If you’re a serious gardener, you probably have a rhubarb plant in your plot to add visual interest and flavor to your harvest.
It’s possible that your dog is sniffing around the flower beds and has even tried to nibble on some rhubarb. Meanwhile, you’re probably eating a stalk with some sugar and getting puppy dog eyes from your furry friend.
If your dog eats a rhubarb plant, should you be concerned? Can dogs safely consume rhubarb? Find out if Fido can chow down on this vegetable with our helpful guide.
Can dogs eat rhubarb?
Ideally, a dog shouldn’t eat rhubarb because it is mildly toxic to pets. The sour and sharp flavor of rhubarb is fortunately off-putting to most of our furry friends, so they usually won’t eat it even if you offer it to them.
Both humans and canines should avoid eating rhubarb leaves and other parts of the plant.
If your dog accidentally ingests rhubarb leaves, they may experience stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other symptoms like drooling and lethargy.
On the other hand, humans only consume the plant’s stalks and stems. (We can’t eat the plant either; doing so would make us very ill.) Is it true that our furry friends can safely consume the edible stem?
No, not really, to repeat. Sure, the stems aren’t nearly as toxic as the leaves, so they’re a better choice for them to eat. Some dogs may even eat a little bit of stalk and act fine, or experience mild gastrointestinal distress.
If your dog accidentally consumes some rhubarb, monitor its behavior for any signs of illness and rush it to the vet if necessary.
Can dogs eat raw rhubarb?
Having said that, rhubarb in its raw form is not safe for canine consumption. Even though it’s made entirely of natural ingredients and contains no artificial anything, this isn’t the best snack option for your dog. They may experience stomach pain and other GI distress from eating raw rhubarb.
Can dogs eat cooked rhubarb?
However, unlike most other foods, rhubarb is not made safer or more palatable by cooking. In the same way that raw rhubarb can make your dog sick, cooked rhubarb will do the same.
In addition, in order to make rhubarb more palatable, we usually cook it with a lot of sugar, and refined sugar is bad for dogs.
Overconsumption of sugar has been linked to a variety of negative health effects, including irritability, hyperactivity, tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes.
Dogs and lemons don’t get along, and so do rhubarb and lemon juice (a favorite combination in the human world).
Rhubarb is also commonly made into delicious baked goods like pies and crumbles, but you shouldn’t feed them to your dog because they contain too much sugar and spices.
Can dogs eat rhubarb yoghurt?
Due to the low concentration of the purple vegetable, rhubarb yoghurt is safer to consume than a raw rhubarb stem. Plus, yoghurt is a popular dog treat and makes a luscious, lickable Kong stuffing.
The concentrated lemon juice found in almost all rhubarb yoghurts, however, can make a dog sick. Though a small amount be fine for your dog, you shouldn’t give it to them by the spoonful.
Rhubarb yoghurt, like most other kinds of yogurt, contains a fair amount of sugar. Although sugar won’t kill your dog, it should be given to them in moderation. Dogs, like humans, suffer from the effects of consuming too much sugar.
As was previously mentioned, if a dog regularly consumes sugary foods, he or she may become overactive, gain weight, experience dental issues, and even develop diabetes.
Dogs, being much smaller than humans, have much lower calorie and sugar needs.
When given as part of your dog’s regular diet, even a small amount of sugary treats can quickly add up, so it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes and limit them to special occasions.
If you’re looking for a sugar-free yoghurt, make sure to read the label to see if it contains any added sugar.
Yogurt sweetened with xylitol, or with an unnamed sweetener that you can’t identify, is extremely poisonous to dogs.
Is rhubarb good for dogs?
Rhubarb is not particularly healthy despite being a vegetable and a source of vitamins and minerals.
The stalks contain a respectable amount of vitamin K1 and calcium, but the calcium is in oxalate form and is therefore poorly absorbed by your dog. In fact, as we’ll see in the following section, it can do more harm than good in some situations.
The ability of your dog’s blood to clot normally depends on a steady supply of vitamin K1. Contrasted with other foods like broccoli, kale, and beef liver, the amounts in rhubarb are extremely low.
