Can Dog Eat Brussels Sprout?

samia_naeem · May 21, 2022, 7:14am

Can Dog Eat Brussels Sprout? Brussels sprouts are a tasty addition to your dog’s dinner bowl as long as you serve them plain, fresh, or cooked (or an excellent quick snack). These cruciferous vegetables can also benefit overweight or diabetic dogs, as long as they are properly prepared and given in moderation.

can dog eat Brussels sprout

What is Brussels Sprout?

Brussels sprouts, those slimy little cabbages our grandmothers served at holiday meals, are finding new life in the category of healthy food options. These cruciferous vegetables, which are high in essential vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, provide numerous health benefits to both humans and dog.

The Brussels sprout is a cruciferous plant that belongs to the brassica genus. They are “cruciferous,” which means they belong to the cabbage family. They are, however, a member of the mustard plant family, along with broccoli, kale, arugula, cabbage, radishes, and watercress.

Brussels sprouts are low in calories and carbohydrates but high in fiber, with only 28 calories and two grammes of fiber in a half-cup serving. This makes them an excellent treat for overweight or diabetic dogs. But that’s not all they have to offer. Examine the health advantages of eating Brussels sprouts.

The Advantages of Brussels sprouts to Dog

Dietary Fiber

Fiber helps your dog’s digestive system stay healthy, and Brussels sprouts are high in fiber, which promotes regular bowel movements,

Because insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, it remains intact in the intestines, attracting water to the stool. As it passes through, it pulls all other food and waste with it, reducing the likelihood of stomach problems, Constipation, and diarrhea.

Vitamin K

It is a fat-soluble vitamin that contains prothrombin, a protein that is required for blood clotting and bone metabolism. Vitamin K also aids in blood circulation and helps to regulate blood calcium levels, lowering the risk of heart disease.

Vitamins B1 and B6

These essential vitamins help your dog’s metabolism by releasing energy from food. They also aid in the formation of new cells and provide support to your dog’s nervous system.

Antioxidants

Brussels sprouts contain a lot of antioxidants. Antioxidants safeguard your dog’s health by combating free radicals, which cause oxidative cell damage. However, they also have some important age-related and cognitive benefits.

Vitamin C, vitamin A, sulforaphane, kaempferol, and folate

These are also a powerful antioxidant that provide anti-inflammatory properties, boost your dog’s immune system, and help prevent certain cancers and heart disease.

Kaempferol

It lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer.

Isothiocyanates

Isothiocyanates are phytonutrients that offer antioxidant protection. They can slow the progression of cancer and lower the risk of heart disease and cognitive ageing.

Minerals

Essential minerals found in Brussels sprouts include potassium, calcium, and manganese. They are responsible for your dog’s bone health, fluid balance, cell function, nervous system, muscle function, and overall integrity.

Weight loss

Fiber slows digestion in your dog. This can help to keep you full after meals, which reduces begging and aids in weight loss. Brussels sprouts are an acceptable treat for obese or diabetic dogs because they have few calories, no sugar, and high fiber content.

With all of these benefits for your dog’s health, you might think Brussels sprouts don’t have much of a drawback. However, there are a few side effects to be aware of before feeding these crunchy vegetables to your dog.

The disadvantages of Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts contain isothiocyanates, as do all vegetables in the cruciferous family. These phytonutrients are advantageous because they aid in the movement of food and waste through the digestive tract. They do, however, produce an excess of bacteria – tiny organisms that aid in the fermentation process of digestion.

These tiny organisms produce a lot of gas, which is how the body gets rid of excess bacteria. If your dog consumes an excessive amount of Brussels sprouts, you may need to open the windows to rid the house of stinky dog farts.

As previously stated, Brussels sprouts can cause gas in dogs. This is why it is best to limit the serving size and avoid making this vegetable a daily treat.

Aside from that, Brussels sprout stalks are fibrous and tough. They can cause intestinal blockages or impaction problems in your dog and pose a choking hazard. However, if the outer skin of the stalk is removed, it is relatively safe for your dog to eat. If the leaves are chopped and cooked, they are also edible.

Brussels sprouts are difficult to digest raw. If you feed them raw, your dog’s digestive system will struggle to process the fiber. This may result in gastrointestinal distress, bloating, or diarrhea.

Sprouts contain high levels of isothiocyanate, which is important in the dog’s digestive system and its ability to produce peristalsis, or the mechanism that pushes food and waste through the gastrointestinal tract.

Excess bacteria can accumulate, resulting in gas. A moderate amount is essentially a natural way of “cleaning things out,” but too much can result in diarrhea, loose bowel movements, or an upset at the very least.

