You’ve probably clicked on this article because you’re a dog owner and curious to know if your pup can have sweet potatoes, and the short answer is- yes! Sweet potatoes offer a ton of different benefits and are flavourful for your pup to enjoy. At Dog Child, we have created tons of different recipes and products that your pup can enjoy featuring sweet potatoes. This blog post, is going to go in-depth on the benefits of sweet potatoes, ways you can make them for your pup and how we have incorporated sweet potatoes into our products at Dog Child!
Health benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes offer a variety of health benefits for your dog; they are high in fiber which helps with your dog’s digestion. Sweet Potatoes are also high in vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin C, as well as calcium, potassium, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and iron. Sweet potatoes are also low in fat, making them the perfect treat. There are a couple of different reasons why these vitamins are essential within a dog’s diet, one being vitamin A helps keep your pup’s eyes healthy, muscles, skin, and nerves. Vitamin C is also another important vitamin within a dog’s diet as it helps keep their immune system functioning well, and they continue to have a healthy dog. Sweet potatoes are also very easy to find at your local grocery store, making them accessible.
How you should prepare sweet potatoes
To prepare sweet potatoes for your pooch, you want to ensure they are cooked. Raw sweet potatoes are difficult for your pup to chew and can cause an upset stomach to your pup. There are tons of different ways you can incorporate sweet potatoes into your pup’s diet. You can make dog treats like dehydrated sweet potatoes; all you need to do is 2 sweet potatoes. Rinse, peel and cut your sweet potatoes into slices. Lay them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 250F and put them in the oven for three hours. Once they are shrunken and dried out, take them out of the oven and let them cool before serving. Store them in an air-tight container, and they are perfect in your fridge for three weeks.
Another way you can cook them is by baking them in an oven at 450F until cooked. Mash up the potato as a topper or spread it on your dog’s favourite lick mat. Freeze the healthy mashed potatoes in the freezer in ice cube trays and a low-calorie snack for your pet.
All of our Dog Meal Mixes have freeze-dried sweet potatoes in them. Great way to easily give this healthy vegetable to your dog. If you’re looking to cook from scratch, we also have our sweet potatoes and beef meal.
How many sweet potatoes can your dog eat?
With any sort of human food that you are feeding your pup, you always want to ensure you are feeding it in moderation. Sweet potatoes are not meant to be your pup’s full meal, only served as a snack. When introducing new foods to your dog, you want to ensure you keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t have a reaction. It can seem tempting to give your pup leftovers but ensure not to give your pup sweet potatoes that are mixed with marshmallows, seasonings, butter, and brown sugar. Another important aspect is to ensure pieces are small enough for your pup to chew, as too big pieces can be a choking hazard.
Sweet Potatoes vs White Potatoes
When choosing between sweet potatoes or white potatoes, it is a better idea to choose sweet potatoes if you can. Sweet potatoes are a more nutritious option rather than white potatoes as sweet potatoes have higher levels of antioxidants and vitamins. Sweet potatoes also have less sugar than white potatoes, making them better for pup’s blood sugar to stay stable. Sweet potatoes are higher starchy and carb than white potatoes, and white potatoes are typically more popular in dog food since it is a cheaper starch. White potatoes have a high glycemic index than sweet potatoes. If you have a diabetic dog, ensure to check with your vet or nutritionist on what is best for them to ensure the best pet health.
How Dog Child incorporates Sweet Potatoes into our Meal Mixes
At Dog Child, we have created Dog Meal Mixes that you can add to ground proteins your pup likes with oil and water, and it contains all the essential nutrients that your pup needs to thrive and support their overall health, digestive system, and wellness. This is different than traditional kibble and provides tons of nutritional value for your pup. With Dog Child, we have created multiple different Dog Meal Mix flavours so you are able to mix up the different meals you are giving to your pup so your pup is never bored of meal time. We have created many recipes on our blog that can inspire you to cook for your dog creatively. Our Mixed Veggie Dog Meal Mix includes sweet potatoes that help make fresh dog food a great alternative to commercial dog food. The Mixed Veggie Dog Meal Mix has dark green superfood veggies and a blend of probiotics and prebiotics. Our Dog Meal Mixes support digestive and gut health.
We have tons of recipes listed on our website under the recipes tab. One of these recipes includes our Doggy Burgers and sweet potato fries. Our Doggy Burgers and Fries are super easy to make and are a great dog food substitute to give your pup a break from pre-packaged or dehydrated dog food. In order to make the Doggy Burgers and Fries, you need 1 lb lean ground beef, 1 ¾ Dog Child Mixed Veggie Dog Meal Mix, 1 cup of water, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 Sweet potato, and Shaved iceberg lettuce (can use any type). To make Doggy Burger and Fries, you need 1lb of lean ground beef in a bowl. Add 1 ¾ Cup of mixed veggie meal mix to the bowl. Add 1 cup of water to the bowl. Add 3 tbsp of oil to the bowl. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Roll mixture into 2-inch balls and place on greased pan. Flatten balls with a spatula and flip when browned. Cut sweet potato into 1-inch rounds. Place sweet potato in the oven at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours. Remove potatoes from oven and let cool. Place burgers on a plate with shaved lettuce and sweet potatoes on the side and let your pup enjoy. This Doggy Burger and Fries will have your pup begging for more, and it gives you the ease of mind to know that they are getting everything that they need in a meal to thrive. Our recipe page on our website is full of other recipes that you can make for your pup, so feel free to mix up their meals just like how we mix up our meals every day! Dog Child has three different Meal Mix flavours, Mixed Veggies, Oats and Berry, Grain Free and the newly launched Nutrient Mix! We can ensure you that your pup will never be bored of mealtime again, and they will be getting all the nutrients that they need to thrive.
