5 Amazing Health Benefits of Feeding Celery to Your Dog

Celery adds crunch to our salads and flavor to the turkey stuffing. It’s a vegetable that offers a world of health benefits in every bite. But is it safe for our dogs?

You’d be surprised to know that celery is not only safe but healthy for our dogs. It contains very few calories and zero fat but a high amount of nutrients and fibers that can perfectly supplement your dog’s diet.

In this article, we’ll discuss the various health benefits of celery and how you can incorporate this healthy treat into your dog's diet.

Health Benefits of Celery for Your Dog

Below are five reasons you should consider adding celery to your dog’s diet.

1. It Can Aid Digestive Health

Celery contains both soluble and insoluble fibers that can help support your dog’s digestive health. These fibers can also promote bowel regularity as insoluble fibers pull water into the stool to prevent constipation, and soluble fiber adds bulk to the stool to prevent diarrhea.

Soluble fibers also get fermented into short-chain fatty acids in your dog’s intestine. These acids help prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, support the growth of good bacteria, and improve the body’s ability to absorb various minerals.

Furthermore, adding fiber-rich treats like celery into your dog’s diet can help manage their weight and prevent blood-sugar levels from spiking suddenly.

2. It Can Help Reduce Inflammation

Celery contains flavonoids and carotenoids, two powerful antioxidants that can help prevent your dog’s body from cellular damage caused by unstable molecules, also known as free radicals. This helps reduce inflammation and can also help prevent various inflammatory diseases like arthritis in older dogs.

Antioxidants can also protect your dog from respiratory diseases, skin allergies, eye problems, heart diseases, and autoimmune disorders.

3. It Provides Various Nutrients

Celery contains a variety of nutrients that are important for your dog's well-being as they support their development and day-to-day bodily functions.

Below is a small breakdown of all the vitamins and minerals present in celery, with a mention of their main functions.

Vitamin C

Supports the immune system by increasing the activity of the white cells
Helps build strong bones and joint tissues
Acts as an antioxidant and helps prevent inflammation and inflammatory diseases

Vitamin A

Helps improve eyesight and prevents night blindness
Promotes physical development and growth in the early years
Supports the immune system by scanning for cellular irregularities and making white blood cells

Vitamin K

Required for blood clotting - an important process that prevents blood from excessively flowing out of wounds
Helps prevent heart disease
Used in glucose metabolism

Potassium

Aids in the transmission of nerve impulses that control every voluntary and involuntary muscle contraction, including your dog’s heartbeat
Helps with the absorption of nutrients
Helps prevent dehydration

Magnesium

Helps improve muscle health
Promotes absorption of minerals like calcium, potassium, and zinc
Supports your dog’s emotional well-being

Calcium

Maintains healthy bones & teeth
Supports muscle building and function
Helps maintain a normal heartbeat

4. It Has High Water Content

Raw celery is 95% water, which makes it an excellent treat for your dogs. You can feed them celery after a play session or a walk to help rehydrate and re-energize their body.

But please make sure that apart from water-rich treats like celery, your dog has access to plenty of drinking water to avoid dehydration.

5. It Can Freshen Your Dog’s Breath

The high water content and the crunchy texture of celery help stimulate saliva production in a dog’s mouth. This helps rinse off the harmful bacteria and plaque that might cause bad breath. So if you ever notice your dog’s breath is extra stinky, you can feed them a stalk of celery.

However, don’t substitute celery for a consistent oral hygiene routine which includes brushing your dog’s teeth regularly.

How to Feed Celery to Your Dog?

There are a variety of ways in which you can feed celery to your dog. You can let them munch on celery stalks as a snack in between meals or add some boiled celery to their regular kibble meal.

Whatever you prefer, make sure you follow some basic tips like:

1. Wash the celery properly to remove dirt and bacteria, even inside the folds. It’ll also help get rid of harmful pesticides and other chemicals that might pose any health risks.

2. Chop the celery into small bite-size pieces so it's easier to chew and swallow.

3. Start with small quantities to see how your dog enjoys this new food.

4. You can feed your dog raw celery, but if you have an older dog, you might want to feed them cooked celery as it’s easier to chew and digest.

Celery Leaves vs. Sticks

Celery sticks are safe and healthy for a dog. Their crunchy texture is also helpful in cleaning your dog’s teeth and removing bad odor.

The only risk is that a big celery stick can become a choking hazard. But you can easily avoid such a situation by chopping celery sticks into bite-size pieces or cooking the sticks to make them easier to chew and digest.

When it comes to celery leaves, they’re also quite nutritious, but their intense flavor makes them unpalatable for dogs. The leaves are also more prone to contain pesticide residue, which might be harmful to your dog’s health.

Thus it would be best to remove and discard the leaves before feeding the celery stick to your dog.

Adding Other Ingredients & Seasonings

If your dog is a picky eater, it might not show any interest in the watery and slightly bitter taste of celery. To make celery more appealing, you can add it to something more palatable, but it is important that you choose something safe for your dog.

