Can dogs eat cashews? Cashews are extremely healthy since they are inherently clogged with tons of goodness. It’s protein and fiber-rich, good for heart health, stored with zinc, magnesium, and copper, and of course, stimulates healthy fat. But when it comes to dogs, the dog owners are incredibly picky about the food they give their fur-friend.
And they have many questions shooting inside their head about the foods they can give to their canines. And one such question is, “Can a dog eat cashews?”. And this article gives you the perfect answer to this question. So buckle up and start reading till the end because I have jotted down answers for all your queries.
Cashews- Good Or Bad For Dogs?
Cashews are compressed with minerals, fiber, and protein. Also, it facilitates heart health and healthy fat. While munching cashews, you might think of plopping some in your puppy’s mouth. You can do it, but you must be prudent while giving your pup cashews. You can give cashews if you guess your dog is underweight or needs some more skin on your dog’s body because cashews don’t encourage cholesterol but fat.
Cashews are clogged with proteins (which promote muscle mass). Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients like zinc, copper, potassium, vitamin E, and K. Though these are vital for your dog’s health, overfeeding with nuts can cause long-term impacts on your pup’s health.
A healthy 20 to 25 pounds dog needs 300 to 400 calories daily. And fat content should be only 10 to 15%. One hundred grams of cashew nut contains an estimated 500 to 550 calories depending on size. And this would lead to an intake of 30 to 40% of fat for our dog just daily.
Benefits Of Cashew Nuts For Your Dogs:
Cashew nuts are highly loaded with calories. It should always be minimal and occasional when you are going to feed it to your dogs. When it comes to feeding your dogs nuts, you should always keep this principle in mind “little is better for the four-legged best friends” The following are a few benefits that nuts can give to your pup.
- Cashews are rich in healthy fats, which promotes healthy fat for your pup if you get it a little.
- Cashew nuts and peanuts are rich in amino acids and arginine. It can help in promoting heart health. Amino acid promotes nitric oxide production, ultimately resulting in smooth blood circulation.
- Cashew nuts are rich in protein which is crucial for pets. Fiber is important for avoiding constipation.
- Cashew nuts and peanuts help in reducing high blood pressure.
- Nuts are filled with vitamins like vitamin C for the immune system, B1 for fatigue, and B2 for increasing appetite.
Overfeeding Cashews For Your Dogs
Cashews are one nut that can be given to your dog, unlike walnut or macadamia nuts. Well, they are toxic, but cashews are not. Cashews are okay to feed, but overfeeding can be dangerous. Moderation can be good. Though cashews are nontoxic, we should be aware of the risks associated with these creamy nuts.
While cashews are nontoxic, most of them are salted, and they should be kept away from our canine companions because salted cashews can cause salt poisoning. And not to forget, salted cashews are also prone to dehydrating your dog.
Since cashews are high in protein, calories, and fat, a large number of cashews can cause your dog fat-related issues like pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is an inflammation in the pancreas. They are highly dangerous for your pup and may make many organs fail to work.
A high intake of cashews can ultimately result in dehydration, gastrointestinal issues, obesity, diarrhea, etc., and a dog’s body can’t grind food like a human’s. Dog’s digestion power is comparatively lesser than humans. So giving daily amounts of cashews can lead to digestion issues for your dog since they can’t digest more.
You have to ensure you are only occasionally giving cashews and only a small amount. And the cashews should be unsalted, shelled, and not mixed with any flavors or other nuts that can be toxic for your dogs. Onions, garlic, walnuts, etc., should be kept away from your dogs, and make sure you don’t feed the above-mentioned seasoned cashews to your dogs.
Healthy Cashew Recipes For Your Canine
As an overprotective dog owner, you might feel bad giving your dogs boring snacks. And as already said, cashews should occasionally be, and that too, a very less amount. The following recipe can be a healthy and refreshing dish for your pup.
Ingredients: A spoon full of cashew butter Frozen Banana.
You can also periodically experiment with cashews for your dog. You can mix it with the dog food or give a spoon of plain unsalted cashew butter or cashew milk.
But make sure you are not giving it frequently. A very small amount and occasionally feeding is good. And also, sometimes, the store-bought nut butter contains artificial colors, sugar, and additives, causing health issues for your pup.
When buying peanut butter or cashew butter for your dog, check out the ingredient list in the packet. Keep the bottle right there and leave if you find anything named xylitol. Xylitol is a chemical sweetener that can also be called sugar alcohol and is extremely dangerous for your pup. So try to make homemade butter for your canine friend since it’s healthy and there will not be any additives and chemicals.
Can Cashews Mixed With Other Nuts Be Good For Your Dog?
If this idea pops into your head, then shut it down. Nuts are not ideal and healthy for your dogs. It would help if you did not give him more nuts than cashew nuts. Other nuts are extremely deadly for your pup.
Your pup is highly sensitive to nuts. And if they eat, they can tend to face GI issues, pancreatitis, and diarrhea; however, you can give a few nuts like cashews, pecans, chestnuts, peanuts, and pistachios, but moderately and occasionally, they are ideal for feeding to your dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Cashews and Almonds?
Because cashews are good for your pup, it doesn’t mean all the other nuts, especially almonds, are good for the dogs. It is packed with loads of goodness. It is not an ideal food. Though it is nontoxic for your pup, according to the American Kennel Club, tossing almonds in a pup’s mouth can ultimately result in gastrointestinal diseases like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, etc.
When almonds are fed to dogs, due to their high-fat content, dogs tend to gain weight, resulting in pancreas inflammation causing pancreatitis. Don’t ever let your dogs eat almonds or almond butter. They come out to be dangerous for your canine friend.
