- Yes, dogs can eat pumpkin
- Feed it cooked: ornamental pumpkins are toxic!
- Good for digestion and low in calories
Yes: pumpkin is one of the best vegetables for dogs. It helps with both diarrhea and constipation, is low in calories and easy to digest. One important 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 especially 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 addition when deworming.
What to watch out for
Ornamental pumpkins (decorative varieties such as the lemon or pear gourd) contain cucurbitacins in toxic concentrations and are not suitable for dogs. Only feed edible pumpkins: Hokkaido, butternut or nutmeg pumpkin.
Avoid seasoned dishes: pumpkin soup with onions, pumpkin pie with sugar, or cinnamon pumpkin are all unsuitable. If your dog eats an ornamental pumpkin, act immediately, as poisoning is a real risk. Feed it plain only, without any additives.
How to prepare pumpkin
Cook the pumpkin and feed it as a puree or in pieces. Hokkaido pumpkin can be cooked with the skin on. Freeze pumpkin puree in ice cube trays for handy bland-diet portions. Raw pumpkin in small amounts is also fine.
Nutritional values and dosage
100 g of cooked pumpkin (Hokkaido) contains about 26 kcal, 1 g protein, 6.5 g carbohydrates and 0.5 g fiber. It also provides 4,016 µg 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 into ice cube trays and frozen. Thaw one cube per meal and mix it into the food. That way you always have a bland-diet portion ready to hand.
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