Blueberries, a source of antioxidants
Blueberries, also known as "blueberries" or "brimbelles" are small berries rich in flavonoids and anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants to which these small fruits also owe their blue-purple to blue-black color when they mature.
Bilberry is a fruit that is eaten as such but whose extract is also widely used, in dogs as in humans, as a dietary supplement for its antioxidant properties.
Research has indeed suggested that the flavonoids present in blueberries may have an anti-tumor effect, particularly on the formation of hemangiomas (a benign vascular tumor).
Anthocyanins give blueberries vascular-protective, anti-edematous and platelet aggregation-inhibiting activity. Fruit extracts are also often used in the adjunctive treatment of night vision disorders.
Can you give blueberries to your dog?
Blueberry is a completely edible fruit for dogs. With its mild and slightly sweet flavor, it is even often very appreciated by our domestic canines.
It is therefore quite possible to give blueberries to your dog because they are a natural and he althy treat.
In what form to give blueberries to your dog?
It's best to feed store-bought blueberries to your pet because wild blueberries can be contaminated with the droppings of foxes infested with a cestode worm, called Echinococcus multilocularis.The consumption of these fruits can cause a parasitosis that is often asymptomatic in dogs but transmissible to humans. It is very serious in the last one and is called alveolar echinococcosis.
Blueberries can be given as is, raw and whole, to your dog if he is big enough to chew them. Consider crushing them before giving them to a tiny dog where the whole berries might get stuck in his throat.
How many blueberries can you give your dog?
With the exception of BARF-fed dogs in which fruit can be an integral part of the ration, blueberries should be considered as treats for the dog. As such, the quantities that can reasonably be distributed to your dog must not exceed 10% of its daily energy requirement.
It is also said to simplify that it is generally not necessary to exceed 10 g of fruit per kg of body weight per day in an active dog.
However, be sure to introduce blueberries very gradually into your dog's diet if your dog has never eaten them. Like all new foods, blueberries given in too large quantities can cause digestive problems in a dog that is not yet used to them.