Can you tell me about taro? Although you might find it in the grocery store, many people aren’t aware of it. A starchy root vegetable common in southeast Asia.
Besides eddo and dasheen, there are a few other names for it. You may be curious if your dog can eat the taro you just bought. In the following guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this interesting tuber.
Can Dogs Eat Taro?
Never feed your dog any form of the taro plant, including cooked or raw forms. The plant as a whole, from its fleshy roots to its poisonous leaves, is harmful to dogs because it contains calcium oxalate.
Furthermore, taro leaves exude raphides, clusters of needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals, which can puncture your pet’s soft tissues.
If you want to supplement your dog’s diet with healthy foods, but don’t want to feed them taro, try adding in some blueberries or carrots.
Your dog shouldn’t need much human food because it gets everything it needs from dog food.
Nutrition Of Taro
If you’ve never seen a taro root before, its skin is brown and its flesh is white. Small purple seeds can be found in the otherwise white flesh. When cooked, its flavor is mildly sweet, and its texture is comparable to that of a potato or a sweet potato.
The nutrient and fiber content of taro root is high.
Taro tubers are a staple food in many parts of Africa, Oceania, and South Asia. This plant probably was one of the first to be cultivated. In the ornamental plant world, taro is commonly referred to as “elephant ears.”
The leaves and underground corms are the most commonly consumed parts. Corms can be cooked in a variety of ways, including roasting, baking, and boiling. Taro has a sweet, nutty taste because of the natural sugars it contains. Intestinal enzymes quickly break down the starch.
Since the grains are so fine and small, it is commonly used as a baby food. After being boiled twice to remove their acrid flavor, the leaves and stems are edible. Vitamins A and C can be found in good quantities in the leaves. In comparison to taro tubers, they are a more substantial source of protein.
Raw taro is poisonous due to the calcium oxalate and needle-shaped raphides it contains. Cooking or soaking the taro in cold water for a night eliminates the toxins and makes it edible.
Peeled and boiled taro is sometimes packaged and sold as a frozen or canned food item.
The long history of taro’s cultivation suggests that it must have some useful nutritional properties.
Taro has almost no sodium, cholesterol, or saturated fat once it’s been cooked. Fiber, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), vitamin B6, and manganese are all plentiful in it. Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and copper are all present in healthy amounts.
The macronutrient breakdown of taro is as follows: 98% carbohydrates, 1% fat, and 1% protein. It’s possible to get 187 calories from a cup of cooked taro.
There are 45.7 g of carbs in it, with 6.7 g coming from sugar. There are 6.7% dietary fiber in it. It has only 0.7g of protein and 0.1g of fat.
Some of the vitamins and minerals in a typical North American diet can be supplemented by eating taro. The two types of carbohydrates it contains are beneficial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, despite the fact that it is a starchy vegetable. Both fiber and resistant starch can be found in this. The dietary fiber content of taro root is significantly higher than that of potatoes.
Humans are unable to metabolize fiber because it is a complex carbohydrate. It doesn’t raise or lower blood sugar levels because it’s not absorbed. In addition, fiber aids in the regulation of the digestion of all carbohydrates. That’s significant because it means it can help keep blood sugar levels steady after meals.
Another type of starch that has no effect on blood sugar levels is resistant starch. Taro root contains a type of starch called resistant starch, and it makes up about 12% of the root’s total starch content. The presence of this starch makes it a useful food source.
You can lower your risk of heart disease by eating more fiber and resistant starch. Weight loss may also be aided by resistant starch and fiber. Additionally, the microbes and good bacteria in your gut may benefit from the fibers.
Plant compounds called polyphenols, found in taro root, may help lower cancer risk.
Quercetin is one type of polyphenol that has been shown in some research to be effective against cancer cells. Similarly potent to other antioxidants is quercetin.
Hazards of Feeding Your Dog Taro
Canine taro consumption is linked to a number of health problems due to the presence of insoluble calcium oxalates, which are not metabolized by dogs. Other health problems that can arise from feeding taro to dogs include:
1.Rarely, after consuming taro, a dog may experience difficulty breathing or swallowing due to swelling of the upper airways.
2.Too much taro, or any other human food, can cause a bowel obstruction in a dog.
3.The majority of kidney stones in humans are composed of calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause serious damage to the kidneys. Dogs are just as susceptible to experiencing kidney stones and other organ damage as humans are.
4.The delicate digestive system of a dog can be easily upset by eating taro, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
What to Do If Your Dog Has Eaten Taro
The severity of your dog’s reaction to eating taro depends on many factors, including the amount eaten and the dog’s size. If your dog eats taro-based treats like ice cream, chips, or root, you should take the following precautions:
1.Find the proof. Don’t panic if you think your dog may have accidentally eaten some taro; just take a look around to see what happened. For an idea of how much taro was eaten, look for ripped packaging, a mess, or any leftovers. Having this data will aid veterinarians in making an accurate diagnosis.
2.Get in touch with a poison control center or your pet’s veterinarian. If you think your dog has eaten taro, don’t hesitate to contact your vet.
You can count on them for instant guidance and direction. Furthermore, the ASPCA Animal Control Center Helpline and the Pet Poison Helpline are both excellent options for information on pet poisoning.
3.Taro poisoning is a possibility, so keep an eye out for any signs. Taro poisoning causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, weakness, irritated eyes, burned skin, dehydration, and seizures. A paw at the mouth or eyes is a sure sign that your dog is experiencing discomfort.
4.You should take your pet to the vet. Seek veterinary care if your dog exhibits any negative effects or signs of an allergic reaction (such as itching or pawing at the mouth).
Activated charcoal may be used to induce vomiting, and the animal hospital staff may give the pet fluids to help the kidneys function normally again. Your dog may be given medication and kept in for observation overnight.
How much taro can you give your dog?
Do not feed your dog taro, especially uncooked taro. Multiple reports have indicated that feeding taro to canines is not a good idea.
Talk to your vet before feeding your dog taro (or eddoes). It’s important to make sure any taro or eddoes your dog gets are fully cooked. Do not feed your dog the leaves or stems; instead, use only the corm or root.
How often can you give your dog taro?
Once again, many websites state that taro is dangerous for canines. Eddoes, which is another name for taro root, is said to be beneficial for canines by a different set of authors.
If you want to know more about taro or eddoes, you should consult your veterinarian.
Conclusion
Because it is high in calcium oxalates, the nutrient-rich taro root needs to be cooked before it can be consumed.
Spinach, almonds, potatoes, beets, navy beans, rhubarb, rasberries, and raspberries are just some of the many vegetables that are rich in calcium oxalates. Taro root oxaltes are destroyed by heat during cooking, making it suitable for human consumption.
Several websites warn that taro is bad for dogs because of the calcium oxalates in it, while others say that taro, under its other names, is actually beneficial to canines. It is not a good idea to feed your dog taro leaves or stems under any circumstances.
Before feeding your dog any cooked taro, make sure to consult with your vet. We were unable to locate any veterinary resources indicating that taro root, once cooked, is not toxic to dogs; however, it is best to err on the side of caution.