She sure can! Fresh fruits and veggies are a much-welcomed treat by most dogs. I copied this from an article on healthydogs4life.com that I found really informative! Hope that helps!
>>>
When To Feed Fruits
The thing about bananas, and fruit in general, is the amount of sugar that they contain. Fruits require a certain digestive enzymes to break them down, and this enzyme is different from the one used to break down vegetables and meat. Because of this, if you feed fruits with vegetables and meats to your dog, they will not get fully digested. The sugary, undigested part sits in their digestive system and ends up aiding the growth of bad bacteria, which can lead to digestive and other health problems.
So the key to feeding fruits to your dog is when to feed it.
If you are feeding your dog a fruit before a meal, make it 1 hour before. This should give ample time for the fruit to get digested before the meat and vegetables.
If you are feeding after a meal, wait at least 2 hours after they have eaten. This way, the meat and vegetables have digested enough for the fruit to get digested properly.
What Fruits To Stay Away From:
Avocado – a debated topic, but most people agree – just do not feed it
Grapes and Raisins – do not feed
Dehydrated fruits – these are just way too high in sugar content – feed fresh fruit instead.
How Much Fruit To Feed
While fruits have certain beneficial nutrients, they also have a lot of sugar, especially bananas, which is probably why dogs love bananas so much (apples and blueberries seem to be a close second favorite). So feeding fruits often really isn’t such a good idea. You should also feed an amount that is appropriate to the size of your dog. A teacup poodle should only get a small portion of fruit, while a mastiff can probably eat a whole piece of fruit. But again, you should only feed fruit occasionally, like a treat, once or twice a week at most. |