When life gives you lemons, it’s best to make lemonade. But what if life throws up with limes? What would you do?
This rhetoric question relates to how much life can give us with various options. For instance, you may make another lemon juice with limes.
Or, you may apply limes for your skin routine alternatives — it always depends on the reason and purpose you stick to level up the game in using limes.
However, what keeps us interested in having this fruit fed for our dogs.
As we all know, dogs get excited about our surprises, especially with the treats added to their regular meals.
As we strive to innovate our dog’s diet, can limes contribute to more impactful eating? Can dogs eat limes?
We align your purpose through this article. Here, we will discuss the suitability of limes, answering the questions mentioned above by identifying the fruit’s health contribution and side effects.
And also, we designed tips and tricks on how to prepare this food for your dogs!
What are Limes?
A fruit found in tropical regions characterized by its sour taste with grassy notes is how we can describe limes to those unfamiliar with it.
Limes are a variant of lemons that are smaller and rounder than the former. However, what makes them different is that limes have a thin green skin and yellow flesh rather than just having a thick white rind as lemons do.
Moreover, limes are less acidic compared to lemons. They also contain high levels of Vitamin C and have a good amount of fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus — nutrients that we can benefit from.
Limes can be consumed by squeezing its juice or eating the flesh raw or cooked in various dishes like salad dressings, dips, and sauces.
Additionally, limes can be used in foot soaks, for aromatherapy purposes, and beauty treatments.
Limes are often used to flavor foods like soups, stews, curries or can be marinated onto meat dishes before being cooked over a flame.
Other common uses of limes include fruit salads with other citrus fruits, including grapefruit or oranges.
Food family of Limes
Limes belong to the family food of citrus — a food group known for its “acidic” nature, and thus, low pH levels.
Citrus foods are not only fruits but also vegetables because they have a high content of citric acid.
This makes them different from other food families that do not produce acid in their juice or flesh.
Foods included under the family Citrus include citrus fruit like oranges, grapefruit, and lemons.
A stark commonality among these citrus foods is that they are acidic and have a sour taste.
Citrus foods are good for our health because they can provide us with many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that we need to maintain a healthy body.
In addition, it contains antioxidants that help protect cells from free radical damage that may cause cancer or other diseases.
In particular, the acid level of limes compared to other citrus fruit is not that high — it contains about half the amount of citric acid found in oranges and two times less than what is included in a lemon.
Lime is very sour due to high concentrations of citric acid. This is why we ask the question, can dogs eat limes?
Can dogs eat Limes?
Definitely, yes! Dogs can eat limes because the fruit is not toxic for them. Limes are nutritious and enhance your dog’s food for a delicious meal.
However, just like any other products that we can eat or feed our pets, moderation is key in feeding limes for dogs, especially since overeating has some side effects.
For instance, limes can cause gastrointestinal irritation in dogs because of their high acidity level.
The fruit can cause the digestive tract to become inflamed, which will lead to excessive gas production, nausea, and diarrhea.
Limes are not only acidic but also contain lots of fiber that may cause your dog’s stool to be loose or watery when fed with large amounts for prolonged periods.
For these reasons, it is best to give your dog limes in moderation. For example, you can feed your dogs with about one teaspoon of lime juice or pulp per ten pounds of body weight once every two days.
Best Ways to Feed your Dogs with Limes
Again, regulated feeding of this food keeps your dog more healthy. However, if you want to have more creative ways of feeding limes, here are some tips you can follow:
Add lime juice to your dog’s food.
Adding lime juice enhances the taste of your dog’s food, especially making it tastier and more flavorful.
You can also mix lime juice into your dog’s food or water bowl, depending on the type of dish you prefer for your dog to eat.
In addition, adding a small amount of pulp will provide your dogs with fiber which is needed in their daily diet.
Just make sure that you remove all seeds and pulp from the rind since they can be dangerous to dogs.
Add limes as a side dish.
If you want to make your dog’s meal more delicious, consider serving their food with slices of fresh lime on top of it.
This will provide them with natural vitamins and minerals and increase their appetite for more servings.
Dishes like salads can be more fun for your dogs to eat since it makes the food look like a toy.
Add limes as treats.
