Can Dachshunds Eat Watermelon? 9 Benefits & 3 Dangers

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If you’re wondering if dachshunds can eat watermelons, you’ve come to the right place!

Watermelons are known for their juicy flavor and hydrating properties. They’re also known as a health-food powerhouse for people.

However, does the same apply for dachshunds? Is it safe for them to eat? We will be answering this question and more.

In this post you’ll discover:

The 3 dangers of watermelon to dachshunds
The 9 benefits of watermelon that can actually help your Dachshund
Specific steps to make a safe watermelon treat for your Dachshund

And much more…

Table of Contents

Can Dachshunds Eat Watermelon?

Dachshunds can eat watermelon, but should only be eaten once the skin, seeds and rind are removed. Watermelon help keep your pup hydrated while giving them the benefits of Vitamin A, B6, and C, potassium, Magnesium, Iron, fiber, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids.

The 3 Dangers Of Dachshunds Eating Watermelon

The major dangers for Dachshunds eating watermelon comes from the rind, seeds, skin and issues that come when overeating them. Let’s go into each of these in more detail and any additional precautions to take:

Watermelon Seeds

While a few watermelon seeds are not going to cause issues for larger dogs, it doesn’t take a whole lot to cause intestinal blockages for Dachshunds.

Watermelon seeds should not be eaten by Dachshunds. The hard seeds are not easily digested and getting stuck in your dog’s digestive tract results in blockages.

Watermelon Rind / Skin

Dachshunds should avoid eating the watermelon skin or rind. This is because the rind and skin are firm and difficult to digest. If your dog accidentally swallows a large chunk of the skin or rind without completely chewing it, this can block the intestines.

So always remove the skin and rind before serving it to your dog as a treat.

Overeating Watermelon

Aside from the rind, skin and seeds there is risk for your dog when eating too much watermelon. Watermelon contains high amounts of sugar, so moderation is key.

Overeating any fruits with high levels of sugar can lead to high or irregular blood sugar levels which can lead to weight gain and diabetes. This is especially important to note as dachshund owners. Dachshunds are prone to obesity so we must be more mindful of this.

In addition, too much watermelon can lead to diarrhea and upset stomach.

Fun fact: Watermelons scientific name is Citrullus lanatus and is actually considered a berry!

What To Do If Your Dachshund Ate The Seeds, Skin, Or Rind Of A Watermelon

If you find that your dog has somehow got their paws onto a watermelon and has eaten the seeds, skin, and rind, here is what you can do.

Be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of intestinal blockage for the first 24 hours after consumption, this can include:

Vomiting
Constipation
Lethargy
Abdominal pain

Whenever I have asked my father, Dr. Littlejohn, “how do I know if I need to come to see you? Or “how do I know if my dog is unwell”, I’m always told to analyze my dog with a couple of these questions.

Is my dog acting different?

Is my dog eating and drinking water?

Can I get my dog excited?

How are my dogs poops?

If anything is unusual or “not normal” for your dog, you need to go see a vet.

In some cases symptoms are not always obvious so make sure to always go in for check ups as recommended by your vet.

How Much Watermelon Can a Dachshund Eat?

When feeding watermelon to your dachshund stick with the 90/10 rule.

90 percent of food your Dachshund eats throughout the day should be their main dietary food. 10 percent can be saved for treats like watermelon.

A good rule of thumb for the amount of watermelon a Dachshunds can eat is 2-3 1inch wedges as a serving size.

In addition, when you first start to feed your dog watermelon for the first time, start slowly!

Do not rush to give them a full treat size of watermelon. Always test the waters with tiny pieces first.

You want to do this to make sure your dog’s stomach does not respond negatively to watermelon. Even with tiny pieces your dog will show signs of discomfort or a potential allergy.

After testing their response with small pieces you can start to work your way up to normal sized treats.

Fun fact: Watermelons have been cultivated for over 4000 years in northeast Africa! This was proven by scientists that analysed seeds and paintings of watermelons found in King Tut’s tomb.

The 9 Health Benefits Of Dachshunds Eating Watermelon

1) Helps Keep Your Dachshund Hydrated

Keeping your dog hydrated helps their body function optimally. Hydration helps with numerous functions of the body.

Organ function, nutrient delivery to cells, body temperature regulation, and many more benefits.

Watermelon is composed of 92% water making it a low calorie dense food. Meaning it contains very few calories for its weight.

For Dachshunds that are overweight this is extremely helpful since low calorie dense foods like watermelon aid in weight management. This is because eating watermelon can make your pup feel full longer.

All in all keeping your dachshund hydrated has many positive effects on their overall health.

