“Don’t judge the book by its cover” is a classic percept that advocates keeping our judgments grounded and reserved before raining someone’s parade.
While it’s true, the precept itself is evident among organic life — such as rose, whose thorns are dangerous, yet the flower is amongst the beautiful.
And that goes the same with durian, whose spiky, hideous thorns are undesirable and ugly. Yet inside, durian’s meat brings heavenly delight amongst all fruit.
In disguise, durian takes another level of food for our tongues. But one question remains though, can we offer durian to our dogs? Can dogs safely eat durian?
Let’s take a moment of inquiry for a little while. In this article, we will together understand the nature of durian, its relevance to your dog, and how it can improve your dog’s health.
Plus, we prepared a surprise for you for the latter part!
What is Durian?
Durian is a tropical fruit that is enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia. This food is native to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, specifically in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and the Philippines.
The fruit has a green, spiked exterior and contains five to 30 spiky sections filled with delectable pulp (depending on its size).
This food is not sweet; it tastes like custard or crème brûlée while smelling like onions.
The fruit is harvested from June to August, and the tree will only bear fruit for about 20 years before it stops producing durians due to its short-lived nature.
The scientific name of durian comes from the Malaysian word “duri” or “thorn.”
Most food manufacturers are now producing durian with different variants, such as candies, chips, cakes, and other sweet snacks.
Food family of Durian
Durian belongs to the food family of the Bombacaeae. This fruit group can be found in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia.
There are about 30 different types of Bombacaceae foods, such as kapok, baobab, and cotton, with durian being the most popular.
The fruit itself is filled with fiber and proteins such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus to aid in the body’s physical development.
More often, this food family sources vitamins and nutrients like folate, vitamin B, and E. This food family is also rich in antioxidants that fight off the body’s free radicals while promoting good health on a cellular level.
In particular, Durians are famous for containing high levels of vitamin C that help boost our immune system, specifically by enhancing white blood cells production, which protects us from germs and bacteria.
This fruit also contains antioxidants that fight off the body’s free radicals while promoting good health on a cellular level.
There are also small amounts of Vitamin A, iron, and calcium found in Durian fruits. However, the fruit is not recommended for consumption by individuals with diabetes since it contains high sugar content (about 25%) compared to other sweet snacks available today.
Because of the bounty of nutrients that Durians offer, can we all agree that dogs can safely eat this fruit?
Can dogs eat Durian?
YES, of course. Your dogs can safely eat durian provided that you have appropriately prepared this fruit by removing the seeds and spiky exterior of the fruit.
It is essential to go through this process because dogs have a different digestive system than humans, so they cannot digest foods with hard outer shells such as Durians since they will pass through their intestines without being properly digested.
Remember, do not feed your dogs with durian seeds since it contains cyanide. The durian seeds should be taken out before you provide this fruit to your dogs to make it safer to eat.
Don’t worry; we prepared a list for you of the best ways to feed your dogs with durian:
Best Ways to Feed your Dogs with Durian
Prepare a Durian ice cream.
You can prepare an ice cream out of durian and feed your dogs with it. This is one of the best ways that you can do to ensure that your dog will safely eat this fruit without being poisoned by its spiky exterior or poisonous seeds.
You have to blend durians in a blender, add some milk until it becomes creamy, and put it in the freezer.
Make a Durian smoothie.
Another way to feed your dogs with this fruit is by preparing a smoothie. You can combine water, ice cubes, blend them into a puree and add some honey for extra sweetness if you want.
Add durians in the mixture, then serve it to your dog after blending thoroughly until you see that its texture becomes creamy, just like an ordinary smoothie.
Add durian with chicken or meat.
You can also prepare a dish that includes chicken or meat with durians. Remember to first remove this fruit’s seeds and spiky exterior before adding it to your dog’s meal.
This way, you will make sure that your dogs are safe while they eat durian and get its nutritional benefits (the vitamin C found in this fruit helps boost the immune system, and so on).
Reasons Why Dogs Can Eat Durian
Durians may look like a dog’s enemy outside. But actually, durian has benefits inside-out. If you wonder why, here are some health improvements your dog can benefit from after eating durian:
Develops strong immune system
Durian has Vitamin C that helps in developing a robust immune system. It also contains Vitamin A, iron, and calcium, essential for your dog’s bone development.
Helps in weight management
This fruit has zero cholesterol but is rich in protein. Thus, it is perfect to be included as part of a low-fat diet plan that will help manage your dog’s weight while reducing its risk of heart disease or diabetes.
Anti-inflammatory properties
Durian has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help manage arthritis and other inflammatory diseases your dog might experience later in life.
It also contains powerful phytonutrients that can reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints by limiting oxidative stress on cells’ membranes which is a cause for inflammation to happen inside the body.
Prevention of cancer
Durian contains powerful phytonutrients that can fight free radicals or unstable molecules in the body, a known trigger for most cancers.
As already mentioned, it also has Vitamin C, A, and E to prevent further damage from oxidative stress inside your dog’s body, which makes it more prone to getting sick with cancer.
Possible Concerns When Eating Durian
Your dog’s health may be at stake when your dog’s body negatively reacts after eating durian. If you have no idea of the possible health concerns that may arise, here is the list you can take note of:
Stomach discomfort
There are cases wherein dogs have diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive belching after eating durian.
This is just a normal reaction because dogs do not possess the enzymes to properly digest this fruit, making it pass through their system without being digested fully.
