Mary Allen
Rhubarb is acidic, has a detoxifying effect, promotes digestion, and contains a lot of vitamin C. That almost sounds like an ideal food, doesn’t it?
However, dogs should better not eat rhubarb. Here is the reason why this is so.
Can dogs eat rhubarb?
Rhubarb is not poisonous to dogs. However, vegetables contain a lot of oxalic acids.
By the way, you read that right: rhubarb is one of the vegetables. Surely you would have counted rhubarb as a fruit as I did in the beginning?
This is a common assumption because rhubarb is mostly used in desserts. However, rhubarb is one of the vegetables. The rhubarb season starts in May.
Dogs are allowed to eat small amounts of rhubarb
In general, you can feed rhubarb to your dog in small amounts. However, he must not eat the leaves.
If you want to give rhubarb to your dog, peel it well and steam it. However, make sure that you only mix small amounts with the feed.
Because rhubarb contains oxalic acid. And a really large amount, which is only surpassed by sorrel, chard, and some nuts.
During digestion, the substance has an unpleasant property. Oxalic acid prevents the canine organism from absorbing calcium. This effect is also known as spinach.
100 grams of food contain
- Chard: 650 milligrams of oxalic acid
- Sorrel: 500 milligrams of oxalic acid
- Rhubarb: 460 milligrams of oxalic acid
- Spinach: 440 milligrams of oxalic acid
- Beetroot: 180 milligrams of oxalic acid
- Nuts: 70-700 milligrams of oxalic acid
Therefore, you should always feed rhubarb in conjunction with calcium-rich foods. A little cottage cheese or cottage cheese is ideal here.
Rhubarb is a vegetable
The peculiarity of this type of vegetable is its extremely sour taste. You can use rhubarb in many desserts, such as:
- rhubarb compote
- rhubarb cake
- rhubarb jam
These sweets are popular with many people. And this type of vegetable is easy to grow in your garden. Rhubarb can also be used in many ways in the kitchen.
As a dog owner, you can sometimes be tempted and want to feed your darling rhubarb. But this is not necessarily healthy for your four-legged friend.
Is rhubarb toxic to dogs?
You should completely avoid giving rhubarb to dogs with kidney problems, rheumatic diseases, or arthrosis.
Likewise, young dogs and puppies must not be given rhubarb. You should also switch to other types of vegetables and fruit for dogs that are struggling with an iron metabolism disorder.
Even in a healthy dog, too much rhubarb can have serious consequences:
- Nausea, vomiting, and, as a result, bloody diarrhea and convulsive seizures occur.
- The gastrointestinal tract becomes inflamed.
- Kidney damage and even heart failure can occur.
Rhubarb is low in calories and promotes digestion
Rhubarb is popular because it is very low in calories. At the same time, it has a typical sour taste. That is why vegetable is often used for detoxification cures.
Rhubarb is one of the knotweed plants. It can be recognized by its large green leaves and reddish stems. The plant grows up to two meters high.
The reddish stalks are edible and must be peeled. The rhubarb leaves are not used.
Rhubarb originally comes from the Himalayas. In the 11th century, it began to be exported to Central Asia. Only in the 18th century did he finally reach Europe, where he first conquered England.
This type of vegetable is digestive and has a bactericidal effect.
Rhubarb is rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C and minerals. The contained pectin ensures the digestive effect. A little bit of rhubarb can help with constipation.
Rhubarb if you are barfing your dog
If you are unsure whether your dog can tolerate the vegetable, ask your veterinarian for her opinion first. You can also feed a very small amount and see how the dog takes it.
However, always pay attention to the crowd. If you are unsure, grab one of the many other types of fruit and vegetables. Even for BARF, it doesn’t necessarily have to be rhubarb.