Can Dogs Eat Olives?
To understand if dogs can eat olives, we need to understand a bit more about olives. The olive is a small fruit with a high nutrient content, containing ample levels of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants and good fats. These provide health benefits to humans and can even be good for animals.
Olives are great for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as preventing heart disease and some types of cancer. Olives are even able to improve digestion, to help soothe allergic reactions, to fight off infections, and to reduce inflammation.
There are roughly 2000 varieties of olives grown throughout the world, but the main ones we’re talking about today are green olives and black olives. Green olives are picked from the tree before they ever ripen, whereas black olives ripen on the tree before they are picked.
But what a lot of people don’t know is that olives shouldn’t be eaten raw and require a curing process before they’re edible.
Can Dogs Eat Olives?
Dogs can absolutely eat olives. They are not toxic for dogs. But before you go feeding your dog handfuls of olives, it’s important that you understand they should only be fed to your canine friend in moderation. The types of olives you feed your dog should be plain and unsalted. And even though organic olives are going to be more expensive, they are the best when considering the health of your dog.
There is a special way in which you should feed your dog olives. You should always remove the pit first so your dog doesn’t damage their teeth. If your dog chews an olive pit, it can either choke or have digestive problems.
The first time you feed your dog olives, be sure that you give them only a small piece and then observe them for a while afterwards to make sure they don’t suffer from an allergic reaction of some kind. Even though dogs aren’t typically allergic to olives, it’s always a good idea to observe them first to make sure.
What Kind of Olives Can I Feed My Dog?
You should only ever feed your dog natural olives with the pits removed. If your dog accidentally eats a large quantity of olives, including the pits, you need to consult a veterinarian right away. Too many pits eaten by your dog can cause it to have an upset stomach, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Never feed your dog canned or pickled olives. These types of olives contain high levels of sodium and are extremely unhealthy for canines. This is because too much salt easily dehydrates your dog. If your pup consumes salty olives or a long period of time, they will eventually get high blood pressure.
Canned or pickled olives can sometimes contain seasonings and additives as well, which are almost always harmful to dogs. Before giving your dog any kind of olive, be sure that you know the ingredients first. When it comes to stuffed olives, always check for anchovies and cheeses, as these should not be eaten by dogs.
You should also not feed your dog olive bread. This is because olive bread usually contains at least a bit of garlic, which is toxic for dogs. Another thing is to avoid giving your dog olives from pizza. Even though the pizza topping may look totally normal, it could have come into contact with toxic ingredients.
And finally, never give your dog an olive from a cocktail. Dogs should never ingest any kind of alcohol, and olives that have been inside alcoholic beverages will soak up the booze.
Are Green or Black Olives Better for Dogs?
There is no nutritional difference between green olives and black olives. The only small difference is that green olives are known to contain higher levels of sodium than black olives. It doesn’t really matter which type of olives you feed your dog, so long as they are prepared correctly and are unsalted and plain.
But if you’re worried about sodium content, we recommend black olives over green olives.
Can Dogs Eat Green Olives with Pimentos?
What about green olives with pimentos? Dogs can indeed eat green olives with pimentos, but only if the pimentos are the only thing stuffed inside the olive. Sometimes, green olives will be stuffed with pimentos and cheeses, garlic, onion, and oils. Plus, there are sometimes other additives that can be dangerous to dogs.
Pimentos are totally safe for your dog to eat, it’s just all the other stuff that you need to keep your dog away from.
What Vegetables Can You Not Give Your Dog?
We know that olives are safe for dogs to eat in moderation. But what about other vegetables and fruits? Not all human foods are safe for dogs. For example, avocados are horrendous for dogs to eat. The pit, skin, and leaves of the avocado are toxic and cause vomiting and diarrhea when ingested by dogs. Even the flesh inside an avocado is dangerous for a dog to eat.
Some foods are OK. Bananas, blueberries, and apples are alright for dogs to eat. So are cantaloupe and cranberries. But cherries are another story altogether. The pits of cherries contain cyanide, which is extremely toxic to dogs. Even though the fleshy part surrounding the seed is OK, it’s still not recommended to feed cherries to dogs.
Grapes are another vegetable that should not be given to a dog. Grapes and raisins are toxic and can lead to acute kidney failure with almost no warning.
Mango, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon are all perfectly fine for your dog to eat. Tomatoes are not. The ripened tomato fruit is OK but the green parts of the plant contain a toxic substance that can make your dog sick.
At the end of the day, it’s highly recommended that you always check the individual fruit or vegetable that you’re planning to feed to your dog.