Yes, German Shepherds can eat bananas in moderation. There is no harm in giving bananas to your German Shepherd in normal quantities, and it’s safe to have bananas not only for German Shepherds but also for all kinds of dogs.
Do you like pet dogs? Then you must like a German Shepherd, am I right? But you must know many exciting things before petting a German Shepherd.
Another funny thing is that the German Shepherd can eat bananas. What do you think?
Moreover, some dog lovers are still confused about giving bananas to their German Shepherd. They don’t know about the advantages and disadvantages of bananas for German Shepherds.
In this article, I will discover many interesting things about German Shepherds’ food items.
10 Reasons Bananas Are Good For Dogs
For reference, a medium-sized banana has 14 grams of sugar and about 6 grams of starch. If you don’t go overboard, it is pretty safe to feed bananas to a GSD. Not only that, bananas are highly rich in nutrients and minerals.
Health benefits of bananas for dogs :
- Banana contains vitamin C, which helps increase the number of antibodies. And it can get interferon in your German Shepherd’s body.
- Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant. This will help your Shepherd cells from degenerating.
- Bananas contain vitamin E, which helps to improve your pup’s coat and skin. Without vitamins, they can quickly get rash and dandruff.
- Vitamin E helps improve a male dog’s fertility! If you are thinking about breeding, you should give bananas as a treat to your GSD more often.
- Vitamin B6 will assist your dog with diabetes and other blood sugar diseases. It only occurs if they have insulin resistance.
- Vitamin B6 also helps to produce red blood cells.
- Magnesium helps muscle movement and the heart pump.
- Potassium aids your dog’s metabolism.
- Potassium helps to keep your German Shepherd’s heart, bones, and muscles strong.
- Despite their natural sweetness and starch, bananas also contain a lot of carbohydrates.
Also Read : Can Dogs Eat Boiled Eggs everyday? 5 Cool Things You Must Know
Side Effects of Bananas in a Dog’s Diet
You want to give your German Shepherd bananas as treats, but you’re not 100 % sure if it is safe for your pet, right?
Maybe you’ve already tried giving your German Shepherd a banana before, but he doesn’t like it.
There are a bunch of side effects of bananas that you should be aware of:
- Bananas contain a lot of sugar, leading to decay in the dog’s teeth.
- Too much fiber in bananas can cause constipation.
- Too Much Potassium can cause hyperkalemia, and in some cases, hyperkalemia cause heart disease.
- Too much sugar in bananas can cause diabetes. If your dogs have too many bananas regularly, it could lead to diabetes.
- Bananas, along with other food, contain high amounts of sugar. By feeding them more than a moderate portion, they can gain weight.
- Your beloved pet can get a headache from bananas.
- Sometimes Dogs may have diarrhea from bananas.
- Bananas could cause an allergic reaction in your dog. If you notice sneezing, coughing, and swelling symptoms in your dog after having a banana, you should take them to the vet.
How to Safely Feed Bananas to Dogs?
There are numerous ways to serve bananas in a safe way to your dog.
If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few:
- Add bananas to your dog’s regular food along with the rest of the ingredients.
- You can mash the bananas and stuff them into their toys.
- Mashed up the bananas and stirred them into your dog’s food.
- You can give bananas a solid texture by freezing them and then cutting them into pieces or dehydrating them in a dehydrator or low oven to provide them with a solid texture.
- Cook homemade treats and use bananas as an ingredient.
- You can provide your German shepherd banana chips. However, you should avoid deep oil frying.
- You can mix peanut butter with your banana mash. It’s a delicious treat for your dog.
Here is a delicious recipe for your Shepherds with Banana, Peanut Butter, and Rolled Oats:
- Combine one cup of powdered rolled oats (or oat flakes), eight tablespoons of peanut butter which should be xylitol-free, and one medium ripe banana together.
- Put a parchment paper-lined cookie tray on the counter and roll the dough into balls. Press the balls into flattened circles using a spatula.
- Put them in the oven. The edges should be golden brown after 10 minutes. You can store it in an airtight container or in the freezer.
This recipe is a dog lover’s delight because it’s tasty and has all nutrition in a single treat.
How Often Should You Feed Your German Shepherd Bananas?
A GSD (German Shepherd Dog) puppy typically grows during the first 12 months of life.
In the first month, GSD weighed 9.2 pounds! A German Shepherd will grow to weigh 76 pounds and up in just only 12 months! This is a lot of growth in such a short period!
