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Healthy Tubers: Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potatoes?

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Can dogs eat sweet potatoes? Find out why this orange vegetable is so healthy for your furry friend and how to prepare it correctly.

Sweet Potato – the Superfood for Your Dog

It’s delicious, it’s orange, it’s healthy—the sweet potato. In addition to its unique taste, it contains many nutrients. Perhaps you’re wondering if your dog can eat sweet potatoes too? The answer is: Yes! Find out why it deserves a firm place in your dog’s healthy diet here.

Why is Sweet Potato So Healthy for Dogs?

The American health authority recently declared sweet potatoes the healthiest vegetable. With a baseline of 100, the regular potato scores 83. The sweet potato achieves an impressive 186 points, boasting a high content of nutrients and serving as an excellent source of carbohydrates and fiber. Good news for the chubby ones among us: This superfood comes without any fat.

Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potatoes
Source: Freepik

Rich in Antioxidants for Health

The tuber of the sweet potato provides your dog with a range of important antioxidants and proteins that combat free radicals in the body. Additionally, they significantly increase the activity of the antioxidant glutathione in the body, which is particularly important for maintaining overall health.

Antioxidants also have a supportive effect against cell damage—current research shows that they can actively fight against cancer cells.

Full Power Against Diabetes

If your four-legged friend has pancreatic diseases, you probably know that dogs can also have issues with blood sugar levels. The substance Caiapo found in the skin of sweet potatoes has been proven to stabilize and regulate your dog’s blood sugar while positively affecting cholesterol levels. Such concentrated power should not be missing from any bowl!

At iHugDogs, we also rely on the good nutrients of sweet potatoes and use them in various pet food varieties. You can find sweet potatoes, for example, in our tasty dry food options like Chicken with Sweet Potato and Garden Herbs or “Sensitive” Wild with Salmon, Sweet Potato, and Mulberry. Stop by and have a sniff!

How Do I Feed Sweet Potatoes to My Dog Correctly?

In theory, your dog could eat sweet potatoes raw, but for better digestibility, you should feed them to your dog as follows:

  • Cut into small pieces and boiled.
  • The skin of the tuber is safe and can be eaten.
  • Make sure to let the boiled sweet potato cool down before serving it to your furry friend.

Adjusted to the daily nutrient intake for your dog, there’s nothing wrong with your favorite enjoying sweet potatoes every day.

Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potatoes
Source: Freepik

Can My Dog Eat Raw Sweet Potatoes?

Raw sweet potatoes are safe for your dog and can be eaten. However, the vegetable is easier to digest when cooked. It may happen that raw sweet potatoes are heavy on your dog’s stomach, causing difficulty in digestion and stomach rumbling.

Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with a piece of raw sweet potato, but for regular feeding, it should be cooked beforehand.

Not All Potatoes Are the Same

Boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, sweet potatoes—not quite the same! Contrary to what the name suggests, sweet potatoes have little in common with our usual potatoes. Both grow underground—and that’s about it.

Sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family and are found in tropical regions. Their tubers can grow up to 30 cm, while the garden potato only reaches the size of a Chihuahua. In South America, they even grow Dachshund-sized super tubers. They also differ in taste; the sweet potato stands out with a fruity-sweet note.

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