The good news is that any gas your dog may experience as a result of eating Brussels sprouts is completely harmless. You may believe otherwise in terms of their health.

Another factor to consider is that consuming a whole sprout may pose a choking hazard to smaller dogs.

We hope you enjoy incorporating Brussels sprouts into both of your diets more frequently now that you know dogs can eat them safely. They’re good for you and can be beneficial to your dog’s overall health.

Serving of Brussels sprouts to Dogs:

Consult your veterinarian

Always consult your veterinarian before introducing new foods to your dog. Your vet is familiar with your dog’s health and can advise you on how to feed a specific food to your dog.

Fresh green sprouts

When shopping for Brussels sprouts, look for green sprouts that are organic (if possible) and have no wilted or brown leaves. Give your dog fresh sprouts because old ones can cause watery stools.

Pesticides or chemicals free

Remove the stem from your Brussels sprouts and wash them to remove any pesticides or chemicals that could upset your dog’s stomach.

Steamed

Because your dog is unlikely to enjoy raw Brussels sprouts, serving them cooked is the best way to incorporate them into their diet. Simple preparation methods include steaming, microwaving, or roasting. Boiling is also acceptable, but it reduces the nutrients in vegetables, so we usually avoid it. Not to mention the fact that it is the least tasty of the bunch.

Brussels sprouts are easiest to digest when steamed, boiled, or microwaved. Steaming is the best way to preserve the nutritional value and antioxidant properties of your sprouts. The worst method is to boil them because the nutrients will leach out into the water, depriving the Brussels sprouts of their nutritional value.

Cooked Brussels sprouts

Because many dogs gulp their food, frozen Brussels sprouts may pose a choking hazard. It is best to serve cooked Brussels sprouts to them.

Avoid using seasoning oils

Any additional seasonings or oils will upset your dog’s stomach and may lead to pancreatitis or worse. As tasty as onions, garlic, or salt are to us, they are toxic to your dog. Avoid using oils or butter on your dog’s digestive system, and instead serve unseasoned Brussels sprouts with no oils.

Avoid making the same mistake as the previous generation and overcooking them. When vegetables are overcooked, they lose some of their nutrition and the beneficial effect they have on a healthy diet is diminished.

Of course, regardless of how you prepare them, never serve your dog Brussels sprouts with onions, leeks, shallots, or garlic. Some seasonings are acceptable, but in general, it is best to keep human food plain when feeding it to your dog.

When preparing vegetables for your dog, it’s also a good idea to keep cooking fats to a minimum. Even in the most ironclad of canine stomachs, excessive grease can cause diarrhoea or stomach pains in your pup. A little olive or avocado oil is fine, but bacon grease and butter are typically unhealthy fats for your dog.

If we intend to feed our dogs food that we are also eating, we usually cook a few pieces for them separately in a very simple manner. So, while the humans enjoy recipes such as maple roasted Brussels sprouts on the stalk or even creamy Brussels sprout soup, the pups will get a piece or two plainly roasted or steamed without seasoning as we prepare the meal.

Of course, if your dog has any allergies, you should consult with your veterinarian before introducing any new foods.

Serving Quantity

The amount of Brussels sprouts your dog can eat is determined by its size. Small dogs can easily consume one sprout, while larger dogs can consume up to five. Consult your veterinarian to determine the appropriate amount to feed your four-legged friend without causing stinky sprout gas.

When feeding your dog for the first time, only give 14 to 12 sprouts. Keep an eye out for signs of discomfort or gas, which will appear in a few hours or less. Contact your veterinarian if you experience any discomfort other than smelly gas.

Limit your intake of Brussels sprouts to a moderate amount. One to four pieces, depending on your dog’s size and the size of the Brussels sprouts, is plenty.

Follow the 90/10 rule when feeding your dog anything other than their regular dog food. Balanced dog food should provide 90% of your dog’s calories, with healthy treats providing the remaining 10%.

For large sprouts like the ones shown here, half a sprout for a small dog and up to two for a large dog would suffice.

Remember that human food should only be given to your dog as a “occasional treat.” Just because it’s a vegetable doesn’t mean it has to make up a large portion of your pet’s diet.

The majority of your dog’s calories should continue to come from high-quality, AAFCO-certified dog food.

Summary

Brussels sprouts are completely safe for dogs to eat in moderation. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are related because they are both members of the cruciferous vegetable family. Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins and fiber.

Do dogs really like Brussels sprouts?

