Besides being a devout rocker, I am also a committed dog person. If there is one entity in this world I love and adore as much I love Rock n Roll is my dog, Dio.
Named after the late Ronnie James Dio (of Black Sabbath fame), Dio is a brown and white Australian shepherd, my girlfriend Connie gifted me four years ago.
Dio is an intelligent and lovable pooch, who loves to munch. One food item Dio enjoys to munch on is a lovely crunchy cauliflower.
Although I don’t deny him cauliflower, I often ask myself, can my dog eat cauliflower?
Can he or can he not, let’s find out.
Is Cauliflower Safe for Dogs?
Despite the number of ways it can be cooked, most humans do not enjoy eating cauliflower. Whether it’s roasted, steamed or boiled, only a small population likes it. Although cauliflower is not a green vegetable, still it contains a variety of nutrients that are vital to your health. But is cauliflower safe for dogs? To find out the answer, continue to read.
The answer to the question, can my dog eat cauliflower? Is yes, dogs can eat Cauliflower and it entirely healthy and safe for canines. It 100% non-toxic, and if your dog overeats it, the worst thing that can happen is some gassiness in your dog’s tummy. Although harmless, the gas can be quite tough for your nose to tolerate.
Cauliflower in some ways is related to broccoli, and in so many ways, they share the same nutritional content. However, broccoli contains a higher amount of dietary fiber and tastes pleasant to the tongue too. But, it does not mean that cauliflower doesn’t have any nutritional value.
Cauliflower contains a significant amount of soluble fiber and vitamins. Soluble fiber helps your four-legged buddy digest food quickly, and also contributes to the regularity of bowel movement.
Also, fiber makes your dog feel full and less hungry. The nutrients in cauliflower help combat inflammation and aging, thus making your pooch appear healthy and fresh.
The most wonderful thing about cauliflower is the presence of high levels of isothiocyanate. If you are unaware of what isothiocyanate is, it is the carcinogen blocker that prevents the spreading of cancer cells in your dog’s body.
However, it is isothiocyanate that promotes gassiness in dogs, which is not such a pleasant experience for the dog owner. Furthermore, it irritates the linings of your dog’s intestine. As a result, your dog experiences gassiness and loose stools.
Should I Feed Cooked or Raw Cauliflower to My Dog?
Dog owners are often confused about whether or not they should cook cauliflower for their dog. Raw cauliflower is safe for dogs, but cooked cauliflower is easy to chew and digest.
Dogs are natural carnivores, and their teeth and digestive systems are designed for meat, which is why it becomes hard for your dog’s digestive system to accept crunchy vegetables like cauliflowers.
Long story short, cooked cauliflower is easy to chew and digest. Therefore, it’s better to have it steamed, boiled, or roasted before feeding it to your dog.
Whether its cauliflower or anything else, overeating can be damaging for your dog’s health. In the case of cauliflower, overeating can lead to loose stools and gassiness.
If cauliflower completely messes up your dog’s stomach, it is better to stick to conventional dog food. Everything your dog needs to stay healthy is its fair share of a balanced diet.
However, if you want to feed cauliflower to your dog, make sure it’s done in moderation.
Why Is Cauliflower Good for Your Dog?
Packed with a variety of minerals, vitamins, and several nutrients, Cauliflower is one of the most nutritious items you can find in a supermarket. Although not as rich as broccoli, it does contain some calories which aren’t found in broccoli. Let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of cauliflower for your dog.
A majority of the nutrients found in cauliflower are beneficial to your dog’s digestive health. As discussed earlier, cauliflower contains dietary fiber and similar nutrients which contribute to smoother digestion. The fact that it helps in digestion makes cauliflower a healthy food choice for your dog.
Besides being good for a dog’s digestion, Cauliflower is also healthy for a dog’s heart. Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, which improves blood pressure in dogs. Stable blood pressure not only keeps the heart on track but also contributes to healthier kidneys.
As discussed earlier, sulforaphane is a sulfur compound present in cauliflower. This compound is responsible for killing cancer cells. As a result, the growth of tumors is slowed down.
Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin B, which is essential for brain health. A healthy brain learns new things and remembers them for a long time. Which is why most people use cauliflower to treat their dogs during training sessions.
