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Can Puppy Eat Carrots? The Complete Guide on If, How and When to Feed Carrots To Your Puppy

Puppies are inquisitive and love to try and sneak some human food. Sometimes they succeed even when we try very hard to prevent them!

So can carrots and puppies mix? What happens if your puppy eats carrot?

So Can Puppy Eat Carrots?

Yes! Puppies can eat carrots. They don’t need to eat carrots, but they are safe if eaten.

Carrots are crunchy, fun to eat low calorie snacks that are super high in fibre. They are a great nutritious treat or just low calorie snack for a puppy.

Some vets even recommend freezing carrots and giving them to puppies. This helps make the gums and teeth feel better when they are losing their puppy teeth!

Chewing rough things like carrots naturally cleans your puppy’s teeth. Keep that sparkly smile puppy!

What Type of Carrots Can  A Puppy Eat?

Puppies are alright to eat 

  • Baby carrots
  • Regular orange carrots
  • Home grown carrots
  • Purple carrots
  • Juicing carrots
  • Baby carrots
  • Raw carrots
  • Cooked carrots
  • Carrot sticks
  • Carrots and peas

If you would eat the carrot as a human, then your puppy is ok to eat that carrot.

Make sure that carrots are thoroughly washed or peeled to remove all dirt and pesticides.

puppy eating carrot can puppy eat carrots
A puppy loving eating a fresh carrot!
Dog and carrot by Andy Carter on Flickr CC-BY-20

Can A Puppy Eat Carrot cake?

A puppy can eat carrot cake but should not !

Introducing that much oil and sugar into a puppy’s diet is a fast track to an upset stomach. 

Carrot cake is also super packed with calories and given your puppy should also be having a regular balanced diet. They don’t need the extra treat.

Extra small dogs like a Teacup Goldendoodle or a Miniature Australian Bernedoodle have lower food requirements than larger dogs. Be mindful of over feeding!

How To Feed Carrots To Puppies

You can chop and give your puppy fresh carrots. Depending on the size of the puppy – the shape will change. 

For our miniature labradoodle we cut sticks of carrot as he happily chomps these without choking.

Some dogs prefer round cuts – instead of carrot sticks. Watch for choking!

You could also

  • Steam
  • Mash
  • Freeze
  • Shred

Remember that carrots are a fun treat, but are not an essential part of a dog diet. So how often should you feed your puppy carrots? Consider them a treat. All treats should make up less than 10% of the diet. Most of the diet should be made up of the best puppy food available to you.

labrador cam puppy eat carrot
A Labrador puppy eating a carrot. That’s a fair bit of carrot for a puppy!
DSC_7044 Labrador Carrot by e_byrne on Flickr. CC-BY-20

Can Carrots Make my Puppy See Better?

For humans Vitamin A which is found in carrots as Beta Carotene is associated with eyesight. But for most humans and dogs, the idea of carrots improving eyesight is just a myth! (Berkley Wellness)

For dogs the vitamins and minerals associated with good health and good eyesight can be obtained pretty easily through other normal dog foods.

So unless your Puppy is deficient in Vitamin A, carrots are not going to have a huge health benefit or improve eyesight.

What good Happens when a puppy eats carrots

There are three positive things that may happen when a puppy eats carrots.

Carrot Health Benefit 1: Obesity

It could prevent or minimise pet obesity from over feeding

  • Did you know that according to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention  in 2018 in America over 56% of dogs are overweight? 
  • According to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention, 53.9 percent of dogs are overweight or obese.
  • It does not contribute much to the calorie intake for the day which helps prevent overfeeding. 
  • Not overfeeding helps keep your puppy at the appropriate weiGHT

Carrot Health Benefit 2: Poop

Introducing small amounts of fibre can help some puppies have better digestive health

  • Remember carrots are a treat not a main part of the diet 
  • They must be considered as a treat
  • 2. Less than 10% of the diet should be treats

A solid poop (helped by balanced diet with fibre) really makes toilet training your dog easier. Especially if you are trying to train your puppy to use a DIY apartment balcony porch potty.

Carrot Health Benefit 3: Teeth

Their teeth can naturally cleaned by the carrot – 

  • Yes you still have to try and brush your puppies teeth
  • No they are not going to like it much
  • And no –  eating carrots does not make a puppy’s teeth orange

Poodle Mix dogs like Bernedoodles or Goldendoodles can get gum disease. So any extra teeth cleaning is a bonus!

Can puppy eat carrots if their wolf ancestors didn’t?

Science tells us that one of the major differences between modern day puppies and their world ancestors is the ability for them to break down Carbohydrates.

This means that puppies *can* break down carbohydrates like those found in carrots or vegetables. (NATURE article)

They don’t require them specifically. Eating carrots and other carbohydrates is not something dogs and wolves used to do. It is a new adaptation in the process of domestication. (Tufts University)