Modern Beagle Team – Page 8

Beagles love guava. It is a great source of essential vitamins and nutrients that are good for your dog’s skin and coat. As a natural fruit, guava is easy to prepare and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or preservatives. One would think because of all of these benefits, it is widely used as dog treat or supplement in their diet, right? Unfortunately, guava contains seeds have been shown to be choking hazards and can cause some digestion issues for dogs, so precaution and some preparation work must be taken before you can feed it to your beagle safely. That being said, beagles can eat guava, and pieces of guava often work great as high value training treats. As long as precautions are taken with the peel and seeds, small portions of guava can be great for beagles. In this article, I'll detail all the ways I like to prepare guava for my two beagles, what benefits and potential side effects you should look out for. I'll also share some of my favorite guava treats that I use for training with them! Benefits of Guava for Beagles Guava Is Packed With Vitamin A & K Guava is an extremely nutrient-dense food, making it a great option to help supplement your beagle's regular food. In particular, guava has high concentrations of Vitamins A and K. Vitamin A is important for your dog, as it helps with their eyesight. Vitamin A is also an antioxidant and can help your beagle fight off infections, such as infections in their skin. Vitamin K helps your beagle’s body produce proteins needed for preventing blood clotting and promoting bone health. Both of these vitamins have also been known to help boost metabolism in all dog breeds, which can be great for dogs that have a higher propensity to overeat, such as beagles. Guava Is Low Calorie, Yet High In Fiber Guava has a lower calorie count compared to other fruits. 100 grams of guava only has about 70 calories. Because it's also an excellent source of fiber, it can do a great job of regulating your beagle's digestion while keeping their hunger at bay. For beagles that are very food-motivated and have trouble not overeating, guava can be a great choice because it's a tasty fruit, but isn't too calorically dense like papayas, bananas, or mangos. Guava Also Has More Vitamin C Than Oranges Many people assume oranges are the optimal fruit for getting extra vitamin C, but the guava fruit is even more powerful, with over 200mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of guava. Vitamin C is very important for growing young beagles. Some of the biggest benefits of vitamin C include building a strong immune system, reducing inflammation, and even helping to slow down the rate of cognitive aging! By making sure your beagle meets their recommended daily amounts of vitamin C, you'll also help their immune systems fight off potential colds like infections, flus, or even kennel cough. Guava Is Rich In Magnesium Guava is an excellent source of magnesium for your beagle. Magnesium is important for nerve and muscle function, metabolism regulation, as well as building strong bones and teeth. By getting enough magnesium, your beagle will get the energy needed to perform their regular exercise as well help boost their immune systems and cardiovascular systems. A lot of dog foods are fortified with mangesium, but for younger puppy beagles and older senior beagles, extra supplementation of mangesium can really help go a long way when it comes to building and maintaining muscle strength. Guava Is Extremely Tasty, And Can Be An Effective Training Tool Guava is very tasty, which makes it a great training treat for your beagle. Often with my two beagles I've had trouble wanting to not give them too many of their favorite treats while training, because they can upset their stomach. That's why I like to stick with cut up chunks of whole fruits like guava, as they're healthy, full of fiber, and aren't too calorie-dense, so that our training sessions can last a long time without risking overfeeding them. Side Effects of Guava for Beagles Dogs Can Be Allergic To Guava If you haven't tried giving your beagle guava before, you should avoid doing so in large quantities until you know for sure that they don't have any allergies or sensitivity toward it. Since guava is such a common fruit for canines to consume, there shouldn't be many complications associated with trying it. But the best way to avoid complications is to know your dog's medical history and if they are sensitive to any foods. If your dog doesnt' have any existing fruit allergies, you should introduce guava slowly, so that you can monitor how they react over the first couple of hours after eating. If they don't show any signs of typical allergic reactions or digestive discomfort, you should be good to continue feeding them guava in larger doses in the future. Guava Is High In Carbohydrates And Sugars While guava has many benefits for your beagle, it does have sugars that are very concentrated in the fruit juice. Consuming too much sugar can cause diabetes for canines later in life, and too many carbohydrates can cause issues for dogs that were born with Type-1 diabetes or developed Type-2 diabetes already. For these reasons, you should remain cautious with how much guava you give your beagle, especially if they are already overweight or have any medical issues that require less sugar than the average beagle Guava Seeds Can Be Choking Hazards The seeds of guava are a big choking hazard for beagles. The best way to avoid choking hazards is to cut your guava into pieces before giving it to your beagle. Avoid feeding your beagle whole guava or allowing them to eat the fruit whole, as they can easily choke on it and end up with some complications as a result. When preparing guava for your beagle, you should also avoid giving them the outside skin layer of the fruit, as this can be tough on their teeth and harder to digest as well. Guava Can Still Be Easy To Overeat Because guava is so light and tasty to dogs, it can be very easy for them to overeat it, or be overfed it during a training session. While it is low in calories, you should still monitor how much your dog is eating in a given sitting, as every dog will react to overeating guava differently. There aren't too many serious risks or complications from overeating guava, but it will likely cause some digestive discomfort, and even vomiting or diarrhea in some cases. Like all foods, it's best to give to your dog in moderation, under your supervision. If you think your beagle may have eaten too much guava and is getting sick, you may want to call your vet as they could be dehydrated and needing medical attention. Not All Guava Products Are Naturally Fit For Dogs When trying out new prepackaged guava products for dogs, you should always read the label first. Just because the packaging says that the product is "for dogs" does not mean that it is "healthy" for dogs. There are some products out there that are not natural or healthy for dogs at all. You should always look at the label and see what the ingredients are before feeding your beagle anything. Many manufacturers add artificial flavorings and colors to their foods to make them more appealing to dogs and owners. While these are sometimes fine, you should always review the added ingredients in case they could be harmful to dogs, or contain known allergens for your specific beagle. A good rule of thumb is to try to stick with guava treats that have as little other added ingredients as possible. Best Guava Treats for Beagles Guava And Queso Pastelitos Boxed Dog Treats Whole Guava Fruit Slices or chunks of whole guava fruit is honestly the best way to go. I do like freeze dried options as they'll keep fresh longer than the fruit, but they also lose a certain amount of nutrients, especially the fiber compared to just feeding whole chunks or slices of guava. You can get these at any grocery store, and they apply to all of the different kinds of guava, including pineapple guava, Thai guava, strawberry guava, and tropical white guava, just to name a few. Final Thoughts Guava is a great natural treat for your beagle to enjoy every now and then. It can be a healthy alternative over some of the more common snacks that dogs eat every day. It provides a lot of important nutrients, and is something most beagles will really enjoy eating, making it a high value type of reward for when you are training. Like all foods, guava should be given in moderation. Overall however, I'd definitely rank it close to the top in terms of fruits that I like to give my beagles.