This varies from dog to dog. Canines are carnivores by nature. Some people will enjoy the flavor or vegetables, while others will sniff them and walk away. We’ve had both types of dogs as pets, and there’s no simple way to predict how your dog will react to any human food without trial and error.

Our Belgian Malinois will happily eat anything, even a cooked Brussel sprout, whereas our previous Weimaraner would take it in her mouth, drop it on the floor after a few seconds, and walk away.

Puppies

It is generally not advised to feed puppies food that is not part of their normal diet. Growing puppies, like babies, have very different nutritional requirements than an adult dog.

Their digestive systems are also more delicate and vulnerable to problems caused by human food. It’s best to wait until your dog has grown out of puppyhood before introducing Brussels sprouts to him.

Dog Friendly Vegetables

Kale has many health benefits, including bone health, proper vision and immune function, foetal development, and energy metabolism.
Spinach is high in potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B6, B9, and E.
Carrots
Green Beans
Broccoli, dogs can consume broccoli. Dogs can consume both cooked and raw broccoli as long as no seasonings or oils are added. However, because the florets contain isothiocyanates, which can cause gastric irritation in dogs, this vegetable should always be given in very small amounts.
Beets
Celery
Cucumber

Toxic food for Dog

Garlic, onions, and chives The onion family is particularly toxic to dogs, whether dry, raw, or cooked, and can cause gastrointestinal irritation as well as red blood cell damage.
Chocolate
Macadamia nuts
Corn on the cob
Avocado with their pips, seeds, and stones
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)
Alcohol
Bones cooked
Raisins and grapes
Mushrooms
Nuts
Tomatoes
Nutmeg

Eating Brussels sprouts in Cancer

The diet in the book The Dog Cancer Survival Guide is specifically designed for cancer-stricken dogs. When you read it, you might think some of the ingredients are strange and wonder if Dr. Dressler has lost his marbles along the way. Can dogs eat Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage? You are correct. In nature, dogs do not always consume these strange plants.

Dogs with cancer, on the other hand, require special care. They are out of balance, so we must restore that balance when we feed them. It would not be enough if we only fed them their “natural diet.” So, what’s the deal with Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage?

When it comes to detoxifying the body and fighting cancer, these vegetables are superheroes. The dog cancer diet is essential for your dog’s health, and it can begin right away.

These three vegetables were chosen for a variety of reasons. Each has demonstrated health benefits for cancer and detoxification, among other things.

The benefit of detoxification support for dogs with cancer is that they can all benefit from it. They require additional detox support whether they are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or are simply taking regular prescription drugs. Cancer generates waste products that must be removed from the body as soon as possible. What cleanses the body? The spleen. So, let’s take a look at liver detox.

A detox isn’t just for show; it’s essential for good health. I’m not talking about some hazy concept like “detox,” “cleanse,” or “purify the body.” A liver detox is not a spiritual event; it is a necessary (hopefully) daily occurrence.

What Is a Toxin

What exactly are toxins? Toxins are defined as anything that causes harm to the body. Toxins enter the body from outside sources, such as insecticides or air pollution, and there are a plethora of toxins produced within the body during normal bodily functions. Toxins that accumulate in a normal body minute by minute include:

Normal cells generate metabolic waste simply by carrying out their normal functions.
Micro-organisms.
Contaminants and pollutants are absorbed through the skin as well as through food, air, and water.
Pesticides and insecticides.
Food supplements, drugs, or alcohol.
The body, in its infinite wisdom, stores all of these toxins in the liver so that they can be detoxed.

Obviously, most dogs do not consume alcohol or drugs. But what about the medications we give them? Those, too, can be toxins if left in the body. Toxic chemicals can be left by the drugs themselves or created when they degrade. Most dogs now tolerate chemo and radiation well, with little visible reaction. Nonetheless, these toxins can occasionally promote cancer growth later in life.

Toxins also end up in the liver, where they are detoxed. Even if a dog isn’t receiving chemo or radiation, every dog with cancer is exposed to a variety of toxins:

Cancer consumes starch (sugar) and produces suckle, a toxin.
Cancer causes the release of acid, which is toxic.
Cancer causes inflammation, which produces a large number of harmful free radicals.

These toxins end up in the liver as well, and if not detoxed, they can definitely lead to cancer growth later on.

There are numerous methods for doing this, but one simple one that you can do at home is with your dog’s diet. This is where Brassica vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage come in.

Liver Detoxification is divided into three phases, each of which is designed to convert fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble toxins.

