It's the same with dogs as it is with humans, not everyone tolerates food in the same way. To a certain extent, melons are mostly tolerated by dogs, but due to the lower sugar content, ripe watermelons should be preferred.
Test small amounts first
If your dog has never eaten melons before, you should test feeding them a very small amount first. It could well be that eating melons causes diarrhea in dogs. Nevertheless, if tolerated, melons with their high water content can not only be a midsummer thirst quencher for dogs, but also contribute to the health of the animal with the following nutrients:
- magnesium
- Vitamin A
- vitamin C
- potassium
- beta-carotene
Always feed the melon in pieces
In animal parks, too, melons are fed to various animal species as a change on the menu and as a thirst quencher. However, if you buy melons, you should make sure that you either only hand-feed the dog with the melon or remove the peel before feeding the melon. Watermelons are often treated with special substances that could be harmful to dogs' health to ensure better preservation during transport.
tips and tricks
Puree some pitted watermelon and pour the mixture into an ice cube mold. This gives you a refreshing and inexpensive thirst quencher that you can also share with your four-legged friend in the form of dog-friendly ice cream. But not all dogs like (icy) cold food or some don't tolerate it well. Therefore, test carefully whether your dog gets the homemade melon ice cream or whether you prefer to give him the melon at room temperature.