For example, peanut butter is a popular choice, and many pet parents like to dip the celery stick in peanut butter to entice their dogs. This is a safe option, but only when peanut butter is used in moderation.

Also, you should buy dog-friendly peanut butter that doesn’t contain any other ingredients, seasonings, artificial flavors, or sugar substitutes like xylitol. These ingredients can be toxic for dogs.

Apart from that, avoid adding any other seasoning, like salt and pepper, to the celery. These flavorings can also lead to various health problems for your dog.

Are There Any Health Risks of Feeding Celery to Your Dog?

Even though celery is safe for dogs, you should still be cautious about a few things, like:

The Right Portion Sizes

Celery should be fed as a treat in addition to a healthy and well-balanced meal. It’s important to be mindful of portion sizes because overeating celery can lead to digestive issues like gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.

Celery also has high sodium content, which can lead to dehydration, vomiting, and even seizures, when eaten in large quantities.

How much celery your dog can eat will depend on their weight, age, nutritional requirements, and health condition. However, you can follow the 90/10 rule that states treats like celery should not exceed 10% of a dog's daily calorie intake. Then the remaining 90% of calories should come from a healthy and well-balanced meal.

You can also consult with your veterinarian to determine the right amount of celery to feed your dog.

Dog With Prior Health Conditions

Celery is low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and carbs, which makes this vegetable safe and healthy for dogs with prior health conditions. For example, if your dog is overweight or obese, they won’t gain many calories from celery, and its fiber content will also make them feel fuller for longer.

Even dogs with diabetes and gastrointestinal issues can benefit from eating celery as it’s a nutrient-rich and zero-fat vegetable.

So if you have a dog with some health conditions, consult with your veterinarian about including celery in their diet.

There Might be Frequent Urination

Celery is a diuretic, which means it increases the production of urine. If your dog is eating too much celery regularly, there’s a chance they might urinate more than usual. It’s completely normal, but in the long run, this can lead to dehydration.

To help prevent the possibility of dehydration, you can feed small amounts of celery to your dog once or twice a week.

Risk of Choking

Celery sticks can be a choking hazard, especially for small-breed dogs and puppies. Thus you should chop the celery into bite-size pieces before feeding it to your dog. You can also cook the celery, so it becomes softer and easier to chew and digest.

If you suspect your dog has accidentally gulped a whole piece of a celery stick, look out for the following signs of choking or obstruction:

Coughing
Gagging
Trouble breathing
Salivation
Distress
High-pitched crying or squeaking
Pawing at their mouth

If you notice any of these signs of choking, take your dog to a veterinarian immediately.

Allergic Reaction to Celery

Although it’s rare, your dog can still have an allergic reaction to celery. It’s best to start with 1 or 2 small pieces of celery and monitor their reaction for the next 24-48 hours.

Look out for the following signs of an allergic reaction:

Upset stomach or diarrhea
Runny nose or sneezing
Vomiting
Red and itchy skin
Difficulty breathing
Excessive licking
Swelling on the face, eyes or ears
Hives

If you notice any of the following signs of an allergic reaction, contact your veterinarian.

Summing Up: Can Dogs Eat Celery?

Celery is a healthy and low-fat treat for dogs. It’s a great alternative to high-fat commercial treats that often contain too much sugar. You can simply wash, chop, and feed small bite-size pieces of celery to your dog as a mid-afternoon snack or a meal topper.

The important thing is to be mindful of the portion sizes and feed small amounts of celery to your dog. You can stick to the 90/10 rule and ensure treats like celery don’t exceed 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake.

If you have any further doubts, contact your veterinarian before adding celery to your dog’s diet.

FAQs

Let’s answer some frequently asked questions about feeding celery to your dog.

1. Can dogs eat celery safely?

Yes, dogs can eat celery safely. It’s a rich source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can support your dog’s overall growth and development. Even the crunchy and watery texture of celery can help stimulate saliva production in a dog’s mouth. It’ll help rinse off the harmful bacteria and plaque that might cause bad breath.

2. Can a dog eat celery daily?

Feeding a few small pieces of celery every day is safe, but you shouldn't feed large amounts on a daily basis. It has a lot of fiber, which can upset your dog’s stomach, and its high sodium content can also lead to dehydration, vomiting, and even seizures when eaten in large quantities.

Celery is also diuretic, which means it increases the production of urine. If your dog eats celery every day, they might urinate more than usual, which can cause dehydration.

To help prevent the possibility of dehydration, you can feed small amounts of celery to your dog once or twice a week.

3. Can dogs eat cooked celery?

Yes, dogs can eat both raw and cooked celery. If you have an older dog, it may be better to give cooked celery as it is easier to chew and digest. But while cooking celery, avoid adding any other ingredients or seasonings that might be harmful to your dog’s health.

4. Can dogs eat celery leaves?

Celery leaves contain various nutrients, but they’re more prone to contain pesticide residue, which might be harmful to your dog’s health. Even their intense flavor can be unpalatable for some dogs.

Thus it’s best to remove and discard the leaves before feeding the celery stick to your dog.