1. Phase 1 Liver Detoxification

Phase 1 begins the transition from fat-soluble to water-soluble by using nutrients from food. Many nutrients are required (one reason why diet is so important for all of us). It’s convenient that Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli all have high levels of many of these nutrients. Surprisingly, the events of Phase 1 can sometimes increase the toxicity of the substance.

2. Liver Detox Phase 2

Fortunately, the Phase 2 systems capture the majority of these and inactivate them using special chemical groups. And guess which vegetables stimulate the Phase 2 systems? Yes, you guessed it: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage! (Also, garlic, another “beneficial food” in my dog’s cancer diet!). In the liver, phase 2 adds these chemical groups to increase water solubility.

3. Liver Detoxification Phase 3

Once everything is nice and watery, Phase 3 involves transporting the now-water-soluble toxin to elimination organs. This eliminates it from the body. The majority of water-soluble toxins are excreted in urine by the kidneys. The remainder, however, exits the liver and enters the gall bladder, where bile, another bodily fluid, transports them to the intestines for elimination via bowel movements.

It turns out that these vegetables also help with Phase 3 detox. They include bulky fibre (without adding sugar). This causes more bile to be released into the intestine. Toxin clearance in Phase 3 is greatly aided by freely flowing bile. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage are all excellent anti-cancer foods that can be used in all three stages of liver detox.

In short

Brussels sprout can slow the progression of cancer and lower the risk of heart disease and cognitive ageing. Minerals: Essential minerals found in Brussels sprouts include potassium, calcium, and manganese. They are responsible for your dog’s bone health, fluid balance, cell function, nervous system, muscle function, and overall integrity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Following are some frequently asked questions related to can dog eat brussels sprout.

1. How much Brussels sprouts can a dog eat?

Limit your intake of Brussels sprouts to a moderate amount. One to four pieces, depending on your dog’s size and the size of the Brussels sprouts, is plenty. For large sprouts like the ones shown here, half a sprout for a small dog and up to two for a large dog would enough.

2. What happens if a dog eats Brussels sprouts?

If you give your dog too much, he may experience stomach upset and diarrhea. Even a small amount of Brussels sprouts will cause flatus. And, while it may make you flee the room, it is not harmful to your dog.

3. Why does my dog love Brussels sprouts?

Manganese, potassium, and foliate are extremely beneficial to your dog’s health and will keep them healthy, strong, and happy. Sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol are two unique compounds found in Brussels sprouts.

4. Do Brussels sprouts make dogs fart?

Raw Brussels sprouts cause dogs to fart because they contain the chemical isothiocyanate. While isothiocyanate benefits the dog’s digestive system, it also causes stinky dog farts.

5. What veggies are good for dogs?

Carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and bananas are high in vitamins and potassium, which is beneficial to a dog’s muscles, nerves, and kidneys. Their fiber can also help dogs maintain their regularity. Vitamin C is abundant in oranges.

6. Why are Brussels sprouts bad for dogs?

The green vegetable is high in vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which can help your dog’s overall health. While Brussels sprouts are not harmful to your dog, they can cause gastrointestinal problems such as increased gas and diarrhea.

7. Can Brussels sprouts kill dogs?

Keep in mind that even a small amount of Brussels sprouts can cause stomach upset in your dog. Overall, this vegetable is not harmful to your dog because it contains no poisons or toxins. Consult your veterinarian if your dog has severe diarrhea. Consult your veterinarian if the symptoms persist for more than a few days.

8. Can my dog eat broccoli?

Yes, dogs can consume broccoli. Dogs can consume both cooked and raw broccoli as long as no seasonings or oils are added. However, because the florets contain isothiocyanates, which can cause gastric irritation in dogs, this vegetable should always be given in very small amounts.

9. Should your dog eat Brussels sprouts?

Brussels sprouts are low-calorie treats that dogs appear to enjoy. Brussels sprouts are a tasty addition to your dog’s dinner bowl as long as you serve them plain, fresh, or cooked (or an excellent quick snack). These cruciferous vegetables can also benefit overweight or diabetic dogs, as long as they are properly prepared and given in moderation.

10. How we should serve Brussels sprouts to dogs that can digest easily?

Steaming, boiling, or microwaving Brussels sprouts make them easier to digest than other cooking methods. The sprouts’ high nutritional value and powerful antioxidant properties can be best protected through the cooking method of steaming. The boiling process is not recommended because the nutrients will dissolve into the water, reducing the nutritional value of the Brussels sprouts. The steaming process is preferable.

Conclusion

Brussels sprouts are a pretty divisive food for humans and they are also a safe, non-toxic food for dogs too. It can also be a nutritious addition to their diet due to their high vitamin content.