Can Dogs Eat Pumpkin? (Yes or No?)

Yes: pumpkin is one of the best vegetables for dogs. It helps with both diarrhea and constipation, is low in calories and well tolerated. One exception: ornamental pumpkins are toxic to dogs and must not be fed.

What Pumpkin Does for Dogs

Pumpkin contains beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamins C and E, and potassium. The fiber is particularly valuable: it regulates the gut in both directions. With diarrhea, it absorbs excess fluid; with constipation, it stimulates bowel movement.

Pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitacin, which stuns and inhibits intestinal parasites: a natural supplement when deworming.

What to Watch Out For

Ornamental pumpkins (decorative varieties) contain cucurbitacins in toxic concentrations and are not suitable for dogs. Only feed edible pumpkins: Hokkaido, butternut, or acorn squash.

No seasoned preparations: pumpkin soup with onions, pumpkin pie with sugar, or spiced pumpkin are unsuitable. If an ornamental pumpkin is ingested, act immediately as poisoning is possible. Feed only plain, without additives.

How to Prepare Pumpkin

Cook pumpkin and feed as puree or in pieces. Hokkaido pumpkin can be cooked with the skin on. Freeze pumpkin puree in ice cube trays for convenient portions. Raw pumpkin in small amounts is also possible.

Nutritional Values and Dosage

100 g of cooked pumpkin (Hokkaido) contains approx. 26 kcal, 1 g protein, 6.5 g carbohydrates and 0.5 g fiber. It also provides 4,016 mcg beta-carotene, 340 mg potassium and 9 mg vitamin C. Butternut squash has slightly more energy at 45 kcal per 100 g and a higher beta-carotene content.

Guidelines by body weight:

• Small dog (up to 10 kg): 1 to 2 teaspoons of pumpkin puree
• Medium dog (10 to 25 kg): 1 to 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
• Large dog (over 25 kg): 2 to 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree

Pumpkin puree can be portioned in ice cube trays and frozen. Thaw one cube per meal and mix into the food.

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