What Are Healthy Nutrients Found in Cauliflower?
Cauliflower is one of the healthiest vegetables and contains a variety of nutrients that are beneficial to a dog’s health. Furthermore, it contains a plant compound that eliminates the possibility of so many diseases, such as cancer and heart problems.
Also, it plays a crucial part in weight loss, thus keeping your dog fit and less obese. Let’s discuss in detail the healthy nutrients found in Cauliflower, which will benefit your dog’s health.
Cauliflower contains 4% (RDI) of phosphorus. Phosphorus is beneficial for your dog due to the following reasons.
- It helps your dog’s kidneys function perfectly.
- It helps in motor functions and muscle contractions.
- It helps break calcium down.
- It contributes to the transfer and storage of energy.
- Stabilizes your dog’s heart rate.
- Ensures several body functions when combined with other enzymes.
Cauliflower has 4% (RDI) of magnesium in it. Here are some of the health benefits of magnesium for your canine.
- Strengthens muscles
- When combined with calcium magnesium results in healthier and stronger bones.
- The presence of magnesium calms your dog down.
- It makes your dog mentally and emotionally stable.
- It improves organ health and contributes to other body functions.
- Relaxes, contracts, and regenerates muscles.
Cauliflower contains 3% fiber, which helps your dog digest food and attain a healthy metabolism. Here are some of the key benefits of fiber for your dog.
- Contributes to the betterment of your dog’s digestive tract.
- Eliminates the possibility of constipation and diarrhea in dogs.
- Fights obesity and keeps your dog slim and fit.
- Reduces the risk of colon cancer in dogs.
Another good nutrient found in cauliflower is manganese. Cauliflower contains nearly 4% (RDI) of manganese, the health benefits of which are mentioned below.
- Manganese allows your dog to digest and absorb carbohydrates and protein it receives from its diet.
- It serves as a catalyst to most enzyme functions in your dog’s body. One of those functions is converting food into fatty acids and energy.
- Manganese results in a healthy and robust skeletal structure in dogs.
- Allows your dog’s kidneys, liver, and other organs to perform optimally.
- Fights aging and make your dog appear healthy and fresh for a long time.
- Cauliflower is an antioxidant that fights oxidation and prevents the growth of free radicals, which are harmful to a dog’s health.
Cauliflower contains nearly 14% (RDI) of folic acid which dog’s body needs for the following reasons.
- Contributes to amino acid metabolism in most dogs.
- It helps maintain the integrity of cell membranes in dogs.
These were just some of the most prominent nutrients found in cauliflower. Cauliflower is rich in antioxidants that fight inflammation. It also helps eliminate the possibility of diseases such as cancer and heart issues.
How Much Cauliflower Can My Dog Eat Regularly?
Often, dog owners ask how much cauliflower is safe for their dogs. Although cauliflower is perfectly safe for your dog, yet it must be fed to your dog in small quantities occasionally.
However, it is perfectly fine if you sprinkle small chunks of finely cut cauliflower into your dog’s everyday meal. Doing so, not only will you allow your dog to enjoy the crunchy, but your dog will also benefit from the many nutrients cauliflower contains.
Your pooch must not eat huge bulks of cauliflower regularly. Although it doesn’t raise serious health concerns, it still leaves your dog with loose stools and a gassy stomach.
Dealing with a dog’s gassiness is not at all pleasant, and is the last thing you would want to experience. Now that you know the side effects of too much cauliflower for your dog, you should stick to the less is more approach.
Also, the cabbage that you feed your dog should be boiled, steamed, or roasted. Raw cauliflower, although safe, is tough for your dog to chew and digest. Cooked cauliflower is soft and easy for your dog to chew and digest.
Lastly, when feeding cauliflower or a similar vegetable to your pooch, you must refrain from doing the following.
- Cooking cauliflower in garlic and onions for they are toxic. Any exposure to either of the two can have serious effects on your dog’s health.
- The cauliflower must not be frozen when fed to dogs.
- When feeding cauliflower to your dog, make sure the cauliflower is fresh and not canned or jarred.
