Can Boston Terriers Eat Strawberries? (Health Benefits and Risks)

Boston Terriers are commonly referred to as the “American Gentleman” for their gentle, friendly personality, happy-go-lucky attitude, and incredible sense of humor. They are easy to breed, need minimal grooming, and are always eager to please their owners. You’re lucky if you have these amazing creatures as your pet. But can you share your food with your canine friend? We know many human foods can be toxic to all dog breeds, but what about fruits such as strawberries?

Can Boston Terriers eat strawberries? Yes, Boston Terries can safely eat strawberries. Strawberries contain no toxins for your pet dog and are packed with the goodness of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for their health. Boston Terriers love both fresh as well as frozen strawberries. However, you must know how to limit these sweet treats for your canine friend, for sugar, when consumed in excess, can be detrimental to their health.

What are the health benefits of strawberries for Boston Terriers? What can happen if they eat too many strawberries? If these questions have crossed your mind, you’re at the right place.

In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about feeding strawberries to Boston Terriers.

Do Boston Terriers like eating strawberries?

Like all dog breeds, Boston Terriers also find sweet treats very appealing and are drawn to them like moths to fire. Therefore, if you’re wondering whether or not your pet will like strawberries, you needn’t worry. They are most likely going to love it.

If you’re feeding them strawberries for the first time and notice a hesitance in them, it is probably because they are new to strawberry and don’t quite know how to tackle it.

This is why it is best to feed them small pieces of strawberries, in the beginning, to get them acquainted with it. Once they develop a liking to these fruits, you can gradually increase their quantity.

Strawberries for Boston Terriers – health benefits and risks

So, we’ve established that your Boston Terrier would love eating strawberries. But a more essential question is this: do strawberries contribute to their nutritional needs? Are these fruits healthy for your pets?

Before we move on to answer these questions, let’s take a look at the nutritional value of strawberries:

Health benefits

Vitamins

All the vitamins that strawberries contain have some or the other benefit for your Boston Terrier.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important function in maintaining their muscles, cell functions, fur health, fetal development, and nervous system. It is also essential in protecting their eyesight. A lack of this vitamin in your Boston Terrier can lead to muscle impairment, night blindness, and poor eyesight.

The series of Vitamin B-complex is responsible for several internal functions in your pet, such as improving their metabolism, energy regulation, blood cell system, and nervous system.

These vitamins also contribute to the hormonal balance in Boston Terriers. Out of these, Choline (Vitamin B4) is most important for all dog breeds for it improves their liver and cognitive functions. If your Boston Terrier is suffering from cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Choline can help them a great deal.

Vitamin C provides your pet with antioxidants to improve their brain activity and immune system. It also has anti-inflammation properties that prevent any kind of bloating in them.

Vitamin E has several functions in your Boston Terrier’s health, out of which two essential functions are: regulation of their heart rate and improvement of their immune response. If you want your pet to be free of all skin diseases, you should increase the quantity of this vitamin in their diet.

Vitamin K aids blood clotting in Boston Terriers. Without it, your pet could lose a significant amount of blood even from a small cut.

Minerals

Both calcium and phosphorous and important minerals for Boston Terriers for these are responsible for their healthy bones and teeth. These minerals are also helpful in their muscle growth and blood coagulation.

If your pet doesn’t consume enough calcium or phosphorous, they can suffer from bone deformities and overall weakness.

Magnesium is also essential for your pet for without it, Boston Terriers are unable to absorb calcium from their food. Lastly, potassium and sodium maintain the fluid balance in their body.

Risks

For all the health benefits strawberries offer to your pet, they are not without risks. If you’re wondering what is it about strawberries that can harm your Boston Terrier, the answer is simple: sugar.

Sugar

It is common knowledge that strawberries contain sugar, but did you know how much sugar is present in a strawberry? In 100 grams of strawberry, there are about 5 grams of sugar.

While it might not look like a lot to you, for your canine friend, is it far too much. The digestive system of dogs is not acquainted with sugar, therefore, they face difficulty in digesting large amounts of it.

Eating too many strawberries can make your Boston Terrier diabetic, and, in the long, run affect their cardiac health. Many studies show that sugar can also reduce a dog’s lifespan.

Therefore, while strawberries are not outright toxic to your pet, if you are not careful about moderation, your dog could pay a huge price for it.

Strawberries for Boston Terrier: serving ideas

The first step to serving strawberries to your Boston Terrier is to wash them thoroughly to get rid of any possibility of chemicals or pesticides. To do this, you can soak them in lukewarm water for a few minutes.

If you have an adult Boston Terrier, you can feed them strawberry as it is. Just cut their stem. However, if your Boston Terrier is still a pup, you can either cut strawberries into smaller pieces or mash them to avoid any choking accident.

If you want to get creative, you can go with frozen and dehydrated strawberries to treat them. In case you have other fruits at home, you can also make a fruit salad to add more variety.

Can Boston Terrier puppies eat strawberries?

If you have recently bought a Boston Terrier pup home and are wondering if you can strawberries to treat them, go ahead. Like their parents, these pups also love these sweet berries. However, in the case of a pup, you will have to be extra cautious about the quantity than for an adult.

Also, although strawberries are squishy fruits, these little dogs might have difficulty eating them and can also have a choking accident. Thus, always feed them smaller and softer strawberries.

Can Boston Terriers eat canned strawberries?

While fresh strawberries are delicious snacks for your Boston Terrier, canned ones are a bad idea. Wondering why? First and foremost, canned strawberries are bound to contain a number of chemical preservatives to give them a longer shelf life.

Although these preservatives pose no threat to your health, to your pet, they can be lethal. If the strawberry season is over, you should look for another fruit to treat them instead of buying canned strawberries.

Are sweets with strawberries safe for Boston Terriers to eat?

Absolutely not. If you ever buy strawberry pies or cakes, don’t share it with your pet. These treats are unsafe for your Boston Terrier for two reasons: first, they are most likely made of canned strawberries which we have already mentioned to be unsafe for dogs.

Also, there’s a chance that these baked items have xylitol, which is extremely lethal for your pet and can even kill them.

Bottom line

Strawberries are a perfect treat for Boston Terriers. They are rich in a variety of nutrients and are healthy for your pet if fed in moderation. Moreover, since these fruits are small and seedless, they need little by the way of preparation.

Boston Terriers can eat both fresh as well as frozen strawberries safely. Just stay away from canned ones due to the presence of added preservatives in them.