Can dogs eat papaya?

You know, that super sweet orange looking fruit that you first tried during your first Mexican holidays? Well, it is is present in nearly all our supermarkets, fresh or frozen.

By now, a lot of us have tried it because of its appetizing looking flesh and no doubt it is part of any vegetarians or vegans balanced diets.

But, what about dogs? is it safe for dogs to eat papaya? Will papaya hurt dogs?

If you haven’t read our post on our home page where we explain what we mean by eat in can dogs eat? we recommend you check it out.

If you don’t want to read the techy stuff, go straight to our conclusion
FAQ

What is papaya?

A papaya is what we usually call the fruit of the papaya tree, native from Mexico and Central America, nowadays cultivated throughout the tropical world according to Britannia Encyclopedia. We eat papaya when they feel soft (ripe), and its skin is slightly amber or orange. The papaya contains lots of small black seeds. 

Papayas are found in nearly all supermarket either fresh or frozen. It is also available as a processed food in ice cream, canned, juice or dried, always without skin and their seeds.

The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, but not raw due to its poisonous latex content. However, it is possible that even when ate cooked it causes some allergic reactions.

What kind of vitamins and nutrients do dogs need?

A dog’s nutritional needs are different than ours, obviously. However, like us, the right amount and combination of vitamins and nutrients are essential to ensure that dogs are healthy.

Vitamins are organic substances that the body needs to grow naturally. Typically, they are required in dog food in minimal amounts, and vitamin deficiencies can cause many health problems.

The most important vitamins that the dog’s body needs are:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B family
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Choline

Whereas for nutrients, they need:

• Calcium and phosphorus
• Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Zinc
• Copper
• Selenium

For more details information on each of those vitamins’ benefit to your dog read this great article by the national academy of science engineering medicine

Nutritional benefit of papaya’s to a dog’s diet?

So, how good are papayas for dogs? You could read the complete analysis of 100g of raw papaya carried out by the US Department of Agriculture. Alternatively, here is the summary table which is available on wikipedia .

Papaya are filled with nutrients that are useful for a dog’s overall health, growth, and development. They are loaded with all the nutrients dogs need, except for vitamin D and copper and selenium.

Papayas are rich in dietary fiber too which helps with the regulation of the digestive system and weight management. However, since this fruit isn’t a natural part of a dog’s diet, too much of the fruit’s sugar or fiber will cause digestive upset. Obviously, if your dog is diabetic, don’t feed him papayas.

Finally, like most fruits with seeds, papaya contain a substance which when ingested turns into cyanide. Furthermore, if your dog eats those seeds his intestines could become blocked.

How do you prepare papaya?

As we said above, do not feed your dog unripe green papaya raw. In fact, better avoiding that altogether. Similarly, better not give your dog a ripe whole papaya.

Preparing a papaya is very quick, simply cut it open, remove all its seeds, peel it off and cut it in chunks.

You can then feed your dog those chunks fresh or frozen as papaya freezes really well without any damages.

You can even dry them up and feed them later, as compared to fresh ones, they contains by weight up to 3.5 times the fiber, vitamins and minerals of fresh fruit. However make sure your dog has a bowl of water handy to avoid dehydration.

Can dogs eat papaya?

Yes, Dogs can eat papaya, however you should watch out for any signs of latex allergy.

You will see signs around the face, groin, under the front legs, or between the toes. Watch out for bald patches, blister like cuts, coughing, vomiting, obsessive licking and wheezing sounds.

So, if you are planning to give your dog papaya anytime soon, remember to give a small amount first and observe his reactions. It is always better to introduce new food in small portion, at long intervals.

Also, it might be good for you to mention to your vet that you are giving him papaya as a precaution in case your dog shows sign of health issues.

For a healthy and happy dog make sure you feed him with the right products designed for his breed, age group and general activity and don’t substitute his present nutrition with something else altogether. .

Ultimately, your dog health and well-being is very important and rushing him to the vet could not only be heart breaking but also extremely expensive. If you do not have an insurance for your dog, maybe it is worth considering it.

FAQ

1 – can dogs eat papaya? yes but you should remove all seeds first. Also make sure to check for any signs of allergy. Papaya contains latex.

2 – papaya for dogs?  Yes but you should remove all seeds first. Also make sure to check for any signs of allergy. Papaya contains latex.