- Do not season cauliflower with salts, for salts and spices cause inflammation among dogs.
How to Make a Cauliflower Pizza for Your Dog?
By now, you must have realized that cauliflower is packed with nutrients and is completely safe for dogs.
However, it does not mean that it must be fed to your dog raw.
How about incorporating some creativity? That’s right; the below mentioned is the recipe for a delicious DIY cauliflower dog pizza.
Let’s delve right in.
The ingredients you will need are as follows.
- Cauliflowers
- Red bell peppers
- Dairy-free cheese
- Uncured pepperoni
- Italian sausage
Here is what you need to do to make cauliflower dog pizza.
- Cut up the cauliflower into small chunks.
- Use a food processor to crush the cauliflower.
- One the cauliflower has been crushed; steam it for four and a half minutes.
- Take a thin clean white cloth, and pour the steamed cauliflower all over it.
- Allow the cauliflower to cool.
- While the cauliflower cools, break open an egg into the bowl and beat it, for the egg serves as a glue to hold everything together.
- Take the cloth holding the cauliflower, and squeeze out all the water.
- Once the moisture is out, pour the cauliflower and the beaten egg into a bigger bowl.
- Add some soft goat-milk cheese.
- Add one tsp oregano
- Mix the ingredients until it turns into a dough.
- Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt to the concoction.
- Take a baking sheet, and place the dough over it. Before you add some topping, give it the shape of a pizza crust.
- Preheat the oven at 350F and place it in the crust. Bake the pizza crust for not more than 40 minutes.
- Do not use ketchup or tomato sauce for both of them are acidic to dogs.
- Instead, use roasted bell peppers to top your pizza with.
- Cut the bell peppers and wipe them down with some olive oil.
- Preheat the oven to 450F, and place in the bell peppers, and allow them to cook for 15 minutes.
- Fry some Italian sausage in a frying pan.
- Cut some green bell peppers and fry them with the Italian sausage.
- Now that the red bell peppers are ready to peel them and place them steaming hot in a bowl and cover it up with foil wrap. Allow them to sit in the pan until they are soft and soggy.
- Once they are soggy, put them in the blender, and blend them until they turn into a thick paste.
- Before you blend the red bell peppers, don’t forget to add some salt and black pepper.
- Pour the red bell pepper sauce onto the pizza crust, along with the cheese.
- Add some natural uncured pepperoni.
- Sprinkle the fried pieces of green bell peppers and Italian sausage.
- Place the pizza in the oven for 10 minutes, to melt the cheese.
Congratulations! Your DIY cauliflower dog pizza is ready.
Signs Your Dog Likes Cauliflower
Here are a few signs your dog likes cauliflower.
If you have a cauliflower plant in your kitchen garden, you will find your pooch snooping around the plant, waiting for you to go away.
You also find your dog revolving around the dining table or kitchen area or the dining table if they seek you cooking or eating cauliflower.
A mere glance at cauliflower makes them drool and lick their lips.
They eat it quickly and impatiently, take bigger bites and sometimes even choke.
While eating, they move it around with their nose, to find the best part.
Signs Your Dog Dislikes Cauliflower
Signs your dog doesn’t like cauliflower.
They won’t eat no matter how hard you try to make them.
Even if they do, they’ll eat it very slowly.
Eating a small amount of cauliflower makes them sick and vomit.
They end up with a bloated and gassy stomach.
My Dog Just Ate Cauliflower, What Do I Do Now?
If you have found your dog eating cauliflower, do not worry. Remember, cauliflower is entirely non-toxic and safe for dogs. A small quantity of cauliflower won’t cause any hazard to your dog.
However, if they have eaten a more significant portion of cauliflower, they might end up with an upset and gassy stomach. If your dog overeats cauliflower, book an appointment with a reputable vet.
Conclusion
By now, you must have gotten the answer to the question, can my dog eat cauliflower? When feeding cauliflower to your dog, make sure it is steamed, boiled, or roasted. Raw cauliflower is hard for dogs to chew and digest.
Also, the cauliflower must not be cooked with onions and garlic, for they are toxic for canines. Lastly, do not feed your dog cauliflower that is seasoned with salt and spices.