Gastrointestinal shock
Dogs may develop gastrointestinal shock when they overeat this fruit. This happens when durian is processed through their system and not eliminated because of the toxins present in this fruit that can harm your dog’s intestinal lining, which will cause it to produce inflammatory chemicals that trigger swelling and irritation inside its digestive tract.
Allergic reactions
Dogs may also experience allergic reactions after eating durians, such as skin rashes, itchiness, or hives.
This may be caused by the person found in this fruit, a known toxin for dogs, and can trigger allergic reactions if intake exceeds the recommended dosage.
Food poisoning symptoms
It also has toxic effects similar to human food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, loss of appetite, and lethargy.
Signs your dog is sick from eating durian
Your dog may enjoy eating durian, but they may act unusually after. As a dog owner, here are some signs to look after:
Excessive diarrhea
Keep a close eye on how frequently your dog urinates and defecates. If they are experiencing excessive bowel movements or find it hard to control their bladder, these are symptoms of excessive diarrhea your dog is experiencing after eating durian.
Lethargy and fatigue
Notice that your dog has become uninterested in playing or even moving around because it feels tired all the time after eating durians.
This may be one possible sign that its system needs to detoxify itself because toxins build up inside its system.
Decreased appetite
You also need to make sure that your dog is eating the right amount of food or if it has lost its appetite altogether, which can be a sign of illness because dogs with this symptom may not be able to recover in time without proper care and feeding.
This will lead your dog to become sicker.
Decreased energy and vitality
You can also notice a decrease in your dog’s overall activity level, which may be caused by the decreased amount of enzymes found in their system.
This causes your dog not to feel excited or enthusiastic about doing anything other than resting after eating durian.
This should also serve as another sign that your dog needs proper medical attention soon.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating durian?
Keep yourself composed and calm when your dog experiences signs of sickness; otherwise, you may worsen the situation by panicking.
Take these steps for immediate relief for your dog:
- Take your dog to a vet immediately. Your first priority should be taking your sick dog for veterinary care if it has any of these symptoms: decreased appetite or lethargy, and fatigue. It is also essential to ask them what they recommend because their professional opinion can help provide immediate relief for your dog.
- Wash your hands with soap and water. Ensure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching or handling the sick dog because you can pass on whatever is making your dog ill if you are not careful enough when taking care of them. Wash off any residue from a durian that may be found on its fur by using a mild shampoo.
- Do not give your dog any food or water. Your veterinarian may advise you to withhold foods and liquids from your sick pet so that they can rest while their body fights off toxins in its system.
Avoid similar foods from this family.
Jackfruit
Feeding jackfruit may trigger similar symptoms to the durian fruit because of its persin content.
Jackfruit contains seeds that may obstruct your dog’s digestive tract.
Pitaya (dragonfruit)
Pitaya, also known as dragonfruit, is another similar food to look out for since it contains the same persin toxin that causes harm to your dog’s body.
Persin toxins bring about similar symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
Orange seeds
If your dog accidentally eats orange pulp with the seed inside it, this may cause problems in their digestive system due to high acid content that irritates sensitive parts in your pet’s body.
It also has neurotoxins that affect the nervous system when ingested.
Lemons and limes
The citric acid content in lemons and limes can be corrosive to your dog’s digestive system because it is too acidic for their stomach.
This may cause them to experience vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea if they eat many fruits.
The seeds also contain toxins that can cause further stomach irritation.
How to Make Durian Safe To Eat
In wrapping up our applied learnings, we ensure that you’ll achieve practical ways to prepare durian safe to eat for your dogs.
You may share the following tips with your friends and spread the word:
Remove the seeds from the durian fruit.
The seeds from this particular fruit contain toxins that can cause problems in your dog’s digestive tract.
Only include the pulp of the durian when you are feeding it to them so they won’t have a hard time digesting its nutrients.
Grind before giving to dogs
If you want to feed your pet with Durian pulp, you may first grind it and mix it with their food so that they can easily absorb its nutrients.
You should also include other healthy foods for dogs to complete a full meal.
Know your dog’s weight
You must know the exact amount of durian fruit to feed your pet, as too little or too much can cause potential health problems.
This is a good rule of thumb that you may follow: if your dog is less than 20 pounds, give them half a seedless durian.
Dogs weighing 21-50 pounds should eat one whole fruit per day, while those whose weight is more or equal to 51 pounds can have two fruits every day.
Key Takeaways
The classic precept is actual:: we don’t have to judge the book by its cover until we have read the entire page.
And the truth holds to other things in this world, like how we see roses embraced by their thorns and how durians cover their beauty by large spikes.
But beyond durian’s belabored appearance, it’s still a food that dogs can eat!
Your dogs can safely eat durian provided that you have appropriately prepared this fruit by removing the seeds and spiky exterior of the fruit.
A key to note is that since durian has zero cholesterol but is rich in protein, this fruit helps your dog manage weight.
Also, durian has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and has powerful phytonutrients that fight free radicals.
Yet, your dog’s health may be at stake when your dog’s body negatively reacts after eating durian.
Possible health concerns may arise, such as stomach discomfort, gastrointestinal shock, and allergic reactions.
Worst, your dog may experience lethargy, excessive diarrhea, or decreased appetite.
Thus, it’s best to remove the seeds from durian fruit, grind its pulp, and know your dog’s weight first before feeding.
Remember, prevention is better than cure!