Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe? All You Need To Know! [2024]

While cantaloupe is safe in general, dogs, just like people, do have their preferences. Luckily for me, my buddy Caesar loves this delicious fruity diet, especially if I make it out into cute little treats.

To learn more about my experience, continue reading. But before we get into that, let’s first look at what giving this fruit to your pet means for their health– a question I am sure is perhaps most important when addressing the subject of ‘Can dogs eat cantaloupe?’.

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: Nutritional Benefits

Fruits, in general, are good for pets and humans alike since they come packed with a lot of natural healthy tidbits that can prove really good for their body.

Antioxidants: Antioxidants are good for the body since they protect your dog by neutralizing any free radicals present in the body which can damage DNA in cells and consequently lead to chronic inflammation.

Vitamin A: Being rich in vitamin A, cantaloupe helps improve sight and leads to better organ development and an improved immune response.

Vitamin C: This vitamin is essential when it comes to improving energy levels and providing your dog with a better, healthier immune system. On top of that, it helps provide pain relief to dogs who suffer from urinary tract infections.

Folic Acid: Helps improve metabolic functions such as DNA synthesis and red blood cell production.

Iron: This mineral is important to maintain healthy blood flow in your dog’s body since it is essential in the formation of hemoglobin. Certain enzymatic functions also depend on your dog getting the required amount of iron.

Choline: This is good for healthy brain development, preventing liver-related problems such as hepatic lipidosis.

Vitamin K: This is a mineral that helps improve blood clotting where necessary. Diets such as cantaloupe are rich in this and can therefore be very good.

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: Are Cantaloupe Seeds Safe for Dogs?

Fortunately, this is a point where many dog owners can relax. Yes, your dog can have cantaloupe seeds, in that they are not toxic.

BUT

Things such as seeds can quickly become a choking hazard, especially given the way dogs eat. That is, in big mouthfuls and without much chewing.

Unlike human beings, dogs tend to gulp their food instead of taking their time to chew it. So if you give your buddy raw seeds, either separately or along with the chunky cantaloupe bites, you really do run a risk of choking them.

This is why we highly recommend being more careful whilst feeding.

The best way to avoid seeds from entering your pet’s food bowl is as follows:

Chop the cantaloupe into two equal halves.
Using a knife, carefully carve out the seeds and discard them.
Now, you may begin chopping the fruity treat into as many pieces as you’d like for your pet friend!

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: What If Our Dog Swallows the Seeds?

Remember, while choking hazards are a very real thing, cantaloupe seeds are not toxic.

So, you really shouldn’t worry if your pooch accidentally eats a few. However, with that being said, if you’re worried about them choking on the seeds, be sure to look out for the following signs:

Distress;
Facial expressions of pain;
They begin pawing, specifically, at the mouth;
Salivation;
Coughing;
Gagging or retching;
Blue mucous membranes (cyanosis);
Rubbing their face against the ground.

What To Do In Case of Choking?

As with humans, you can perform certain first aid measures on dogs as well which will allow you to remove the choking object.

Heimlich Maneuver

Begin by laying your dog on his side. And check to see if the object has been dislodged in the esophagus.

Next, position his back against your stomach (head up, paws down).

Using the right hand, find the soft hollow under the ribs (your closed fist should fit into this spot).

Finally, pull the right-handed fist up and two or three times, toward your own stomach, using a sharp thrusting motion.

If this doesn’t work, and if your dog has lost their pulse, try performing CPR on them.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Depending on the size of your dog, the chest compressions that need to be carried out per minute might vary.

An average of 120 chest compressions need to be performed per minute.

Be sure to call a vet immediately, however, should such a situation arise.

And, even if your dog has been revived using CPR, you need to take them to the vet!

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: Better Safe than Sorry

If you’ve read this far, you might be very reasonably upset about the choking hazards brought on by seeds.

And you should be.

Besides, overall, there really is no point in feeding your dog cantaloupe seeds since they will most likely just pass through his system and offer little nutrition which can’t already be substituted for by other things.

Regardless, just because seeds are a problem, does not mean cantaloupes are too.

So, if you’ve followed the instructions given above on how to remove seeds from within the cantaloupe, then you have no need to worry!

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: What About the Rind?

The rind, or outer skin of a cantaloupe, can be potentially harmful to our furry friends.

The primary reason here is that it is difficult to digest, thereby leading to gastrointestinal problems.

If you’ve perused through articles on our blog, you might be familiar with just how quickly gastrointestinal problems can lead to a bad situation for your dog, and how anything that gives your dog gas should be avoided as much as possible.

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: How Should It Be Fed?

When it comes to Caesar, my German Shepard, I personally like to slice the cantaloupe into evenly sized pieces, followed by peeling the outer skin using a knife, and finally chopping it into bite-sized pieces.

To make things easier for you, we’ve added some cool recipes as well that you can follow to make cute little treats out of cantaloupe for your furry bestie.

Recipe for Cantaloupe Cookies

Ingredients:

Chopped cantaloupe (without rind)- ¾ cup;
Almond flour- ½ cup;
Rice flour- ½ cup;
Turmeric- ¼ tsp.

Recipe:

In a blender, blend the cantaloupe.
Next, pour the blended fruit into a bowl and mix in the flours and turmeric.
Mix well with the help of a spatula.
Then, either using a cut zip lock bag or a spoon, place the mix onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Once done, you can feed them as it is, or dip them into a little bit of plain yogurt and offer them to your canine friend!

Video Recipe:

Can Dogs Eat Cantaloupe: Fun Facts About Cantaloupes

The word cantaloupe comes from the town of Cantalupo, Italy, where cantaloupe seeds arrived from Armenia and were planted in the Papal Gardens in the 16th century.
The United States is one of the biggest consumers of cantaloupes.
A simpler name for cantaloupes is melon.