As a dog owner, one of your most important jobs is to monitor what goes inside your dog’s body. While it can be a challenge choosing which dog food is best for your pup, you also need to understand what human foods are safe for dogs. As you would expect, a dog’s digestive system is very different from a human’s, and thus certain foods that are good for humans are bad for dogs, and vice versa. I have lost count of how many times one of our readers has reached out to us after they have given their dog some human food that should not be consumed by dogs. The key to preventing this is having a good understanding of what your dog can and cannot eat before you feed them anything. In today’s article, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about feeding sauerkraut to dogs.
Can dogs eat sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is raw cabbage that has been fermented with multiple types of bacteria and lactic acid. As natural omnivores, a dog’s digestive system is more than capable of digesting fermented vegetables, and it is actually very natural for them. This is because fermentation is similar to the process of the digestive system of small mammals that eat plants and are then eaten by dogs in the wild. Therefore, a dog’s body is more than willing to digest this fermented vegetable. So in short, YES, dogs can eat sauerkraut. Now you might be wondering if sauerkraut is healthy for your dog.
Is sauerkraut good for dogs?
Yes, sauerkraut is very good for dogs. It offers a wide range of nutrients including probiotics, enzymes, beneficial vitamins, and lactic acid.
Probiotics
The best quality about sauerkraut is that they contain A LOT of probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial microbes that have a wide range of benefits for your dog. They help promote healthy gut bacteria and also help support your dog’s immune system. In fact, sauerkraut provides both a wider variety and quantity of beneficial microbes than probiotic supplements.
Enzymes
Sauerkraut are also rich in enzymes which significantly help improve your dog’s digestive system. This can help with a variety of digestive issues including excessive gas, bloating, hard stools, constipation, and diarrhea. Sauerkraut also contains antioxidants which help detox clear their body of any toxic chemicals or heavy metals.
Beneficial Vitamins
Sauerkraut is also a great source of beneficial vitamins including Vitamin C, B, and K2. These vitamins have a long list of functions including reducing inflammation, creating red blood cells, and promotes healthy liver function.
Lactic Acid
Finally, due to the fermentation process, sauerkraut is very high in lactic acid content. Lactic acid has a variety of functions in dogs, including promoting healthy skin and fur, and assisting your dog’s digestive system. Lactic acid also helps fight against cancer cells that might be present in your dog’s body.
How much sauerkraut to give your dog
You should give your dog around 2 teaspoons of sauerkraut for every 20 pounds of body weight. While sauerkraut is great for your dog’s digestive system, feeding your dog too much may upset their GI system and cause digestive problems.
For this reason, I strongly recommend integrating sauerkraut into your dog’s diet gradually. You should try just mixing a little bit of sauerkraut into your dog’s normal food. If they eat it up, you can slowly increase the amount you mix in with their food. You may be able to get to the point where your dog will simply eat sauerkraut by itself.
It is important to remember that sauerkraut does have a strange taste, and if your dog is a picky eater they may night want to eat the sauerkraut. If your dog keeps refusing the sauerkraut, you should not force them to eat it. Instead, you can give them probiotic supplements which have similar benefits.
