I’ve never tried eating quinoa before, but I always see my owners munching on it when they sit down for dinner. I always hear them speaking about how healthy it might be and how much fiber it has. Sometimes they’ll give me leftover food from their meals, but I’ve never been given quinoa, yet.
Since my family seems to benefit from eating quinoa all of the time, I wonder if I can reap the benefits of it, as well? There has been some research out there that quinoa has many health benefits for dogs. If that’s the case, I’d like to get my paws or teeth on some of that stuff!
Is Quinoa Safe for Dogs?
Quinoa isn’t known to be toxic for dogs. The American Kennel Club has stated that it is an ingredient in some of the top-quality dog foods on the market. If that’s the case, then there is a slight chance that I’ve already tried quinoa in my dog food without even knowing it. Quinoa is known to be a healthy option instead of soy, wheat, and corn.
What Are Some of The Health Benefits Of Quinoa For Dogs?
Nutritional Value
Quinoa is loaded with many nutrients that are helpful for both humans and dogs alike. I’m not gluten-free, but quinoa is. Quinoa contains a lot of fiber and doesn’t have any trans fats in it. It contains linoleic acid and has antioxidants in it like:
- Flavonoids
- Quercetin
- Kaempferol
- Quinoa has several B-vitamins and minerals in it like:
- Riboflavin
- Folate
- Magnesium
- Iron
Due to quinoa being so packed full of nutrients, I think it would be perfect for me to eat daily. I want to do everything I possibly can to extend my life and be with my family for a longer time.
Healing Characteristics
Because quinoa has antioxidants in it, it’s perfect for lowering free radicals in the body. It will decrease the chances of certain cancers developing. I don’t want to be dealing with cancer at any point in my life, and I think if I keep eating quinoa, I might be able to avoid going through that.
Increases Functioning of The Cardiovascular System
Many whole grains have benefits for the cardiovascular system, and quinoa is the same. If my owners start to include quinoa in my diet, my heart will be healthier well into the future.
Quinoa Combats Inflammation
Quinoa also helps to reduce inflammation throughout the body. If I have reduced inflammation in my body, I’ll likely be at a lower risk of developing certain diseases.
Can Dogs Eat Quinoa? Things To Look Out For
Quinoa isn’t known to be toxic for dogs, but that isn’t to say that every dog out there will enjoy how it tastes. I’ve never had the chance to try it out for myself, so I have no clue if I will like it or not. After realizing all the many different health benefits of it, I wish I could try it at least once in my life. Who knows, maybe I might just like it and want it more often?
Vomiting
If you’ve just given your dog quinoa and you begin to see it vomiting or have an upset stomach, you’ll want to refrain from giving it to them any further. It’s advised to get in touch with your vet to see that there aren’t any other health conditions going on with your dog.
Drooling
If you’ve fed some quinoa to your dog and see that it starts to drool, that can mean it’s experiencing an allergic reaction. I hope something like this never happens to me, but I guess I will never know if it will unless I get to try it out.
Lowered Appetite
If I eat some quinoa and don’t want to enjoy a dog biscuit afterward, then that means something might be wrong. You’ll want to contact the vet to see what’s going on with me because dog treats are my favorite thing in the world, and I’d do anything to get more and more of them.
When you’re initially going through the steps in getting your dog to try out quinoa, you’ll want to do so closely and with careful monitoring. Saponin is a chemical in quinoa, and it could potentially be harmful to them. Saponin is something that quinoa plants produce to keep themselves protected from insects.
Sometimes people will experience digestive upset after eating quinoa, and saponin is sometimes known to be the culprit. Most of the time, the quantity of saponin located on quinoa is way too small of an amount to cause issues.
I’m wondering if my digestive system will be a little more sensitive than the digestive system founds in humans. I hear that you can get rid of most of the saponin on the quinoa if you wash it before you go and cook it. It will most likely make it much easier for me to eat and digest properly.
For dogs with sensitive digestive systems, there is a chance that they won’t digest quinoa. You’ll want to speak to your vet about any concerns you have before feeding quinoa to your dog. No one wants to make their dog sick for no reason and doing your research and due diligence beforehand will go a long way in ensuring you can prevent negative consequences.
How Can You Include Quinoa in Your Dog’s Meals?
For those interested in including quinoa in their dog’s diet, you won’t want to hand them a big bowl of quinoa and let them eat it. It should be a dog treat. Even though I’m not picky in the least, I don’t think I would enjoy quinoa like that. Most people will mix quinoa with certain oils, salts, and spices.
If you’re considering giving me quinoa that’s mixed with things like garlic or onions, it could result in me having an upset stomach.
When you’re finally ready to try out quinoa with my diet, you’ll want to start by rinsing it thoroughly. After that, boil it in a ratio of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts of liquid. Most people use water, but some like to use broth that is safe for dogs to consume. I do like bone broth, so that be a consideration to keep in mind.
After the liquid starts to evaporate, take the quinoa off the source of heat. Get a fork and begin fluffing it around before letting it cool off. You can give quinoa to me while it’s still warm but ensure that it isn’t piping hot. I don’t want to burn my tongue because that would be painful!
If you want, you can include the quinoa with my regular dry dog food or wet dog food. For an extra delicious quinoa dog treat, try out this one for my next meal!
Quinoa Crisps with Salmon
I haven’t tried out quinoa before for myself, but I enjoy salmon, and I think this would be a very good recipe to try out. There are a few things required for this one:
2 cups of canned salmon and water
1.5 to 2 cups of quinoa flour
1 cup of cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
For this method, you’ll want to get your food processor ready. Begin by blending the salmon until it turns into a paste that’s quite thick. After that, add some water from the can of salmon. You won’t need a lot of water for this part.
Get a medium-sized bowl and begin stirring the salmon paste, quinoa, and rosemary together. Once that’s done, start adding some quinoa flour into the mix to result in a dough that isn’t too sticky. The amount you’ll add will be dependent on the amount of water you used with the salmon paste.
Begin kneading it into a loose dough. If you still notice that the dough is too sticky, add some more quinoa flour to the mix. After that, get the dough, insert it in between two layers of parchment paper, and roll it out. Once that’s complete, take off the upper layer of parchment paper. Get a pizza cutter and start to slice the dough into little cracker-shaped portions.
Oven
Begin placing the cracker-shaped pieces onto a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper. Turn the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and leave the crackers in it for about 3 hours. At this point, you’ll want to flip the crackers over and place them back in the over. Once flipped over, leave them in the oven for 2 to 4 more hours.
Dehydrator
You can also use a dehydrator for this recipe. Put all of the crackers on dehydrator trays and let them sit in there for a good 6 to 8 hours until you start noticing them becoming crispy. After that, take them out of the dehydrator and put them in an airtight container. For crackers that are completely dried through to the center, they should be good for almost a month.
These treats sound extremely delicious, and I hope my family makes them for me as soon as possible.