Vitamin K content is highest in pork and chicken, but rhubarb comes in last. (And I bet they smell and taste better to your dog!)
If your dog consumes rhubarb, it could make them sick. Because of the limited nutritional value of this vegetable, I would not recommend it to dogs. They could be snacking on something far more nutritious and appetizing.
Rhubarb Health Benefits
Although the rhubarb plant used in pies is good for humans, canines shouldn’t eat it. A good precaution would be to keep dogs away from it.
The leaves of the rhubarb plant are high in fiber and contain vitamin C. The magnesium and vitamin B6 in rhubarb greens make them a healthy addition to any diet. This tasty fruit is good for humans but can be harmful to canines.
Is rhubarb toxic to dogs?
Rhubarb has a low to moderate toxicity level, so it can be safely fed to dogs and cats. The irritant calcium oxalate crystals in rhubarb are to blame.
This chemical has the potential to aggravate your dog’s oral mucosa, leading to discomfort and swelling, as well as wreaking havoc on his or her digestive tract, kidneys, and urinary system.
Crystals of oxalate can aggregate to form kidney or bladder stones. Dogs frequently develop calcium oxalate kidney and bladder stones.
If your dog has experienced kidney or bladder stones in the past, they should be put on a special diet to help prevent the problem from reoccurring, and you can help by keeping oxalate-rich foods like rhubarb and spinach out of their diet.
Overconsumption of rhubarb, along with other foods and plants high in calcium oxalates, can lead to kidney failure and even death in some people.
The rhubarb plant as a whole has crystals, but the stems have significantly fewer. This explains why some dogs seem completely fine after eating a small amount of rhubarb stem.
Leaves are toxic to both humans and dogs due to the high concentration of crystals they contain.
The following symptoms may appear if your dog consumes rhubarb:
- Drooling too much
- Variations in the frequency with which one needs to go to the bathroom to relieve themselves
- Having trouble eating
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Wide-open eyes
- Urine with a reddish or bloody tint
- Ataxia
- Tremors
These nasty crystals can irritate your dog’s skin in addition to its digestive tract.
Itching and irritation can result from your dog rubbing up against a rhubarb plant, especially if the plant is damaged and leaking sap.
If your dog has jumped through some rhubarb plants and now seems scratchy and uncomfortable, a warm bath may help.
You should protect your rhubarb plants from nosy snouts by planting them in a spot where they can’t reach the leaves, if you’re planning on growing them.
Hazards of rhubarb
The rhubarb leaves are extremely poisonous, in contrast to the relatively harmless stalks. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous because they have oxalic acid and soluble calcium oxalate crystals.
Most pets won’t eat enough of the bitter leaves to get sick, and large grazing animals are the most common victims of toxicity.
If you or a neighbor cultivate rhubarb in a garden that your pet can easily access, you should be aware of the plant’s potential toxicity.
When soluble oxalate salts are ingested, they attract and bind to calcium, preventing it from being absorbed into the body. Kidney failure can develop from chronically low blood calcium levels.
Consult a vet right away if you think your pet has eaten rhubarb leaves. Maintain Insurer for the treatment of petson your dog so you can get medical help if he or she eats something poisonous.
Side effects of consuming too much rhubarb include:
- Drooling
- Appetite loss
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Tremors
- Blood in the void
- Alterations in the Urinary System
Recap: Can dogs have rhubarb?
Rhubarb can make your dog sick and doesn’t provide much in the way of nutrition, so don’t give it to them. Even if you offer rhubarb to your dog, they likely won’t eat it because of its sour flavor.
Nonetheless, there are some canines that can eat a tiny bit of rhubarb stem and appear to be completely fine. The stem, unlike other parts of the plant, can be consumed without fear of illness. However, your dog should never eat the leaves or any other part of a rhubarb plant.
Feed your dog a complete and balanced meal, bursting with wholesome nutrition, like Pure, instead of rhubarb, which isn’t nutritious and can be dangerous.
Because our dogs are members of the family, we believe they deserve the best food available, and Pure is loaded with ingredients that humans would eat.