Can Dogs Eat Tangerines?

Are you a pet parent? Do you always worry about the health of your dog? Don’t worry we are here to help you out. When we talk about your dog’s health, then there are many factors that affect it. A dog’s schedule is the major reason for its health. The daily routine of your dog, its diet are all very important factors that decide your dog’s health. If we talk about the appetite of your dog, then what is the main component of your dog’s diet chart? You must ask yourself this question.

Does your dog love fruits? Or do you want to know the benefits or side-effects of fruits on your dog? Here we would be telling about the effects of tangerines on dogs and would describe whether your pooch kid can have tangerines or not. However, other than these there are certainly other factors like genetics that can affect your dog’s health.

What are tangerines?

Tangerines can be called as a group of orange-colored fruits. Tangerines are citrus and consist of some hybrids of the mandarin orange. The Oxford Dictionary defines tangerine to be a native or resident of Tangier. Many people tend to get confused between tangerines and oranges.  Both tangerines and oranges are not the same.

However, since both of them belong to the same family, they do have certain similarities. Both of them are citrus. Both the fruits may have or not have seeds. They also have certain differences. Their appearances are different. Oranges are yellowish-orange whereas tangerines are reddish-orange. Oranges tend to be bigger than tangerines.

Are tangerines good for your dog?

Tangerine largely consists of vitamin C. Dogs do not need an external supply of vitamins. Dogs are one of those organisms that have the power to magically secrete vitamins on their own. An extra supply of vitamin C is not necessary for them. This will not do any good for your dog.

However, tangerines can prove helpful if your dog is suffering from any particular disease or vitamin loss. Overall, it can be stated that there is no specific need for tangerine for your dog. However, consulting a vet would be the best option.

Nutrient content of tangerines

Tangerines consist of 44%DV of vitamin C in them. Their protein content is 0.8 grams. The fat present in tangerines is 0.3 grams. The content of fiber and carbs in them is 1.8 grams and 13.3 grams respectively. They tend to carry about 53 calories in them.
The above-given information is based on around 100 grams of tangerine.

Do tangerines cause problems for dogs?

dog likes tangerines
Fresh mandarin oranges texture.

Tangerines may not have any quick effects on dogs, be it good or bad. They can, however, show long time results. Tangerines consist of a considerably good amount of sugar. This can cause weight issues for your dog. Dogs could probably fall prey to obesity because of tangerines.

Tangerines can create quite a few problems for your dog. Your dog’s heart could also be in danger because of tangerines.  Your dog’s life span could be reduced due to tangerines. There is a probability that your dog may not be able to enjoy the years they live to the fullest. Diabetes has the power to change your dog’s life.

What is diabetes and what are the symptoms of diabetes on dogs

Diabetes is a state when there are certain problems with insulin and glucose. Diabetes can be divided into two parts:

  1. Insulin deficiency – This type of diabetes happens when your dog’s body is not able to produce the required amount of insulin. This can be a probable result of pancreas damage.
  2. Insulin resistance – This type of diabetes happens when your dog’s body produces insulin but in a very small proportion. This insulin goes unused. The cells are not able to make its complete use.

Symptoms

Some of the early symptoms of diabetes are as follows

  1. Increased thirst – Your pet dog may feel thirsty more often.
  2. Excess urination – Your pet dog may urinate more often than before. There may be frequent accidents happening with your dog.
  3. More hunger – Your dog may feel hungrier than before if it has diabetes. This is because its body is not able to get the amount of glucose that it needs.
  4. Weight loss – Despite more appetite, your dog’s weight might decrease if it is a victim of diabetes.

(These are some early symptoms of diabetes. If your dog has diabetes in an advanced state than the symptoms can change.)

The diabetics prone phase of dogs

While diabetics can occur at almost any time to your dog, there are certain characteristics that may increase the chance of your dog getting diabetes. Age is one of these characteristics. Diabetes is mostly seen in dogs that are middle-aged or senior i.e. age of five years or more. Genetics plays a key role in diabetes for dogs too.

The breed of dogs that may be at more risk of being diabetic include Cairn Terriers, Pugs, Puli, etc. Obesity and gender are some other factors that might increase the chance of your dog falling prey to diabetes. A study claims that female dogs have twice the chance of getting diabetic than male ones. Even Obesity can play a vital role in diabetes.

Effect of tangerines on puppies

Puppies can be offered tangerines. However, there are certain side effects of tangerines on puppies too. Considering this fact, it is advised that puppies be offered tangerines only in a small amount. Tangerines are citrus and can cause side effects if given in large proportion. Make sure that you peel this fruit before serving it to your puppy.

What if your dog ate tangerine?

Has your dog eaten a tangerine? Have you unknowingly given a tangerine to your pooch baby? Do you want to know the side effects that it may cause on your dog? Tangerines can be consumed by dogs. The criteria are that the quantity should be less. You should make sure that the peels are removed before your dog haves this. You must also take care that there are no seeds in it.  All these can have side effects on your dog.

What if your dog likes tangerines?

Does your dog go bananas over tangerines? Have you not been successful in removing this habit from your dog? Don’t worry. There is a solution to this as well. Dogs can have tangerines in small amounts. But before giving this fruit to your pooch, make sure that you remove the peels and seeds from the fruit. When given in large amounts to dogs, tangerines may cause problems. To avoid these problems, make sure that you take care of the prerequisites.

Can dogs have tangerines

As mentioned earlier, dogs can have tangerines. Almost all the breeds of dogs can have tangerines. However, if your dog suffers from overweight or diabetes, then try avoiding this fruit. The natural sugar in tangerines is not bad. Still, keeping this fruit away from your dog is recommended.

The most important factor is that you must take care of is that tangerines should not be more than 8% of your dog’s appetite. There might be a case that your dog may not like tangerines. To test this, try giving a very small proportion of tangerine to it. If your dog does not show any problems, then you can include this fruit in your dog’s diet for not more than 8% of daily appetite.

Can dogs have tangerine peels, seeds, or tangerine juice?

Dogs cannot have tangerine peels and seeds. Try avoiding tangerine juice too. Tangerine peels and seeds should always be removed before giving to your dogs. These peels and seeds have the ability to block your dog’s pancreas. This would lead to bad digestion. Tangerine juices do not have considerable bad effects on dogs. However, their acidic content and sugar content is very high. They may lead to many bad effects on your dog.

Other fruits that your dog can have

If you don’t want to give tangerines to your dog, then there are certain other fruits and vegetables that can be eaten by dogs. Dogs can have apples, bananas, blueberries, carrots, mango, green beans, peaches, pears, and boiled potato. All these fruits have considerably fewer side effects on dogs. You can even prefer giving oranges over tangerines to your dog.

However, try avoiding fruits and vegetables like mushroom, avocado, onion, and garlic. These tend to be more dangerous to the health of dogs. Consider consulting a vet before making any changes in your dog’s diet. They would be knowing details about your dog’s health and would be able to make a clear decision.

This article was an attempt to put some light on the effects of tangerines on dogs. While there are some side effects, there are a few benefits too. As a pet parent, it is your take to include or exclude any particular item from your dog’s diet. After researching about tangerines and your dogs, the final call is yours whether you want to give this fruit to your dog.