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Mangoes are one of nature's sweetest fruits, and they're also full of healthy vitamins, making them a wonderful snack, especially on a hot, sunny day. It's great on its own, in a smoothie or as an ingredient in any number of dishes that need a little sweetness added to them. Dried mango is also a fantastic snack that's easy to take on the go and gives you a delicious burst of sweetness without all the added sugar that candy and other processed junk food has.
Of course, like every food, once you start eating a mango you're likely to have a dog staring right at you just begging to have a taste. Before you cut off a slice, let's take a look at the science and nutrition so we can answer the question at hand - can dogs eat mango?
For the most part, yes, dogs can eat mango. There are a few things you should be careful of when serving it to them, but mango on its own is not toxic to dogs and can definitely make for a fine snack for your four-legged friend.
Mango does have plenty of great qualities that make it a good doggy snack. First of all, it's high in fiber, which is important for digestion (though only in moderation - too much fiber can cause stomach and digestive issues). Beyond that, it's full of vitamins, including A, B6, C and E, all of which make great additions to your dog's diet.
We mentioned dried mango above, which bears one difference from fresh mango. Because the drying process removes all of the water, you end up with the same amount of sugar in a much smaller bite. This means that you should be much more cautious when you're thinking about giving your dog dried mango - not to say that you can't, but too much sugar is bad for a dog, so dried mango should be fed in especially limited amounts to prevent weight gain and other serious potential health issues.
There are a few things you want to watch out for when feeding your dog a bit of mango. The first is the pit - this should always be taken out before mango is served to a dog. Not only does it present a choking hazard for some dogs, it also contains small amounts of cyanide, which is toxic to dogs.
You may be wondering if dogs can eat mango peel or skin. It is also best to take off the skin of the mango before serving it - while it doesn't present the same risks as the pit, it's nonetheless hard for dogs to digest and thus presents the potential for stomach and digestive issues. Better to peel it off and be safe than to risk diarrhea or vomiting. It's not nearly as delicious as the flesh of the fruit anyway, so you're doing your dog a favor by letting her get straight to the good part!
And as with any doggy snacks, it's important to only give your dog mango in moderation. While it has lots of great nutritional qualities, it's also relatively high in natural sugars (as you may have guessed from the very sweet taste). These are okay in small amounts, but you certainly don't want to overdo it. Traditionally, veterinarians recommend that all snacks you feed your dog, including mango, should make up no more than 10% of your dog's diet, and they should be accompanied by a healthy, nutritious dog food.
Can dogs have mango? They sure can - just make sure you feed it to them safely. You should always remove the skin and pit, and it never hurts to cut it into small pieces before serving to avoid any potential for choking.
That said, you should stay away from anything mango-flavored. That mango smoothie you bought probably has added sugar and other ingredients that aren't good for your pup, so it's important to just stick to the plain fruit itself. When it comes to feeding your dog just about anything, the more ingredients there are, the more likely it is that there will be something problematic in there. That's why all of our Pupsicle Mixes and Baked Biscuit Mixes have just a handful of ingredients - so you know what's in them (we also make sure they're all ingredients that most people are familiar with, so you know exactly what you're giving your best friend).
There are, however, some fun ways to make your dog's mango snacking more interesting. We like to cut mangoes up into small pieces and freeze them for an extra crunch. If you want a snack that will last, puree some mango or mix small cut up mango pieces with yogurt (plain Greek yogurt is the best way to go), stuff them in a Kong or other hollow toy and freeze them.
