Carrots are a perfectly good food for dogs. They are a low-calorie source of food, high in fibre to aid digestion and they can help prevent dental disease. It is recommended that you chop them up. I’m not sure that that advice is always correct because a dog might like to chomp down on a whole carrot. But, some experts say that a whole carrot might cause a dog to choke on it. Perhaps if you hold the carrot and let the dog chomp down on it that would prevent them swallowing it whole! Banfield hospital say that small amounts are okay in most dogs and that some dogs might have an issue with carrots because they are allergic to them.
They say that they might cause vomiting and diarrhoea. That probably applies to many other foods because some companion animals are allergic to certain foods as are people. Some dogs find the smell of carrots enticing. You can give a dog raw or cooked carrots as a healthy option and a nutritious snack or add-in to his or her regular meals.
Carrots are a good source of a range of nutrients including several vitamins and minerals. They contain biotin, potassium, vitamins A, K1, and B6. Vitamin A is converted from beta-carotene. The experts say that carrots are a very good source of vitamin A.
Vitamin A provides six health benefits namely: protecting your eyes from age-related decline, preventing against certain cancers, supporting a healthy immune system, reducing a risk of acne, supporting bone health and promoting growth and your reproductive system. That’s what the dietitians say about carrots and people. The same benefits must apply to our dog companions because their anatomy and physiology is very similar to ours.
If humans or dogs eat too many carrots they ingest too much beta-carotene which is the molecule responsible for the orange colour. The skin can become orange because of excess blood carotene. The condition is known as carotemia. It occurs because carotene is a fat-soluble molecule.
