Can Goldendoodles Eat Blueberries?

Blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits for humans and they make a great snack nearly any time of the day. This amazing berry is loaded with antioxidants and other healthy nutrients that make it a great part of a healthy diet. They are great for sprinkling into oatmeal, salads, desserts, or just eating by themselves. There is no doubt that a healthy serving of blueberries daily can do wonders for the human body.

But what about your Goldendoodle? Can a Goldendoodle also eat and enjoy blueberries?

Yes, a Goldendoodle or any other dog breed can eat blueberries and they are a healthy option to offer as a low-calorie treat. However, you will need to make sure that you are not feeding them excessive amounts since they do contain a lot of sugar.

We often feed them to our Mini Goldendoodle at feeding time. We simply add them in with her food and she loves them! It gives a little bit of variety to her meal rather than just eating a bland meal day in and day out. We also give a few to her often as treats throughout the day along with other vegetables, and standard commercial dog treats. She loves the fresh, cold, sweetness of a blueberry and it goes right along with her taste for crunchy carrots as well.

Our dog has eaten fruits and vegetables like this all of her life. She has enjoyed them since she was a young pup. In fact, we used treats like this to help train her when she was a puppy. Whether it was small bits of fruits, such as blueberries, or small pieces of carrots, these make great low-calorie alternatives to the standard, high-density, high-calorie treats that are on the market.

When used in conjunction with those types of treats, fruits like this can help satisfy your dog’s cravings while keeping the calorie count low.

Benefits of Blueberries for Dogs

Blueberries are considered a superfood that contains important vitamins and nutrients. Below are just a few of the benefits that are to be found by feeding blueberries to your dog.

• Antioxidants. Perhaps the thing that blueberries are most prized for is their rich amount of antioxidants. These antioxidants can be protective to humans and dogs alike in keeping the oxidation process from damaging cells. This may be beneficial for reducing the risk of diseases, including cancers. Learn more about how antioxidants may be beneficial for your dog.
• Vitamins and minerals. The primary vitamins found in blueberries are Vitamin C and Vitamin K. Besides vitamins, they also contain trace amounts of various minerals, including manganese. Just like with humans, these vitamins are essential for dogs and anything you can do to increase these numbers is going to be beneficial.
• Fiber. Since you shouldn’t feed a dog very many blueberries at a time, the fiber content won’t be substantial. However, even small amounts of fiber can be beneficial, especially when added as part of an overall diet that contains other high-fiber foods.
• Low-Calorie. It’s easy for a dog to gain weight if they are constantly consuming high-calorie treats. Blueberries are a great way to satisfy a treat craving while adding only a small amount of calories to their daily diet. There are only about 5 calories in a tablespoon of wild blueberries, according to the package that I generally purchase. This is the amount that is generally given to our dog at feeding time. A tablespoon worth of these berries gives her the benefits listed above without adding a lot of calories.

Is It Safe for Dogs to Eat Blueberries?

Blueberries are safe and can be an enjoyable snack for your dog. However, there are a few things you should be aware of before you decide to feed them to your dogs.

• Don’t give them too many. Keep it at a minimum and only offer them as an occasional treat. You can also add them to their daily food. In fact, many food brands include blueberries in their mixture. We use Castor & Pollux Organix canned dog food and some of the varieties that our dog eats have whole blueberries added into the mixture.
• Feed real blueberries. Stay away from artificial foods that only mimic the flavor of blueberries. Stick with whole foods only that contain only one ingredient; blueberry. There are many products that may say blueberries but also have other ingredients like sugar and artificial flavors. Stay away from these and opt only for whole, raw blueberries. I prefer to purchase fresh organic blueberries, give them a good washing, and then give them to our Doodle a little at a time.
• Supervise your dog while eating them. Since blueberries are small, they may present a choking hazard to some dogs. It’s best that you watch them as they eat to ensure that nothing gets lodged in the wrong pipe as they scarf them down.

While blueberries are safe for your dog in moderation, there are several foods that are not safe. Here is a good list of foods that you should avoid feeding your dog.

4 Ways to Feed Blueberries to Your Doodle

Raw Blueberries

Raw blueberries that come directly from the package or are picked directly from the bush are great for feeding directly to your dog. You can simply wash them off and give a few as a treat or add to their meal.

Treats Made With Blueberries

Many dog treats are made with blueberries that don’t contain all the other bad ingredients. You can also find many recipes online that make use of them along with other fruits such as bananas, apples, mangos, etc. Try these if you are looking to make a homemade treat that will be delicious to your dog.

If you prefer to purchase pre-made treats, these Blueberry Wiggle Biscuits from V-Dog are our favorite. Our Mini Goldendoodle loves these biscuits and you can really smell the blueberry packed into them.

Added to Their Food

A great way to add the healthy benefits of blueberries to your dog’s life is to drop a few in their food each day. You can simply add a few to their bowl with the rest of their food and they will enjoy them along with their meal. It’s a great way to add some variety and increase the nutritional content of the foods that they are consuming.

Frozen

We purchase organic wild blueberries and often add them to our Doodle’s food. The blueberries that we purchase are much smaller than the conventional ones your purchase fresh in the store. This is a cost-effective way to buy them and they last a long time. You can add a little warm water to a few of them in a bowl to let them defrost and then easily add them to your dog’s food. This is a great way to maintain the benefits of blueberries year-round when you are unable to find fresh blueberries.

Bottom Line

Not only are blueberries delicious but they also add some much-needed antioxidants and other nutrients to your dog’s diet. Blueberries provide a healthy snack for humans and dogs alike. If your dog is like ours, he or she will eat nearly anything you are eating. Our Mini Goldendoodle stares at us as we eat and will gladly accept anything we give her.

We are careful with what we actually give her but blueberries have become something that we won’t hesitate to feed her. She loves them and we love for her to eat them knowing that it is doing her body some good.

It’s a healthy superfood that can help supplement your dog’s diet and boost the amount of nutrition they are receiving. Blueberries should be consumed regularly by us humans and they should always be in our fridge or freezer. Making them a regular part of our diet will not only benefit us but will also help out our beloved dog when we slip a few to them from time to time.