Can Dogs Eat Cashews With Sea Salt?
You don’t want your dogs to suffer from salt poisoning, which can ultimately result in dreadful issues like vomiting, inflammation in the pancreas, headache, and excessive urination. Salt is extremely toxic for your dog.
It would be good if you were cautious that your dog doesn’t get introduced to salt by any means. It would help if you even ensured he is not drinking salted water. If you think your dog accidentally ate salt, immediately take him to the vet.
Can Dogs Eat Brazil Nuts?
Brazil nuts are high in fats and calories. It can cause your dog issues in digestion. Though small amounts, an extremely small amount of brazil nuts can cause only small damage, high amounts can even cost your dog.
You can give peanut butter and cashew nut butter, but even a small amount of brazil nut butter can lead to high issues. Brazil nuts can lead to choking because of their size and can cause blockage in the intestines, leading to digestional issues. Since they are high in fat, they also lead to obesity.
Can Dogs Eat Walnuts and Salt?
Walnuts are loaded with calories. An average amount of walnuts consists of a whopping 654 calories. As already said at the beginning of the article, a dog should only take 300 to 400 calories a day, but since walnuts are rich in calories adding them to your dog’s diet can ultimately result in your dog putting on weight.
Though black walnuts, which we normally eat, are not ideal for dogs, occasionally give one or two but make sure you are giving it by grinding it into a powder. Since walnuts are big, they might get stuck in his throat.
Can Dogs Eat Cashews and Peanuts?
Well, the good news for peanut-addicted dog owners is peanuts are not toxic for dogs. But one thing to notice is dogs are not good at digesting fat. They are prone to fats, and peanuts are loaded with fats.
Giving peanuts directly to your dog will make it difficult for him to digest and result in fat. So you can occasionally include peanuts in his dog food or meat. When thinking of giving peanut butter or cashew butter, make sure the product is not sweetened with xylitol. Xylitol can increase your pup’s blood sugar level.
What Nuts Are Poisonous to Dogs?
In recent research, google has said that “dogs and nuts” have been listed as a frequently researched topic, showing that dog owners are extremely cautious about the food they feed their dogs. While eating nuts, you might get tempted to put some in your puppy’s mouth.
It’s normal to feel that way as a good owner but our system and dog’s system function completely differently. So it would help if you were cautious of what you give him.
Though peanuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts are good for pups, you should give them by removing their shell, Palin, and unsalted and unflavored.
The Following Nuts are Poisonous to Dogs:
- Black Walnuts- Promotes neurologic symptoms.
- Moldy Walnuts- Promotes seizures and tremors.
- Macadamia nuts- Promotes weakness, hyperthermia, vomiting, fatigue, seizure, etc.,
- Pistachios- Promotes hazards in choking and digestion.
- Hickory nuts- Promotes blockage in the intestines and causes seizures and obesity.
Alternative Foods For Your Dogs That Are Healthy From Your Kitchen
Your kitchen holds some superfoods besides nuts packed with wholeness and goodness for your dogs. Tonnes of foods from your kitchen are nutrients and mineral-dense products, which can be a whole party for your dogs. These superfoods you will read further are packed with nutrients, proteins, minerals, and whatnot that can help your pup maintain a sassy body and eat healthily.
- Berries- Well, strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry can be the ultimate treat for your pup. As they are rich in water content and fiber, they can help promote urinary health and keep your pup hydrated.
- Sardines- To promote your dog’s joint, brain, and heart health and maintain your dog’s skin, you can give Sardines. It is packed with omega-3 acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It also has Vitamin B12, D, K, and Zinc.
- Bone broth- Bone broth of your meat that is chicken, turkey, mutton, and beef is filled with dense nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.,
- Chia Seeds- Filled with amino acids, omega-three fatty acids, iron, calcium, fiber, minerals, and many more, this can be a great treat of nutrients for your pup.
- Green leaves and vegetables- Green foods are good for humans and your pups since they are filled with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, iron, potassium vitamins, and whole tonnes of fiber.
You can also add eggs, carrots, anchovies, olive oil, parsley, pumpkin, turmeric, watermelon, yogurt, sweet potatoes(cooked), lean meat like chicken, beef, corn, broccoli, etc. These are filled with whole nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and much more.
FAQs
Dogs can eat cashew nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans, chestnuts, and English walnuts. But since all these are fields with fats, you should feed your dogs only a minimal amount, occasionally. High feeding can result in various issues like pancreatitis, obesity, inability to walk, etc.
Sometimes nuts and seeds are too tasty and yummy to eat, but they are only for humans, not pups. They are just like nuts filled with fat. So only a few seeds, such as shelled sunflower, cold-pressed flax, chia, and pumpkin, are good for dogs. And these should be shelled and unsalted and uncoated.
If you think your dog has had salt, immediately call a vet or take him to a nearby veterinary hospital. Salt poisoning symptoms may be diarrhea, thirst, vomiting, swollen abdomen, high urination, etc.
If you notice these symptoms, your dog is affected by salt poisoning. Bring it immediately to the vet’s notice. As first aid, make him drink a lot of fresh water since you have to remove the sodium from his body and protect him from dehydration and cell damage.
If you notice your pup has issues like loss of appetite or inactive and vomiting, it might be a symptom of macadamia nuts. In that case, you can’t wait and should immediately take your canine to the vet. If you give proper treatment, your dog will come out from the toxication within 12 to 48 hours.
Nuts have a high content of fats that can easily create digestive issues for your dog. If you notice your dog has lost its appetite or is not active enough and has a stomach ache, you should stop giving him nuts.
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