly sweet flavour that dogs tend to love.

One problem with this is that the increased digestibility will also make it more likely to spoil, as with any cooked vegetable. So we need to fall back on common sense as far as food handling goes and serve it as soon as possible once cooked.

Beneficial Properties of Carrots for Dogs

Carrots are a vegetable containing a great many vitamins, minerals and carotenes. They're very healthy for humans, dogs and other animals alike.

One very interesting quality is their effect against diarrhoea in babies only a few months old (human ones). There's a study of more than 400 cases with very good results after giving the juice of this vegetable. It was cooked and peeled, obviously. There's also plenty of information on this property in dogs when combined with other foods such as rice, which makes them a very worthwhile option for putting together a bland diet.

The Dangers of Carrots

As long as the guidance given here is followed, eating this food poses no danger. The most predictable consequences of mistakes in how it's served are:

1. Diarrhoea: From eating too much.
2. Dental pain: From eating it raw in animals not up to it.
3. Constipation: Excessive use of the cooked product.
4. Choking: Serving pieces that are too big.