What To Do If Your Dog Likes To Eat Dandelions?

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What is a better sign that spring is around the corner than the abundance of dandelions? We all loved to play with them while we were younger, and now, as a dog owners, we might want to share that happiness and playtime with our dogs. We all know that dogs are curious and playful, and there could be a situation where your dog will end up next to dandelions. Should you be worried about this situation?

Avoiding dandelions can be pretty hard since they can be found everywhere and anywhere. Before allowing your dog to play or even possibly eat the dandelions, you should be sure they are safe for your dog. Let's find out.

What are dandelions?

Some consider dandelions weed, while others say they are flowers. Either way, dandelions are easy to spot with yellow petals and puffballs. Some people often time call them dandy lion's hair. Dandelion comes from French, meaning 'lion's tooth' (dent-de-lion).

Dandelions can be found worldwide, but their ideal climate is warm. They have many different uses in human consumption, and while some will use them as a nutritional meal, others can use dandelions for medical purposes.

Can dogs eat dandelions?

Dandelions can offer some health benefits for dogs, so dogs can eat dandelions. Of course, you must understand what parts are safe for dog consumption and ensure that your dog doesn't eat too much.

So the next time you find yourself next to the dandelion field, you can safely play with your dog and even blow dandelion into the air. Given that dandelions are used in human medicine and will provide health benefits for us, we would naturally assume that the same should apply to our dogs.

And this is completely true. Dandelions will help with certain health problems related to dogs.

Reasons why you should give dandelions to your dog

There are many health benefits that the dandelions will offer our dogs. You shouldn’t overfeed your dog with them because, in this case, your dog could potentially experience health problems.

Dandelions are packed with many nutrients and some of which include

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K

Health-related benefits connected to dandelions and dogs include

• Improving dog's digestion
• Boosting their immune system
• Providing bone and teeth support
• Serving as an anti-inflammatory
• Serving as an antioxidant

With all that said, giving your dog dandelion once in a while can boost their health; it is only important that you don't allow your dog to eat too much of them.

Can dandelions be bad or toxic for dogs?

Firstly, dandelions are not toxic to dogs (unlike some other weeds), and you don't have to worry that your dog will experience toxicity if he manages to eat them.

However, depending on your dog, he may experience some health problems, although they are pretty rare. The most common health concerns connected to dogs eating dandelions include

1. GI upset

Many dogs suffer from GI upset in the modern world, and most dogs will react to any new food you introduce to their nutrition. The same can apply to dandelions. If your dog has a sensitive system, he may have some GI problems after eating dandelions.

2. Constipation

Although this is not such a common problem, it can certainly happen. Too many dandelions can create blockage in your dog's digestive tract and cause constipation for your dog. If this happens with your dog, the best thing you can do is to contact your vet. Although this can be treatable quickly, constipation can lead to more serious health problems if left untreated.

3. Poisoning

Dandelions are not poisonous for dogs, but problems can happen because of many different herbicides and pesticides used by humans. These things can easily cause poisoning in your dog, and because of this, you must be sure that the dandelions are not treated with any substances that can potentially harm your dog.

What to do if my dog keeps eating dandelions?

If it seems that your dog likes to eat dandelions daily, you will have to find a way to reduce this behavior. As we said earlier, eating too many dandelions will take away all the good benefits and only create problems for your dog.

If you cannot teach your dog on command to stay away from dandelions, we suggest that you don't allow your dog to come near them.

If your yard if full of dandelions and it isn't possible to keep your dog away, you will have to find the pet safe weed killer to get rid of dandelions. That way, you can ensure that the dog will not eat dandelions anymore while also being sure that the weed killer will not harm your pet.

Should you allow your dog to eat dandelions?

Since dandelions can offer some benefits for your dog, our advice would be to allow him to eat dandelions from time to time. However, we advise you to always ask your vet for his opinion.

Based on your dog's medical history or his current medical state, your vet could say that sharing dandelion with him is not such a smart idea. Otherwise, if your vet approves this, you can safely allow your dog to eat dandelions.

What are the toxic weeds for dogs?

Today you learned that dandelions are not toxic for dogs, but it would be best if you knew what weed can cause toxicity. Some of the weeds you should keep away from your dog include.

• Yellow star thistle
• Nightshade
• Milkweed
• Buttercup
• Pokeweed

If your dog can get close to them and potentially eat them, you can expect him to show some symptoms of poisoning. In this scenario, you must act quick, call your vet or Pet poison helpline and rush to the nearest clinic. Only that way can you help and save your pet.

World Dog Finder team