One way of making a dog’s daily treat is by creating lime-flavored snacks. A simple but effective trick is to freeze some water inside cubes made out of juice or pulp mixed with yogurt and serve these frozen confectionery treats to your dog.
Add lime slices to your dog’s toys.
You can also make your dogs want to play more with the use of limes. Simply slice a fresh piece into small circles and place it inside their favorite toy.
Dogs will have fun trying to get these pieces out of their toys, thus strengthening their jaws as well!
Reasons Why Dogs Can Eat Limes
For strategic reasons, you must first know the health factors of why your dog must eat this food.
Through this, you’ll be able to boost your confidence, not only for yourself but also for your dog’s health status.
So, we listed below health reasons why dogs can eat limes:
Limes are a great source of calcium.
In addition, when you let dogs eat limes, they may receive essential minerals that are needed for strong bones.
To get these benefits, you must give them the juice of limes because it contains vital vitamins and minerals which can boost their immune system status.
Limes are rich in vitamin C
Since lime juice has a high acidity level, it is classified as a good source of vitamin C which strengthens your dog’s immune system and prevents diseases like anemia or cancer from developing inside the body.
It also contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals brought by harmful toxins found in the body.
Limes are rich in fiber content.
Fiber is perfect for dogs because it aids their digestive system and prevents constipation or diarrhea from happening.
Dogs who eat limes tend to have a clean intestinal tract. The insoluble cellulose fibers help sweep away undigested food particles and toxins inside the colon, thus preventing further digestive problems.
Limes are also rich in water content.
Dogs need to drink sufficient fluids daily since they tend to lose much water through urination and perspiration.
The fluid loss must be prevented because it can lead to many severe health conditions like dehydration or heatstroke, which may cause dogs’ death if not treated immediately.
Possible Concerns When Eating Limes
In reality, when life throws up with limes, we may suffer sourness that we couldn’t handle. This same goes for the consequences that your dog may suffer after eating limes.
Hence, you have to raise awareness when feeding this food, or otherwise, the following health concerns may occur:
Limes are high in oxalic acid.
This substance can cause intense kidney damage to dogs. So, they shouldn’t eat any part of the fruit, including its leaves and skin.
If so, immediately consult your vet since this condition can worsen over time until death occurs if untreated properly.
Dogs who already have renal problems must not eat limes at all since it can cause further harm to their kidneys.
Lime peels and shells
These parts of the fruit contain high amounts of insoluble fiber that you have mentioned earlier, which may worsen health problems like diarrhea or constipation in dogs with a sensitive digestive tract.
Thus, make sure not to serve your dogs lime peels and shells.
Limes are acidic
This fruit is high in acidity levels. Thus it needs to be fed in a limited amount per day, or else severe health conditions may develop inside your dog’s body, such as gastritis which can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing.
Also, when ingested excessively by dogs, it may cause inflammation of the esophagus.
Limes are high in sugar.
This fruit is also rich in sugar content which can worsen health conditions like obesity or diabetes.
Furthermore, it may increase insulin levels inside the body if taken excessively by dogs who have hyperglycemia problems.
This leads to severe complications such as atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), loss of vision, and kidney failure.
Limes could cause bone problems.
Dogs do not digest some of the insoluble fiber components found in limes. So, suppose they ingest too much of it.
In that case, these undigested particles can accumulate inside their digestive system, leading to gastrointestinal blockage or a significant increase of intestinal size due to excessive accumulation.
This condition is known as impaction and could cause death if left untreated.
Signs your dog is sick from eating Limes
Suppose that your dog’s health deteriorates after eating limes instead of having your dog’s health enhanced.
In that case, it could speak so many volumes. Dogs are unable to communicate with what they feel, but they know how to act upon it.
Below are signs of sickness that your dog may suffer from eating limes:
Lethargy
A lethargic dog is different from an active one. If your dog’s activity level has reduced, it may probably be suffering some complications inside its body, thus requiring immediate medical attention right away.
Lethargy could be a sign of mild health problems that are not dangerous if they are addressed immediately.
Vomiting
If your dog vomits after eating limes, or else you notice that it is vomiting excessively using projectile throwing up, then this could be a sign for you to see the vet soon.
Vomiting can occur due to different reasons like food poisoning, which happens when dogs ingest something not suitable for their digestive system.
