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Last Updated on March 4, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur
CAN DOGS EAT DATES
Can dogs have dates? Yes, dogs can eat dates. There are many varieties of dates from Medjool to the Deglet Noor and yes, dates are very sweet so you should watch the sugar content.
Did you know that Deglet Noor dates actually contain less sugar than the Medjool dates? We will discuss all this and more below such as how do dates compare against other sweet treats and how much sugar is in each of those different varieties of dates.
CAN DOGS EAT DATE SEEDS
Dates typically contain seeds inside, so you don’t want to feed your dog any dates without first checking to make sure the seed has been removed. Depending on the size of your dog the date seeds could pose a risk such as choking or obstruction in the intestines.
I actually prefer to buy pitted dates when I am giving my little girl a homemade treat that incorporates dates. In fact, I actually made a variation of Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Toffee Pudding for my little girl that combines dates in a little cake sized ramakin.
HOW MUCH SUGAR DO DATES HAVE COMPARED TO OTHER SWEETS
Did you know that 1 ounce of granulated table sugar contains approx. 28 grams of sugars.1FoodData Central (usda.gov) Lots of dog treat manufacturers have started using molasses in their dog treats as well but is it blackstrap molasses?
Molasses actually contains approx. 21 grams of sugars per ounce.2FoodData Central (usda.gov) Unless, it is blackstrap molasses which is lower in sugar and then that contains approx. 15 grams of sugars per ounce.3FoodData Central (usda.gov)
Honey is also a popular additive in some homemade dog treats and 1 ounce of honey contains approx. 22 grams of sugars.4FoodData Central (usda.gov) (grams of sugars are approximations)
When looking at the chart below the only thing listed that has less sugar than a date is blackstrap molasses but Deglet Noor Dates come in a close second.
Dates, although very sweet and with that sugary, candy tastes to them actually contain less sugar than white granulated table sugar, honey and most molasses.
WHAT KIND OF DATES CAN DOGS EAT
What kind of dates can dogs eat would most likely depend upon what is available locally to you. There are over 20 different varieties of dates that dogs are able to consume. The most common varieties and preparations are listed below.
Dates could actually be an addition to some home cooked dog treat recipes you might find as you heard about the date pudding up above for special occasions that I made for the furbabies.
Can dogs have date syrup? Why yes, and actually when making the pudding cakes with dates I actually had to take the dates and soak them in water to soften them up and then puree them and date syrup would have been an easier option without compromising the sugar content.
Depending on how they are used, how much you use and also depending on the type of date used they could be an addition to one of your furbabies recipes as well. (grams of sugar are approximations)
There you can see below the way the dates are prepared can have a significant impact on the sugar content. 5FoodData Central (usda.gov) 6FoodData Central (usda.gov) 7FoodData Central (usda.gov) 8FoodData Central (usda.gov)
If you are making homemade treats for your pup and the recipe calls for honey consider using whole dates like Deglet Noor as they are lower in sugar
or even a date syrup which like Date Lady organic syrup
as these two are lower in sugars then all the others. And as you can see in the above table that date sugar is actually the highest in sugars.
Check out our other articles for more information on other foods such as;
