Can Pom Eat Oranges
Can a Pomeranian Eat Oranges?
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Pomeranian Information
- Feeding
- Can a Pomeranian Puppy or Dog Safely Eat Oranges?
Hopefully, you have given careful thought to the main food that you feed your Pomeranian since the meals that he/she eats on a regular basis have a direct and important effect on the health of your dog. Good eating practices should begin early; puppies can form eating habits that can carry into adulthood! Therefore, if you are in the habit of giving your Pomeranian some 'not so healthy' snacks, it is never too late to get things on track.
Naturally, when we ourselves eat a healthy snack, we automatically wonder if it would be a good idea to allow our Pom to have some of it as well; either mixed into meals or given as a snack. We receive so many emails asking us about certain food items, that we are going to go into the details of the top 8 foods that we receive questions about.
We have already covered Can a Pomeranian eat Cheese
and Can a Pomeranian eat Eggs (Links to all 8 food ingredients can be found below). On this page, we are going to answer the question of: Is it safe for a Pomeranian to eat oranges?
Can my Pomeranian eat oranges?
This is a good question and we can see why so many Pom owners wonder about this, since oranges are a great treat for humans. In some areas of the country, oranges are best when 'in season' such as in New England, when it seems the best, juiciest and most delicious can be found late autumn through early spring.
There are many fruits that Pomeranian can safely eat, so let's look closer at the Vitamin C packed orange.
Oranges are one of the most popular fruits and also one of the healthiest. The most common perception of oranges is that it is an excellent way to obtain Vitamin C… But why is this particular vitamin so important, and is it just as important for dogs to have it?
It is true that Vitamin C is important for the proper function of a healthy immune system, but it also has some other great qualities. It works to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals (a compound that is formed when a body coverts food into energy) and it aids in producing collagen (which is important for healthy skin).
Oranges contain no fat, no cholesterol and no sodium. An orange also contains a fairly moderate amount of dietary fiber (which is a good thing). It sounds like a perfect food!
So, the question is… Now that we know more about the oranges that we eat, can a Pomeranian eat oranges?
The answer is a big YES, however there are some elements to keep in mind in this regard.
1-
This fruit, like other citrus fruits
contains citric acid. For this reason, too many oranges can cause stomach upset, particularly for a tiny toy breed dog like the Pomeranian.
With this being said, one must keep in mind that too much of ANY certain food is going to cause problems for a Pom (or any other dog for that matter).
For a health meal plan, there should be variety. Feeding a Pomeranian 1 or 2 slices of an orange will generally NOT cause any problems whatsoever.
As with all foods, treats and snacks, remember: moderation and variety!
2-
Oranges contain sugar. Sugar is made up of 2 elements: fructose and glucose. The sugar that is found in fruits is also made of the very same 2 elements of fructose and glucose. One large orange contains the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of sugar.
This means that a 1/2 of an orange contains just about 1.5 teaspoons of sugar. If you choose to feed your Pomeranian 2 slices of an orange, your Pom will be ingesting .75 of a teaspoon of sugar which is just fine!
3-
The rind of an orange is very rich with citrus oils, more so than the fruit inside. For this reason, do not allow your Pomeranian to eat any of the peel - which your probably would not do at any rate - however the smell alone might cause a Pom to try and swipe the peeled rind - so just be careful to dispose of it properly.
4-
Remember that just because a bit of orange is fine to feed to your Pom, this does not hold true for all fruits. Some are quite dangerous (grapes, raisins) and some have pits that are so toxic that it is highly recommended to not even feed the fruit at all (cherries). On the other hand, the fruit along with blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe and pears are all great.
5-
Feeding an orange slice to your Pom is a great way to find out what type of food "does it" for your puppy or dog.
Some dogs simply love salty snacks, for others a special meaty treat like bacon will be a favorite and for other Poms a small, sweet treat like an orange slice will cause that tail to wag like crazy.
Once you know what foods your Pom really loves, you can use this to your advantage and only offer that food as reward for listening to commands or to add to meals for those that need some encouragement to eat more to maintain a healthy weight.
Points to Remember
Whether you feed your dog commercial food or you make your Pom home cooked meals, NEVER give your Pomeranian food from your own supper plate. If you do this, you will be setting up the foundation for begging behavior. Once begging behavior is in place, it can be a LOT of hard work to reverse it!
To ensure that you have a well behaved Pomeranian, remember that one of the rules to keep in place, is that your Pom should sit on command before any snack or meal is given. Not only does this keep begging behavior at bay, it also reinforces the 'Alpha/Beta' dynamic and reminds your Pomeranian that while you love him/her more than anything, you are the leader who deserves respect and that your Pom is expected to listen to commands.
