Can Dogs Eat Banana Peels? Vet-Verified Facts & Risks

Bananas are a common food fed to dogs as an added treat or used in dog treat recipes to sweeten and provide fiber and potassium. However, you may be wondering about the banana peel and if it is safe for your dog to eat. Some people cook and grind up banana peels to add to recipes, but it's controversial because there's not enough evidence to support that it is entirely safe to do so.

Banana peels are provided as part of a diet for some species of animals on small farms. Animals that can tolerate eating a banana peel include cattle, pigs, rabbits, and monkeys. Let’s see if dogs should be eating banana peels.

Can Dogs Eat Banana Peels?

No, dogs should not eat banana peels, and there are a few reasons. Banana peels aren’t toxic, but they are difficult for your dog to digest because they contain a high amount of insoluble fiber and fibrous plant cellulose. You also risk creating a partial or complete gastrointestinal obstruction if your dog eats a banana peel.

This is the same reason people don’t eat banana peels, even though it contains plenty of nutrients and fiber is generally a good thing to have in your diet. Dogs’ digestive tracts are shorter and optimized for a more facultative carnivorous diet, which means plant fibers like those in banana peels are poorly broken down. A dog’s gastrointestinal transit time averages 12–30 hours, depending on diet composition and size. Because the peel is tough, it may pass through undigested or cause irritation as it moves through the intestines.

What to Do If Your Dog Eats a Banana Peel

There’s no need to panic if your dog accidentally eats a banana peel. Problems are related to how much of the peel your dog ate and their size, age, and general digestive health. Watch your dog for signs that alert you to a more severe situation. Some dogs may not show any adverse effects from eating a banana peel, but others, especially small breeds, can develop gastrointestinal upset or obstruction.

Signs that can occur after eating a banana peel:

• Vomiting
• Lethargy or restlessness
• Abdominal discomfort
• Trembling
• Crying or whimpering
• Temporary loss of appetite

If your dog vomits, continue to monitor for any continued discomfort. If the discomfort continues longer than a few hours, or your dog cannot keep water down, contact your veterinarian for further advice.

Signs of an intestinal blockage:

• Continued vomiting
• Diarrhea or straining without producing stool
• Loss of appetite
• Bloating or abdominal distention
• Hunching the body
• Whining and obvious discomfort

If your dog shows signs of a bowel blockage, you need to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to prevent an intestinal rupture that can lead to peritonitis, sepsis, or death.

Remember to keep banana peels out of your dog’s reach so they are not accidentally eaten, especially if you feed your dog bananas, because the peel smells like a yummy treat. Your dog may find that they don’t care for the bitter taste after nibbling on a peel.

However, some dogs aren’t as picky and will eat almost anything. Remember that puppies are at a higher risk of ingesting something they shouldn’t because they like to eat whatever is within reach.

Conclusion

Don’t let your dog eat banana peels, and try to keep them out of reach when discarding them. Most dogs won’t like the bitter flavor of the peel, but the smell is too enticing for some. Banana peels aren’t toxic, but they can cause abdominal discomfort and lead to bowel obstruction if too much is consumed.

If your dog happens to eat a banana peel, watch for signs of continued discomfort that tell you that it’s time to call your veterinarian. Even though some animals can tolerate eating banana peels, remember that dogs have different digestive systems that can’t digest such a high amount of fiber and break it down effectively, compared to another animal such as a cow or a pig.

See also:

• Can Dogs Eat Banana Chips? What You Need To Know!

• Can Dogs Eat Vanilla Ice Cream? Facts & Safety Guide

Featured Image Credit: stevepb, Pixabay