Can dogs eat okra? If you live in the south, okra is a staple vegetable. It’s grilled, steamed, sautéed, and even fried. But can we share this versatile vegetable with our dogs? Is okra safe for dogs to eat?
The short answer is yes, okra is safe for dogs to eat. Raw, or cooked, okra packs a nutrient punch, both its seeds and pods are perfectly edible, and it’s even used medicinally. It’s a tasty superfood that dogs love, much like the turnip.
When it comes to introducing your dog to new foods, though, always consult your veterinarian first. In the meantime, here’s everything you should know about how okra is wonderfully nutritious for dogs.
How Is Okra Good For Dogs?
Many foodies will tell you how delicious okra can be in a variety of forms. There’s a reason why it’s enjoyed globally, with heavy popularity in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States.
What impresses us most about this vegetable, though, is its simplicity. Most highly nutritious fruits and vegetables have some kind of drawback — something that needs to be removed, skinned, or cooked, in order to be safe for dogs to eat.
Okra is safe to eat raw or cooked, and its seeds and skin are both edible. Likely, a good bit of its nutrients is in both, actually. And your dog gets the benefits!
These benefits include high-quality oils and proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, high levels of antioxidants, good carbohydrates, vitamin C, folate, calcium, and potassium.
Furthermore, it’s often used as a medicinal supplement to treat ulcers and inflammation, purge toxins, and even stabilize blood sugar.
How Can I Safely Give Okra To My Dog?
As touched on above, the sky is really the limit with okra. There are some obvious things to avoid, such as preparing okra with garlic, onions, or other foods known to be toxic to dogs. But, for the most part, whichever way you want to serve okra to your dog, you can.
Nutritionists do note that the best way to get the most nutrient value from okra is to cook it quickly with steam or low heat. If you want to get the most out of this superfood, try not to let it break down too much in the cooking process.
Also, it’s a good idea to avoid pickled okra or canned okra of any kind. Canned okra will be loaded down with preservatives and dangerous levels of sodium that your dog’s system isn’t built for. And pickled okra tends to be made with other ingredients that are toxic to dogs.
With most vegetables, the best way to serve it is from your own preparation of it, where you know everything that it’s cooked with. When served raw or simply cooked, okra can be a daily part of your dog’s balanced diet,
Have you ever served okra to your dog? Does your pooch like it prepared in a certain way? Let us know in the comments below.
