Yes, dogs can eat olives in moderation. Would you mind feeding your dog plain and unsalted olives? Olives are high in nutritional content. Hence, they can be a superfood for dogs. While providing your dog olives, it is vital to remove seeds to avoid indigestion or choking. It is recommended to opt for organic olives when you feed your canine friends.
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What Is an Olive?
Olive is a tiny oval-shaped fruit that is cherry-like in appearance and is added to foods and salads for its warm, spicy taste and nutritional value. They were initially native of Asian Minor before spreading to Mediterranean civilization. They are the oldest trees cultivated in the world, as old as 6,000 years ago. There are around 2000 types of olives in the world, of which the most famous ones are green olives and black olives. They are cured before making them edible.
Is Olive Safe for Dogs?
Yes, olives are safe for dogs, as long as they are deseeded, unsalted, plain (without any seasonings), and given in moderation. It is not an excellent idea to give your pets canned or pickled olives or moldy olives or any eatables with mold, for that matter. This may contain tremorgenic mycotoxins that can cause tremors and seizures in pets.
Deseeded, pitted, unsalted, and plain olives of the following varieties are safe for your dog:
Black olives
Green olives
All types of Greek olives
Kalamata olives
Manzanilla olives
Raw olives
Olives are rarely added to beverages. It’s a known fact that you should never give your dogs olives soaked in alcohol, as alcohol is lethal to dogs.
Why Are Olives Good for Dogs?
Olives contain a good source of vitamins A, K, and E, high amounts of minerals, oleic acid, and antioxidants. The benefits of olives to your dogs are listed below:
Olives boost your dog’s immune system.
Olives can prevent heart disease.
Olives reduce the risk of cancer.
Olives reduce inflammation.
Olives promote vision.
Olives are good for bone health.
Olives contain mono-unsaturated fatty acids that are healthy and aid in weight loss.
Olives also give your dog healthy skin and a shiny coat.
They boost brain function and make an ideal treat for dogs like Border Collies.
Olives lower down the bad cholesterol and promote good cholesterol levels.
Olives are an excellent source of oleate. It is a good fat that promotes heart health and cognitive functions in your dogs.
Olive oil helps in putting a check on diabetes in dogs.
Why Are Olives Bad for Dogs?
Some ingredients in olives can make it bad for dogs. Please feed only plain, unsalted olives that are deseeded. So, what makes olives bad for your dogs? Let’s read the bulleted points to know:
Gastrointestinal Issues and Internal Organ Damage: Pits or seeds can cause gastrointestinal upset and internal organ obstruction. Look out for gastrointestinal symptoms such as:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Constipation
A painful tummy
Yelping or growling
Lethargy
Loss of appetite
Weakness.
Symptoms of intestinal obstruction are
Dehydration
loss of appetite
Lethargy
Vomiting
Choking Hazards and Pit Poisoning: Olives can cause choking hazards, mainly in smaller dog breeds. In addition, when your furry friends accidentally chew on the pits, the pit contains cyanide, leading to cyanide poisoning in dogs.
Excessive salivation
Voiding of bladder and bowels
Muscle spasms and tremors
Vomiting
Seizures are some indications that show up if your pet is affected by cyanide.
Severe Dental Issues: If your dog chews the hard pits accidentally, it can damage the teeth and gums, leading to dental issues. Symptoms show up as:
Difficulty in breathing
Seizures
Vomiting
Coma
Gum bleeding
High Blood Pressure, Chronic Kidney disease, and Pancreatitis: You should avoid canned, pickled, or brined olives due to their high sodium levels. Excess salt causes dehydration, leading to high blood pressure, chronic kidney diseases, seizures, and pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is caused due to an inflammatory pancreas. Dogs with pancreatitis may suffer from decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Lactose Intolerance and Dog – Toxic Ingredients: Olives with seasonings or additives are not your dog’s right choice. Some store-bought olives contain ingredients like preservatives, garlic, blue cheese, and feta cheese that are toxic and may cause lactose allergies for your pups. In addition, eating garlic can cause difficulty in breathing and lethargy. Though dogs can be given bread occasionally, olive bread is not recommended. Giving olives from your pizza topping or used in a cocktail or other alcoholic drinks is hazardous to your canines. Olives with molds can cause seizures and tremors.