Bananas can cause a dog’s stomach upset in late puppyhood and adulthood; it might have the opposite effect if you give it too early.
What Fruits Can German Shepherds Not Eat?
Along with bananas, German Shepherds can also have strawberries, apples, bananas, raspberries, peaches, mango, pears, blueberries, plums, melon, pineapple, oranges, and kiwi fruits like other dogs.
Some fruits are forbidden to eat. Some fruits are also toxic; grapes, avocados, cherries, and lemons must not be eaten.
Remember, you shouldn’t count fruits as a dog’s main diet. It should always remain in their treat portion because, along with bananas, all fruits contain high amounts of sugar, and intake of excessive amounts of sugar can harm your pets.
Here is a list of fruits that dogs can eat and can’t eat:
| Fruit | Can Eat | Size of Portion | Things to Avoid | Can’t Eat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | ✔ | Up to 2 slice | Core & Seeds | |
| Apricot | ✔ | 1 slice | Leaves, Pit & Stem | |
| Avocado | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Banana | ✔ | Up to 2 slice | Peel | |
| Blackberries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Seeds | |
| Blueberries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Seeds | |
| Brush cherries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Seeds |
| Cherries | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Cucumber | ✔ | 2-3 slices | Seeds | |
| cloudberries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Seeds | |
| Coconut | ✔ | 1 slice | Shell | |
| Cranberries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Seeds | |
| Chikoo | ✔ | 2-3 slices | Seeds & skin | |
| Canary melon | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Rind & skin | |
| Grapes | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Guava | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Skin | |
| Kiwi | ✔ | 2-3 slices | Seeds & skin | |
| Lemon | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Lime | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Mango | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Peel | |
| mandarines | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Seeds & skin | |
| Nectarines | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Peel & Pit | |
| Nuts | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Olive | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Pit | |
| Orange | ✔ | 1-2 slices | ||
| Pine apples | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Crown & Peel | |
| Peaches | ✔ | 2-3 slices | Leaves & stem | |
| Pear | ✔ | 1-2 slices | stem and seed | |
| plums | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Pomelo | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Seeds & Peel | |
| Papaya | ✔ | 1-2 slices | Seeds & Peel | |
| Raspberries | ✔ | 2-3 berries | / | |
| Strawberry | ✔ | 2-3 berries | Leaves | |
| tomatoes | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Watermelon | ✔ | 1-3 slice | Rind & Seed |
Can German Shepherds Eat Bananas – Related Questions
Can I feed my dog banana every day?
You shouldn’t feed your German Shepherd more than a banana a day; remember, It contains a high amount of sugar which can cause weight gain.
However, to avoid weight gain, you should normally feed them half a banana daily or less if you have issues with weight gain.
Can dogs eat bananas skin?
If your Shepherd eats banana skin, it may cause a blockage; as a result, his stomach can get upset.
How much banana can a GSD eat?
There is no doubt that bananas are pretty high in sugar, just like most fruits. So it’s better to limit the portion.
Ideally, German shepherds should only be given half a banana a day as adults. At the same time, puppies shouldn’t have more than 3 to 4 pieces of banana per day.
Is There Any Part of the Banana a German Shepherd Shouldn’t Eat?
For your GSD (German Shepherd Dogs) puppies, banana peel can cause a choking risk If they gulp the whole banana with skin.
So you must be very careful about the skin. The skin is not toxic, but It’s full of fiber which can upset your pet’s digestive system.
Final Thoughts
I hope I have cleared up your confusion. However, in this article, I have tried to provide you with everything about German Shepherd eating items. And also the German Shepherd diet items.
Moreover, most people ask me, Can German Shepherd Eat Bananas? If you read this article attentively, then you already get this question answered. Food is a very sensitive element for any kind of animal. So you must know the side effects of the animals’ food.
However, you can tell this article as the full guideline of the German Shepherd food item. So, you must follow this article’s guidelines before giving bananas or any other food to your German Shepherd.
You also have understood why bananas are suitable for the immune system. It’s essential to keep in mind that one can always feed their German Shepherd with a banana but only in moderate portions because it contains sugar.
Always remember to be with your pet when they have fruits as their treats. They can have allergic reactions no matter how often they have it before; if anything happens, contact your nearest vet clinic ASAP.
Bananas are safe for German Shepherd dogs, except your own Shepherd is allergic to them. Bananas are perfect dog treats with many health benefits, and most German Shepherds love bananas!
Resources :
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/bananas/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Shepherd
- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fruits-vegetables-dogs-can-and-cant-eat/