It looks and smells delicious whenever my mom squeezes herself some OJ, but no, she says it’s not a drink for canine consumption. Awooooooo. It’s such a bright, fun color, and it makes my little nose twitch excitedly.
Anyway, juice definitely isn’t recommended for sharing with your furry friend on a regular basis – but there are a range of fruits and veggies we can enjoy as treats in their solid forms instead.
A big old cup of their juices, though? Not so much.
Unlike you humans, for whom lots of Vitamin C enriched juice is a great idea (as long as you’re good at cleaning those teeth!), it will leave us with a tummy ache for sure, even if we might enjoy the delicious flavor of it.
Being the incredible creatures that we are, our wonderful doggy bodies produce our own pooch perfect levels of that and other vitamins.
We don’t need to eat or drink fruits rich in it, ‘cause we’re already chock full of it ourselves!
Is Orange Juice Poisonous To Dogs?
It isn’t toxic to our tummies, but it contains a heck of a lot of sugar, which can cause us to retain too much water and get bloaty.It also has a lot of natural acids which mom says will start eating away at my nice shiny teeth.
I don’t spend hours chewing on Dentastix for the good of my health, you know! When it comes to a good drink, there’s nothing better for us dogs than H2O. It has everything we need, and as long as it’s wet, we aren’t bothered what it tastes like!
Whilst it’s safe to feed citrus fruits (minus the seeds and peels) to your dog, don’t be surprised if we turn our noses up. We aren’t huge fans of its sour taste. Now watermelon on the other hand… that’s a fruity juicy snack I can get behind!
If your wily doggo managed to sneak a sip of OJ or two, don’t worry – nothing bad is going to happen on our watch. Woof! Keep an eye out for any strange behavior and get in touch with (grrrrrrr) your vet if you are concerned.
What Can I Give My Dog To Drink Other Than Water?
We aren’t fussy creatures you know. Sometimes my favorite place to rehydrate is that giant water bowl you humans pee into for some reason. I don’t even mind that it still tastes of pee sometimes. Basically – you’re overthinking it. Water is FINE!
Our primary drink of choice should always be water first and foremost anyway, as this is what we need nutritionally to survive and is the most refreshing. Plus, it helps us stay healthy and keep our consumption of unnecessary sugars down.
That being said, there are nicer beverages on the menu than toilet water.
You could blend up some watermelon and throw in some ice cubes for a tasty and very refreshing drink on a hot day; frozen yogurt also makes an excellent alternative to water and we love to spend hours licking away at it.
It’s possible to buy additional supplements, like this Coconut Water Powder, which adds a delicious sweetness to plain water and also boosts our essential vitamins and minerals as well as the immune system more generally.
For the more refined doggy drinkers, you can get alcohol-free fizzy imitations, like wine, beer… even pawsecco! If you’re having a party and don’t want the furry friends to be left out, pick us up our very own bottle of bubbly!
Perhaps it would be better if I spelled out things you should avoid giving us doggos (even though, personally, I think we should be able to eat and drink what we want, especially out of the trash can) to drink.
First off, I know you humans can’t survive without your caffeine (weirdos! Fresh air is nature’s caffeine! Woof woof!) but for pooches, tea and coffee is an absolute no-no. It’s very dangerous for us to consume, even in small amounts. Always avoid!
That also means that fizzy drinks like cola, lemonade and other sodas are a bad idea too. Again, a quick sip snatched here and there isn’t going to cause us to… you know, play dead for real, but you should try to steer clear of letting us get to them.
Likewise, even though it might feel like the sensible thing to pour us a nice bowl of milk… we’re not cats! And you might be surprised to know this, but as we get a little older, most dogs actually become lactose intolerant. So yeah… no milk either.
Can Dogs Eat Whole Oranges?
You can definitely feed us a couple of orange slices as a rare treat if we’re into them, but be wary! Even though they aren’t poisonous, the flesh itself is still packed with sugars and citric acid, which in large quantities can give us stomach upsets.
In very small amounts, they’d be absolutely fine – that goes for satsumas, clementines, tangerines… as long as it’s one small whole orange or a couple of segments and that’s all, there won’t be a problem.
That said, it’s incredibly important to make sure you’ve completely removed every single bit of pith and peel, as well as gotten rid of any seeds. It’s possible those bits might contain poisonous compounds, plus they taste weird. It’s not even crunchy!
Any more than that, however, and we’ll definitely end up feeling woof, if you’ll pardon the pun. It can cause gastrointestinal problems and you’ll likely end up cleaning our extremely unpleasant poops as a result, unless we can eat it first! Mmmmm, poop.
Do bear in mind, though, that just because other dogs like oranges – and I am certainly a fan of their tangy taste as an after-kibble treat – doesn’t mean your pup will! We’re all different and have our own preferences.
Whatever happens, if you’re worried about something we’ve eaten, then your best bet is to get in touch with a vet. Us dogs are super smart, yes, but I don’t have all the answers. And I begrudgingly admit that a vet might be able to help you there.
