Pets eat fruit???

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Yes, absolutely! Shortly after we switched Leo’s diet to a home based one we had to make an emergency trip to South Africa and at the last minute put Leo in a kennel as we had no one who could care for him in our home. Not being prepared for meals away from home, and given the short notice, I made up a large batch of oatmeal and took it together with a dozen eggs, a container of meat, a container of veggies, a container of quinoa and a large box of blueberries (it was summer in Canada) to the kennels along with a write up of his meals. They must have looked at this lot and thought “what the….”. LOL. :)  But the owner didn’t say a word, accepting it all with so much grace. When I went to pick up Leo their little girl was in the office and she looked at me and said “I didn’t know dogs ate blueberries!” with so much seriousness. I laughed and said in reply “he likes them though doesn’t he?” and she nodded enthusiastically and declared she was feeding all her dogs (stuffed and physical) blueberries from now on!!

 

On our property we have a number of fruit trees. It’s summer as I write this and the plums are almost ripe. Every year our dogs (Leo when he was with us physically, and now Trapper) eagerly anticipate the plums falling and feast on them. They also pick the blackberries and salmonberries right off the bushes, delicately pursing their lips around the berry so as to avoid any of the thorns. It is so cute.

 

 

Trapper waiting oh so patiently for a plum to fall or be picked for him!

Trapper

 

 

And the reward for such patience! :)

Other than grapes, pretty much all fruits are on the table in our home. Trapper loves bananas, apples, blueberries, melon (watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe), kiwi fruit, pears, peaches, nectarines & especially mangoes & dates! Even though he loves most berries, Trapper he’s not a big fan of strawberries…….. which means all the more for me! :) Cats will also eat fruit (e.g. melons), so give it a try. Go on, I dare you! :)  Next time you are enjoying some fruit, try giving a small piece to your pet and find out what they like.

 

Although grapes (and raisins) are toxic for pets don’t panic if they get one or two. Use common sense and the quantity they have eaten versus their size as a guideline before calling the vet. I’d be more concerned about a chihuahua eating a single grape than a doberman or great dane.

 

I’d love to hear what fruits your pets enjoy!

 

With love always,

Loretta