Is Quinoa Bad for Dogs? Let’s Find Out!
“Is quinoa bad for dogs?” – this must be a question on many a hipster dog owners mind in recent times.
Quinoa has become all the rage suddenly.
And to be fair, why shouldn’t it?
It’s an extremely healthy choice of food – gluten-free and one that contains all nine essential amino acids for humans.
What about dogs, though?
Food being healthy for people doesn’t always translate the same for dogs…
And it’s actually pretty dangerous in case of some foods – like grapes.
So what about quinoa, though?
Turns out dogs can indeed eat quinoa!
But hang on…
They can eat it only if it’s prepared properly.
Quinoa for dogs can be a good dietary choice.
Let’s look at the facts…
Is Quinoa Healthy?
Of course it is!
Let’s look at its nutritional breakdown…
While this might change depending on the variety of quinoa, on average a 100gm of quinoa should contain:
- Calories – 372
- Riboflavin – 0.23 of a gram
- Thiamin – 0.24 of a gram
- Niacin – 1.4 grams
- Fat – 4.9 grams
- Iron – 8.5 milligrams
- Protein – 11.5 grams
- Calcium – 66 milligrams
- Carbs – 71.2 grams
Besides, it contains all ten amino acids that dogs need.
So is quinoa healthy?
Absolutely!
Is quinoa fattening?
No it isn’t!
If your dog does take to it, quinoa can have a number of great health benefits, such as:
- Boosting the cardiovascular system
- Upping the antioxidants count that helps fight potentially cancerous cells
- Maintain high energy levels through its complex carbs
- Help fight inflammations better
As you can see from the stats above, quinoa is a healthy food for dogs.
And in fact, its high fiber content has already made it a popular ingredient in a number of dog food brands.
Think about that!
Your pooch may already be shovelling down quinoa everyday!
Do I Need to Worry About Allergies?
Just knowing the answer to the question “is quinoa bad for dogs” isn’t enough though.
Is it?
After all different dogs could react differently to the same food.
The fear of allergies is real in many a dog owner.
And it should be.
Actually, as in us people, quinoa often turns out to be the answer to food allergy.
While wheat or gluten allergy in dogs is pretty rare, it does occur.
And if you happen to be on the lookout for dog food for dogs with allergies, quinoa could offer a great option.
But wait!
That does not, however mean that quinoa itself can’t cause allergies in dogs, though!
That’s right…
Quinoa itself might turn out to be a cause for allergy in your pup, if his body happens to reject it.
Dogs do tend to have allergic reactions to some plant-based foods.
Usually the allergic reactions manifest as some form of diarrhea.
But symptoms of allergy to gluten or quinoa itself could be any of the following:
- Itchiness
- Excessive hair loss
- Sore and scabs
- Bald patches
- Inflamed skin
However, the best way to find out is to feed very small portions and first to gauge your dog’s reaction.
How to Prepare Quinoa for Dogs
If you plan on feeding quinoa to your dog, a little preparation is essential!
1. Make Sure to Rinse it Thoroughly
A through rinse in absolutely necessary when eating quinoa.
That goes for both dogs and people, actually. But dogs in particular.
Why?
Quinoa is normally coated by a substance called Saponin, which you can’t really see, but can be pretty toxic to animals.
So be careful not to skip out on a good wash and rinse or your puppy may well fall sick!
2. Never Feed Uncooked Quinoa
Cooking also helps with the same objective – to remove any unwanted chemicals, etc from the food.
Besides, cooked food is always the safest option, and goes down well too.
3. Prefer Combinations with Other Foods and Introduce Gradually
Feeding your dog a large quantity of quinoa up front is a good way to invite trouble, if the potential exists.
You know why…
If your dog happens to be allergic to the quinoa, you could well have a dangerously sick puppy on your hands!
Instead, introducing it in very small portions initially along with your pup’s regular diet of meat or fish is the advisable way.
Also, it’s better to check with your vet as to whether the quantity you plan to include in the diet is recommended or not.
If your pup does take to quinoa without any adverse reactions, you can slowly up the portion of over several weeks to help him or her adjust to it.
We Hope you found this post answered your question “Is Quinoa Bad for Dogs” adequately.
If you do have other insights on the topic, or tips or suggestions on incorporating quinoa into a puppy’s diet, do let us know in the comments section below!
No one seems to add the fact that quinoa need a GOOD SOAKING a good overnight soak would be great this helps the digestion system absorb the vital,nutrients that this super food has.once it has soaked well rinse until the water runs clean…cooking with bone broth would also help add important nutrients to our beloved pets…they will thank you for this
My 8 month old puppy has allergies that we are trying to figure out. I have started giving him a tbsp of quinoa at dinner and he can’t get enough of it. He is not any itchier than before so I am going to keep him on it. How long after starting a food would a reaction show up.
Could it be autoimmune allergy as he has had it since he was an 8 week puppy and stress seems to bring on a scratching event. Can allergies be triggered by stress?
Hi my dog has allergies: we have just done a food allergy program to find out what she is allergic to. Seems to be beef and chicken. Anyway after giving her beef it took a week of fish and quinoa with a 1/4 of a piriton tablet to stop her itching. Now she has fish and quinoa and she doesn’t itch.
Heidihope you dog is doing well now. We only feed our dog food that a human would also be able to eat. He wouldn’t eat kibble as a young dog. So we feed him chicken or beef, freeze dried liver. Occasional egg or ham. He will eat very small amount of peas, brocolli stack, or string bean, cauliflower or sweet potato all cooked and cut very small. He is a cute 13 pound pomeranian and former owners told me it was the trick to get the dogs to live to
Arcana Apple and lamb works well for our dog who has allergies to poultry.
How did you find that out … that it was poultry for certain?