Can Dogs Eat Lemon? Is Lemon Juice Safe For Dogs?

While sipping in cold, icy lemonade during the hot summer day, you might also want to share it with your beloved dog. Your thoughts of giving it a refreshing drink during the blazing day are pure for sure, but as we don’t know whether lemon or lemon juice is safe for dogs or not, it might prove to be a harmful idea.

To spare you from such situations and also to find if dogs can eat lemons and lemonades, below we have discussed everything lemon and dog so that the next time you sit and sip a cold lemonade you know what to do.

Can Dogs Eat Lemons? Is Lemons Safe For Dogs?

If we want to answer this question boldly, then we have to say that No, your beloved dogs cannot eat lemons. Lemons are not good for your dog in any shape or form. Aside from the fact that pups are not a fan of the sour taste of lemons and limes, these can be extremely toxic if consumed in a liberal amount.

The acidic nature of lemons along with the essential oils and compounds called psoralens can cause stomach issues and make your beloved dog extremely sick and fragile.

What are the Risks Associated with Eating Lemons for Dogs?

As by now you already know that lemons and limes are bad for your little furry friend, let’s also discuss the risks associated with eating lemons for dogs so that you keep them at arms from your pup.

The citric acid in lemon juice can be harmful to your dog. If it swallows too much lemon, this acid can irritate the stomach and result in severe vomiting or diarrhea in your dog.

Lemons can also cause choking hazards or intestinal blockage in your little furry friend. The seeds from this fruit can get into the system and cause the dog to choke furiously. On the other hand, if the puppy eats a whole lot of lemon peel, it would block the intestine and cause health hazards.

Because of all these issues with lemons, your beloved puppy can suffer from long term digestion problems, which might affect its health too.

What about Lemon Juice? Is Lemon Juice Safe For Dogs?

As lemons are bad for your dogs, you might think that you can let them have lemon juice or lemonade to make your little friend happy. The water would dilute the dangerous effect of the lemon and make for a refreshing drink for the little doggo.

However, similar to lemons, lemon juice is also not safe for your dog, and therefore, you must never do the mistake of letting your puppy have it in any way- even when it craves it.

This is because, first of all, dogs don’t love the sour taste of the lemons. Too much sourness in their mouth can hamper the taste buds and make dog uninterested in having foods.

Secondly, the high concentration of citric acid in lemon juice has the potential to burn your stomach and cause several gastrointestinal problems. This will surely upset your stomach, cause severe vomiting and even lead to diarrhea and a visit to the hospital.

Aside from the fact that lemons are dangerous for dogs, another drawback of giving lemon juice to your pups is the add-ons. Most people tend to mix sugar with lemon juice to enhance its taste. However, as sugar is also bad for your dog’s health, it can cause further harm to its health and digestive system.

Can Dogs Eat Lemon Peel?

When lemon is harmful itself for dogs, how lemon peel can be beneficial for your furry friend?

In simple words, similar to lemon and lemon juice, lemon peel is also not safe for your precious furry friend. And that’s why you must not give it to your dog in any shape or form. Some owners might think that mixing lemon peel or zest with other food items cause much of a problem. But they are wrong. Lemon peel, in any way, can lead to severe health problems in your little furry friend.

For starters, why would you want to feed your pup lemon peel? Even though lemon is full of vitamin c, the peels don’t have any particular nutritional benefits for dogs. Moreover, more often than not, the lemon peels are super sour and can affect the taste buds greatly.

Another great disadvantage of lemon peel for dogs is that it can cause gastrointestinal blockages. This phenomenon leads to digestion problems and other severe health issues.

What to Do When Your Dog Eats Lemon?

By now we know that lemon is not the best fruit for your precious dogs. In fact, it is incredibly harmful and dangerous for your puppy’s overall wellness. If by any chance your little furry friend eats lemon, lemon peel or drinks lemon juice without your knowledge and you get to know it later on, then it is best advised that you take the dog immediately to the nearest vet for an examination.

Even after getting treated in the vet, keep an eye on your little friend for a few days just to observe if it is suffering from any gastrointestinal blockages or not.

Are There Any Benefits of Lemons for Your Dogs?

Even though we have discussed a lot of the drawbacks of giving lemon and lemon juice to your little furry friend, this doesn’t mean that lemons don’t have any benefits on your dog’s health and wellness. Surprisingly it has.

You can actually use lemon as a natural flea repellent for your dogs.

The high concentration of citric acid in the lemon juice can remove fleas from the dogs’ skin and body effectively and quickly in the most natural way to give it relief and comfort.

Moreover, the citric acid makes the skin smooth and the furs silky so that your favorite puppy looks as beautiful as over without even trying hard.