Honey is a sweet gift from nature to mankind. Many people regard honey as a healthy food, and honey water is one of the most common ways people consume honey.
Honey not only tastes sweet, but also has nutritional functions to improve health. Can such good food be fed to dogs? When the furry puppies look at honey with eager eyes, should we be indifferent or let them taste the honey?
In fact, honey is as beneficial to dogs as it is to humans. Most of the time, honey is safe and nutritious for dogs. Honey contains many important nutrients, such as pollen, enzymes, minerals, sugar (fructose and glucose), vitamins and so on. These nutrients are also needed to maintain a healthy body of dogs.
Control the feeding amount of honey so that dogs can get high-quality nutrients from delicious honey.
5 ways honey can help dogs
First of all, we want to remind everyone that the honey we are talking about here refers to those unprocessed Raw honey. That kind of processed honey is usually made with corn syrup that contains high fructose. This kind of honey is not good for dogs.
helps to alleviate the dog’s allergies
If your dog has symptoms of seasonal allergies, it may be due to honey intake And benefit.
Honey contains trace pollen. When a dog consumes honey, it slowly introduces these tiny amounts of pollen into the body, which helps the dog to produce pollen antibodies.
When the warm spring comes, these antibodies in the dog's body can prevent the autoimmune response caused by pollen in the air.
Therefore, it is best to feed the dog with locally produced honey, because this honey has a greater probability of containing local pollen.
pollen also contains a substance called quercetin , which is a bioflavonoid with antihistamine function. Quercetin can reduce tearing and itching caused by allergies.
Honey can help dogs heal wounds
Honey can be used as an antibacterial agent and disinfectant on dogs’ wounds, like normal scratches Honey can be used for wounds, bites, burns, etc. Apply honey directly to the wound, and then wrap it with a bandage.
The place of honey can be used to heal wounds because of its own characteristics:
1. Applying honey to the wound can form a protective film, which can isolate external pollutants. .
2. Honey contains mild acid. Most bacteria cannot survive in this environment.
3. The water content of honey is very low (about 20%), and bacteria do not like such conditions.
4. The high sugar contained in honey can cause the bacteria to become dehydrated and die.
5. Honey contains antibacterial properties, which help heal wound infections.
6. Honey can accelerate the growth of body tissues and speed up wound healing.
Although honey has so many benefits in wounds, we still need to remind you that treating wounds with honey is only suitable for less serious wounds. If your dog has a deep wound, don't consider treating it with honey. Send the dog to the pet hospital first.
Honey can relieve a dog's cough
I believe you can also realize this from your own experience. Drinking honey water when the throat is uncomfortable will often help us relieve the discomfort of the throat.
inOn this point, dogs are the same. Honey can relieve pain and discomfort in the throat.
When a dog has cough symptoms, we recommend that you feed the dog 1 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon of honey every time, twice a day.
Honey can promote digestion in dogs
When dogs encounter digestive problems such as indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, you can also try Give it a little honey to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort.
Honey contains prebiotics and probiotics, these two substances can play a beneficial role in the digestive tract.
Honey can help dogs control their weight
Studies have shown that honey can reduce hunger. Honey is a simple sugar, but its decomposition method is different from that of edible sugar (such as white sugar).
requires less insulin to decompose honey, and the absorption rate of honey is slower. This means that it can slow down the digestion and conversion of glucose, thereby keeping blood sugar levels in a relatively stable state.
If your dog gets fat easily, try adding a little honey to their diet.
Matters needing attention when feeding honey
In fact, not every dog is suitable for honey. If your dog has diabetes, then honey will Not a very good choice. In addition to dogs in special conditions, you should also pay attention to the following points when feeding honey.
1. When feeding honey, you must control the amount of feeding. Too much honey will not only cause diarrhea, but also cause obesity. (The specific feeding amount recommendations will be mentioned later)
2. It is not recommended to feed honey to dogs under 6 months of age. The digestive tract and immune system of puppies are not fully developed, honey is not a good choice for them.
3. Raw honey may contain some natural bacteria, it is not suitable for puppies.
The recommended feeding amount of dog feeding honey
Honey can be added to the dog’s diet as a good food, but you must also remember that honey is A high-sugar food, excessive intake will cause a series of negative effects for dogs.
What happens if I feed my dog too much honey?
Too much honey may cause gastrointestinal problems in dogs, such as botulism, diarrhea, bloating, stomach cramps, etc. Because honey contains high fructose, excessive honey may also affect the ability of dogs to digest other nutrients.
Excessive honey may also cause dental problems in dogs. Because the high sugar in honey may attach to the dog’s teeth and become a nutrient for bacteria, leading to the formation of tooth decay.
Reasonable recommended feeding amount
Remember, when the dog eats honey for the first time, give it as little as possible. On the one hand, you need to observe whether the dog is allergic to honey itself, on the other hand, this also helps the dog to adapt to the smell, texture and taste of honey. When it gets used to honey, slowly increase the amount until it reaches the feeding amount suitable for its body shape.
After feeding honey to the dog several times, pay attention to observe its defecation and mental state. If there is any abnormality, do not feed it with honey.
Conclusion
Dogs can eat honey, but you need to control the amount of feeding reasonably according to the dog's size. Raw honey is right and wrong for dogsVery good food, but it is not suitable for puppies under 6 months of age. If your dog has diabetes, honey is also not suitable for it.
Finally, we still want to remind you that most processed honey on the market is not good for dogs. Feeding real raw honey to the dog is the right choice.