How Many Olives to Feed Your Dog?
It is recommended to offer olives in a small amount. Start with a tiny piece and observe if your dog faces any issues you are offering for the first time. And if you are in a dilemma about whether you should feed your pup green or black olives, both of them are a healthy choice. Gradually you can provide two pieces of plain, unsalted olives without pits, weekly twice.
What If My Dog Ate Olives?
If your dog accidentally eats olives, it is better to consult your vet and give the necessary treatment. When dogs eat too many olives or swallow the pits in the olives, they would experience digestive issues and show up symptoms like:
Stomach Upset
Abdominal Pain
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Dehydration
Seizures
Difficulty in breathing
Decreased Appetite
Tremors
Lethargy
Gum bleeding
Excessive Salivation
Yelping
Growling
As a pet parent, you should watch for signs of allergic reactions whenever you introduce new foods to your dog. These include:
Steam all the vegetables until they turn tender. Blend them in a food processor.
Boil the lean turkey and chicken liver. Dice, drain any fat, and add the vegetable mixture to it.
Toss the turkey – veggie mixture in olive oil.
Allow cooling before placing into the freezer in an air-tight container.
Mixed Veg Brown Rice:
Ingredients:
Brown Rice – 6 cups
Lean beef or cooked turkey (fat drained) – 9 oz
Hard-boiled eggs diced – 4
Large carrots shredded and thinly sliced – 4
Fresh parsley minced – ½ cup
Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
Method:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
Serve immediately
You can store it in the fridge for a week.
Note:
Do not add any additives or dog-toxic ingredients to the recipes.
Consider feeding a small amount while feeding for the first time.
Check if all the ingredients are properly cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can Dogs Eat Green Olives with Pimento?
Yes, dogs can eat olives with pimentos, provided it is the only ingredient stuffed in the olives.
Can Dogs Eat Ripe Olives?
Yes, dogs can eat ripe olives that are deseeded and unsalted. However, ensure they are not too mature. Else, he may suffer from stomach upset.
Can Dogs Eat Olives in Garlic and seasonings?
No, dogs should not eat olives coated in oils, garlic, and other seasonings that can cause health risks in dogs.
Can Olives Make Dogs Sick?
No, olives that are plain and pitted can rarely harm dogs. However, the canned, pickled, or brined often contain excessive sodium, which can be toxic and lead to dehydration.
Can Dogs Eat Olive Branches?
No, dogs should not eat wooden branches; they can cause choking hazards. In addition, chewing olive branches can damage a dog’s teeth and can cause intestinal obstruction.
Can Dogs Eat Olive Leaves?
Olive leaves are high in fiber. They can cause diarrhea in dogs. So it is best to keep your dogs away from Olive leaves.
Can Dogs Eat Olive Loaf?
No, dogs can not eat olive loaves, as they are high in salt. Olive loaves are types of deli meat.
Can Dogs Eat Olive Tapenade?
No. You should not give dogs olive tapenade since they are made of anchovy paste, sugar, salt, garlic, and spices, toxic to dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Russian Olives?
No, dogs should not be fed Russian Olives since they can upset the stomach. Russian olive trees are similar to olive trees, but their berries are yellow-brown with silver scales.
Can Dogs Eat Autumn Olives?
No, dogs should not eat autumn olives as they are shrubs that have red berries (called silverberries). Too much fiber in the berries causes diarrhea in dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Mexican Olives?
No, dogs should not eat Mexican olives since they are ornamental shrubs and are not meant to be consumed. Indeed, Mexican olives are toxic to dogs.
Final Verdict
Considering all the points discussed regarding olives, we can safely and fairly feed olives to dogs. In addition, the nutritional value outweighs the effects, thus making it an aye-aye food to your rovers.
Pet owners are requested to bear the points discussed under the section kindly Is Olive Safe for Dogs? Why Is Olive Bad for Dogs? How Many Olives to Feed? You may also feed your dogs by taking some ideas from Dog-safe Olive Recipes.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, whelps! You deserve an olive treat too!
