Caution is extremely important when it comes to feeding different kinds of food to dogs, especially since their stomachs tend to be more sensitive than ours.
Where, then, do dried apricots fall in this scenario? Is it okay for dogs to eat dried apricots or should there be certain restrictions? You can find out in detail below.
Can Dogs Eat Dried Apricots?
Dogs can eat dried apricots, although there are a few limitations and restrictions to this. Generally, the flesh of the dried apricots can be safe enough for your dogs to consume and can, in fact, be quite healthy for their bodies.
However, dried apricots can sometimes come with some other elements such as pits or seeds, leaves and stems. In case your dog ends up eating these parts, then this can be quite dangerous for them and may require immediate veterinary care.
Even with the flesh, moreover, moderation is key since the calorie and sugar intake can be quite high.
Benefits of Dried Apricots for Dogs
First, let’s take a look at some benefits that dried apricots can have on the health of dogs (provided that you feed it to them occasionally and in moderation).
Nutrition
Dried apricots tend to be quite nutritious for dogs since they contain several vitamins and minerals that can have a range of benefits on their bodies, just as they do on the bodies of human beings.
Some important nutrients that dried apricots contain include potassium, copper, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, beta carotene, iron and calcium, among others.
These can all have benefits on different parts of the body and can keep your dog’s body functioning in a healthy manner while also providing them with energy.
Also Read: Can Dogs Eat Avocados?
Immunity
Dried apricots can help improve the overall immunity of your dog’s body. Of course, this is only if you feed small pieces to them occasionally in combination with an overall balanced diet that fulfills their nutritional requirements.
When given in this kind of balanced and cohesive manner, your dog’s body will be able to build up the capacity to resist harmful bacteria and viruses that can otherwise easily make them sick.
This kind of strong immunity can also make the impacts of certain illnesses less severe and make the healing process more effective.
Antioxidants
Dried apricots contain vitamin C and beta carotene, both of which have important antioxidant properties that can greatly benefit your dog when combined with other kinds of food.
Antioxidants have the ability to delay or even prevent too much cell damage due to their ability to act on free radicals inside the body. This works in a similar manner for both humans and other animals, including dogs.
These antioxidants can then reduce the impact or severity of diseases like cancer, heart diseases and other such chronic illnesses, provided that other biological and environmental factors support this as well.
Skin and Eyes
Your dog’s skin and eyes can highly benefit from the presence of certain vitamins and minerals. In particular, vitamin A and vitamin C have elements that can improve the overall condition of the eyes of dogs by improving vision and reducing the risk of damage.
Beta carotene can also help prevent the occurrence of cataracts.
These can also help keep your dog’s skin in good condition by leaving it clear and preventing skin lesions and diseases, whether short term or chronic.
While other factors in your dog’s lifestyle and genetics can also make a difference here, maintaining a healthy intake of these vitamins can help. Some of these can come from dried apricots.
Muscle and Bone Strength
Dogs need their cells, tissues and organs to function healthily, which can then also have an impact on the strength of their muscles and bones. Through the potassium and calcium present in dried apricots, the health of your dog’s muscles and bones can improve.
This can go a long way in preventing or reducing the intensity of cramps, pain and injuries.
Their nervous system and the functioning and mechanisms of their organs can improve in this manner as well.
Also Read: Can Dogs Eat Applesauce?
Potential Risks
While it is clear that the flesh of dried apricots can have various benefits when it comes to the health of dogs, it (along with other parts of these dried fruits) can present several major health risks as well. These are as follows.
Choking
The leaves, pits and stems of the dried apricots (if present in this kind of form) can present several choking risks if your dog happens to ingest them by accident.
Since the organs of dogs tend to be more sensitive and even smaller as compared to those of human beings, even seemingly harmless things might end up catching in their throat or passages, leading to potentially fatal choking.
Blockage
Blockage can also end up occurring in the stomach or intestines of dogs in case these organs are not able to digest them properly or even pass them out for excretion.
If these pits or stems end up creating a blockage, your dog might experience pain, vomiting, constipation, lack of appetite and general discomfort.
If it persists for too long, it can end up leading to greater harm and could even prove to be fatal if not taken care of in time.
Digestive Issues
In case you or someone feeds your dog too many dried apricots at once or if your dog accidentally ends up eating them, then this can lead to several digestive issues. This can occur even if you feed dried apricots to your dogs on a frequent basis.
This can then end up causing nausea, vomiting, fatigue, drowsiness, lethargy, diarrhea and general discomfort. In case you notice any of these symptoms, make sure you take your dog to the vet immediately so that they can get some medication or treatment.
Since fruits (including dried fruits) contain so much fiber, feeding them to your dog in large quantities can create such digestive troubles.
Unhealthy Weight Gain
Frequent consumption of dried apricots can also lead to unhealthy weight gain for your dog. While it might seem harmless to feed a few bits of these dried fruits to your dog on a daily basis, it is actually quite dangerous due to the gradual weight gain it can cause.
Since dried apricots contain too many calories and sugars, a weight gain is quite likely to take place when it comes to your dogs, whose metabolism can work a bit differently as compared to ours.
Limit feeding dried apricots to rare occasions.
Cyanide Poisoning
When it comes to the pits or kernels, stems and leaves of dried apricots, the plant toxin amygdalin can end up changing into cyanide after ingestion.
This kind of conversion can take place inside the bodies of human beings as well, so it is bound to be much more harmful to dogs due to their sensitive digestive systems.
This can hinder the healthy passage of oxygen across your dog’s body, potentially leading to death if not taken care of in time. Some symptoms of cyanide poisoning can include lethargy, bad breath, breathing issues, panting, weakness, drooping ears, dilated pupils and more.
Also Read: Can Dogs Eat Kiwi?
What If My Dog Eats Too Many Dried Apricots?
If you know that your dog has eaten too many dried apricots or has ingested the bits apart from the flesh, then keep an eye on their health and behavior.
In case you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms and discomfort of any kind, make sure you take your dog to the vet immediately and have them checked up so that they can be treated accordingly.
Final Remarks
It is clear that if you only feed pieces of the flesh of dried apricots to your dog on an occasional basis, this is likely to be harmless and even healthy. However, too many dried apricots or ingestion of the pits, leaves and stems can create severe issues that will require immediate veterinary care.