Diarrhea
The third sign of sickness is diarrhea which happens when dogs suffer from inflammation in their intestines, causing them to expel partially digested food or substance through feces.
This condition requires immediate medical attention so that the vet can prescribe some treatment for it fast enough before worsening becomes severe and life-threatening.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating Limes?
Rising above on the occasion after your dog has suffered from sickness is demanding and challenging. But, you don’t have to feel alone.
As soon as you recognize that your dog is sick, immediately provide it with clean and fresh drinking water.
This will help you get your dog dehydrated fast enough before further complications arise inside the body, which could lead to severe health conditions such as dehydration.
But when symptoms persist, you have to bring your dog to the vet right away. The sooner you do, the better chances are that your dog will be able to get back on its feet again and run around like it used to before this unfortunate event happened.
Your vet will help you identify the root cause of your dog’s sickness so that he can prescribe the appropriate treatment for it.
Moreover, you have to follow his instructions and advice strictly before getting discharged from the clinic.
Avoid similar foods from this family.
Lemonades
Lemonades are a variant of limes that are also rich in sugar content and high in acidity, which can cause stomach upset or, worse, lead to diarrhea.
So, you have to keep in mind that this citrus fruit is not fit for your dog’s health and avoid making it a part of its food intake regimen.
Lemons
Since lemons look like limes, most people tend to confuse them with one another, but the truth is that they are both entirely different in terms of taste and benefits derived from their juice or extract.
Lemons are pretty sour compared to limes; thus, avoid giving them to your dog during its food intake regimen.
Grapefruits
Just like limes and lemons, grapefruits also contain high sugar content as well as acidity, which can cause stomach upset.
Thus, it is much better to keep your dog away from this fruit altogether since there are other alternatives you could feed them instead of taking a chance with their life.
How to Make Limes Safe To Eat
Your creative insights in addressing health concerns are pushing you right here. Today, there are various ways of preparing limes for your dogs.
But, when you offer limes, make sure to prioritize your dog’s safety.
For your benefit, here is how you make limes safe for your dog’s diet:
Pre-wash it thoroughly before serving
First, prepare limes in advance so that you can clean them properly using dishwashing soap and water.
Get rid of the dirt, germs, or bacteria sticking on its surface, then wash it with just enough amount to remove foul odors emanating from inside the fruit itself.
It is accurate to say that limes and other citrus fruits like lemons and oranges emit foul odors that can be very offensive to your dog’s nose.
Peel it first before serving
The peel of limes is quite hard due to cellulose, which makes them indigestible for dogs. So, if you are planning on feeding your pet with the fruit itself, first remove its peel.
Cut it into small pieces.
You can choose to cut limes into cubes or slices for your dog’s more convenient access towards its food intake.
But before you do so, make sure that their size is just right enough, not too big nor too small for them to swallow easily without choking or gagging.
Avoid the juice
You have to avoid squeezing limes first before serving it to your dog since its juice tends to contain a high level of acidity that can cause stomach upset if ingested by dogs regularly.
So, better think twice before including this fruit in their diet regimen as you might end up doing more harm to them instead of doing good.
Key Takeaways
Limes are the epitome of sourness. We may drool when we consume it, and our taste buds may be overwhelmed by the sourness.
So, when life throws you up with limes, grab your creative options! You can make your juice, or you may share this with your dog!
Limes can be fed to your dogs. And we affirm the question that dogs can eat limes. Limes can be provided to your dogs.
And we affirm the question that dogs can eat limes. But, aside from that, this fruit is not toxic; limes are nutritious and enhance your dog’s food for a delicious meal.
Here, limes are a great source of calcium needed for your bone development. Also, this food is rich in vitamin C, fiber, and water content that helps prevent diseases like anemia, cancer, dehydration, and heatstroke.
This food may be a fruit of wonder. Yet, limes carry consequences when your dog eats this food.
For your awareness, limes are high in oxalic acid, which causes kidney damage. Also, this food is high in sugar and acidic, which may result from diarrhea, lethargy, gastrointestinal blockage, and abdominal pain.
When in doubt, don’t hesitate to rush your dog to the nearest vet for further relief.
Nevertheless, in making limes safe for feeding, it is best to pre-wash them thoroughly before serving, peel them, cut them into small pieces, and avoid the juice.