I love red bell peppers. Bell peppers in general, really. I like to eat them like apples. They’re so crunchy and delicious – Alex Honnold
Being a Great Dane with vegetarian human parents, my diet isn’t the same as a lot of my other dog friends are and I’ve been brought up to eat a lot of different things.
One of my favorite moments of every day is when I hear one of my humans shout “Theo, snack time” and I go bounding into the kitchen to find out what unexpected treat they’ve cooked and prepared for me.
Life is never dull with my humans, and thanks to them feeding me an endless succession of different vegetables, all of which I’m confident that they would have known in advance were fine for me to eat before they offered them to me, I can, with hesitation say that yes, dogs can eat bell peppers.
And I know we can, because I’ve eaten them on many occasions, and every single time I have, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them.
Are Bell Peppers Good For Dogs?
Vegetables are good for everyone, and they’re as good for dogs as they are for you humans. Too many humans think that it’s good for us to eat chocolate, candy and chips, and all of the other things that humans like to snack on.
While we do like them, and I’m more than a little partial to the odd peanut butter cup myself, they’re not very good for us and they can all cause us to put on a little bit of weight.
And when we do get chunky, it’s more difficult for us to lose those extra pounds than it is for humans, and it’s more detrimental to our health and wellbeing than it is to yours. So, the odd vegetable every now and then is a welcome treat for us, and a nice way for us to share whatever it is that you’re eating with you.
However, it’s also important to remember that we get all of the nutrition, protein, vitamins, and minerals that we need from our daily diet of dog food, and if we’re being fed properly, we don’t actually need the antioxidants and vitamins that vegetables contain to make us healthier.
A little bit extra is nice but even though we might beg and plead and tell you that we want more of what you’re eating, we don’t actually need it.
How Much Is Enough?
Nature and evolution made us carnivores and if dogs were left to their own devices, we’d be more than happy to follow our natural diet and eat meat all of the time.
But as I’ve already woofed to you, we can eat and do enjoy the odd vegetable every now and then.
But you do need to be careful not to feed us too many vegetables at a time because we don’t have much impulse control and we’ll just keep on eating whatever you want to feed us until we burst.
Most of the time it isn’t a problem, as we’re pretty hardy creatures and our tummies can cope with a lot.
If you feed us too many vegetables though, it can make us poorly and in some cases, as it did to my friend Obi who I play with when we go to the park, we can also end up suffering from diarrhea if we eat too many at a time. He ate two whole bell peppers because he just couldn’t help himself and he was very, very sick afterward.
If you want to treat your best boy to some bell pepper (and why wouldn’t you, they’re absolutely yummy!), you could always start by doing it the same way that my humans did.
When they began feeding me peppers, they started slowly and only fed me a slice or two at a time and so that I knew that it was okay for me to eat it, they’d eat a slice in front of me, and then offer me one.
Of course, just because they started slowly, it doesn’t mean that it carried on that way, and whenever I see they’ve got a delicious bell pepper ready, I can easily eat half of one before they make me stop and don’t give me any more.
I think my humans are probably right and that if I ate any more than half a pepper at a time, I might end up being as poorly as Obi was when he ate too much.
Does That Mean That Dogs Can Only Eat Raw Peppers?
No, it doesn’t, we can eat peppers if they’re cooked properly and aren’t mixed with either onions or garlic, as they are poisonous to us and can make us very ill if we eat them.
My humans like to lightly fry some sliced pepper in vegetable oil and add a slice or two to my dinner, and I have to admit, it’s a nice addition to my dog food.
If I’m honest though, I like it best when my humans puree bell peppers and mix a couple of spoonfuls into my dinner, as that just adds a little extra flavor. As you’ve probably already guessed from my earlier peanut butter admission, I do like a little extra flavor in my dinner.
When the peppers are fried and pureed though, they tend to be soft, and being a dog I like crunchy things. So if I was given the choice to eat either cooked or raw peppers, I’d always put my paw up and ask for them to be raw. I just prefer the crunch.
Does The Color Of A Pepper Matter To Dogs?
While I can’t speak for every other dog, I can confirm that the color of a bell pepper makes absolutely no difference to me.
I don’t mind if the pepper is green, red, or yellow, I like all bell peppers. Maybe it’s because I don’t see or perceive color the same way that you humans do, and so it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference to me.
Or maybe it’s because, having paid absolutely no attention to the color of the peppers that I was eating, I know that really, all three taste very similar and they’re all absolutely delicious.
The Dog Bell Pepper Conundrum – Theo’s Conclusion
Can dogs eat bell peppers? We absolutely can, and they’re as good for us as they are for you humans as long as we eat them in moderation.
After all, a little of what you fancy can do you a world of good.