2) Packed With Nutrients and Beneficial Plant Compounds

Watermelon is packed with nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. Watermelon contains vitamin A, B6, and C, potassium, magnesium, Iron, fiber, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids.

Each of these components contribute to an increase to the overall health and well being of your dachshund. Here is a few reasons how for each:

Fiber helps your dog’s digestive system by helping move food down the intestinal tract. This can help resolve constipation, diarrhea, and some blockages that can occur.

Vitamin B6 helps in multiple ways. It can help regulate your dogs hormones and fluid balance. It also helps with neurotransmitters and building proteins in your dog’s body.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which helps with the immune system in dogs.

Vitamin A supports the proper function and development of skin, coat, muscles, and nerves.

Magnesium also helps with bone growth while also aiding in vitamin and mineral absorption.

Potassium helps with heart and kidney functions. It also helps with bone density, fluid regulations, and helps with muscle development.

Antioxidants are defenders and healers of the cells in a dog’s body. They repair damaged cells and save them from decay.

Lycopenes are known for supporting a dog’s vision and helps prevent cancer. They fight off free radicals which if left untouched can damage cells.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Watermelon contains the amino acid “Citrulline” which promotes blood flow, which leads to improved cardiovascular health, and circulation.

As you can see there are many beneficial components of watermelon and we have not even covered them all!

3) May Relieve Muscle Soreness

For those of you with older or athletic Dachshunds the amino acid citrulline may help improve your pups muscle soreness.

Citrulline helps to expand blood vessels so that your heart doesn’t need to work as heard to pump blood through the body.

Furthermore, the expanding of blood vessels allows for more oxygen transportation to the muscle tissue, allowing for muscle regeneration to occur quicker. Thus, leading to decreased muscle soreness.

There was actually a study done on human athletes where they experimented with watermelon juice and citrulline. Both the watermelon juices in the experiment led to decreased muscle soreness and quicker heart rate recovery then the basic control drink.

4) May Improve Heart Health

Several nutrients in watermelon may support heart health for your Dachshund. The major ones to note are lycopenes and citrulline.

Both of these help lower blood pressure taking pressure off of the heart. Lycopenes also help lower cholesterol and prevent oxidative damage caused by high cholesterol.

Citrulline on the other hand is an amino acid that helps increase nitric oxide level in your body. This helps blood vessels expand, lowering blood pressure.

In addition, there are many other heart healthy vitamins in watermelon like: magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C.

5) May Improve Digestion

The combination of water and fiber found in watermelon makes for an excellent snack to help your dog with digestion.

Fiber helps keep bowels regular, while water moves waste through more efficiently. Combine the two into this delicious treat and you have an anti-constipator!

6) May Have Anti-Cancer Effects

There are several plant compounds in watermelon that have possible evidence of having anticancer effects such as lycopenes and cucurbitacin E which are both prominent in watermelon.

Studies have shown mixed results, but lycopene intake has been associated with a lower risk of some types of cancers by lowering blood levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF).

IGF is a hormone that promotes cell division, which is exactly what happens with cancer. Cells divide uncontrollably. So lowering this in the body restricts the cancer’s cell division.

In addition, cucurbitacin E may inhibit tumour growth by removing damaged cells through a process called “autophagy”.

7) May Aid Skin & Coat Health

Vitamin A and C found in watermelon are important for skin and coat health of your Dachshund. This is because Vitamin C helps the body make collagen, which is a protein that aids in skin and hair development.

In addition, Vitamin A helps create and repair skin cells. There was a study done on animals deficient in vitamin A and the findings showed slower wound healing in these animals compared to those nutritionally complete.

8) May Prevent Macular Degeneration (Eye Problem)

As Dachshunds get older eyesight starts to become problematic. Many senior dogs start to experience macular degeneration. This causes blindness over time by eating away at the cells of the eye.

Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties lycopene may help to prevent and inhibit this from happening.

9) May Reduce Inflammation & Oxidative Stress

Inflammation is a large issue and causes many problems in the body. In fact, it is the leading driver of many chronic diseases.

Watermelon contains a combination of antioxidants, lycopenes, and vitamin C. These are all helpful in reducing inflammation and oxidative damage.

There was a study done on rats, where they were given watermelon powder supplements and compared against others without. The rats supplemented with watermelon showed less oxidative stress and lower levels of inflammation.

Important note: A few of the studies mentioned were done on humans so more testing is needed to fully prove the effectiveness on dogs. However, there is so much overlap between our physiologies they are worth considering.

How To Properly Feed Dachshunds Watermelon

When preparing watermelon for your dog to eat, always start by removing the skin, rind, and seeds. Then you can serve them in a few different ways.

Here is a few simple methods you can use to serve watermelon to your dachshund as treats:

Cut the watermelon into 1 inch wedge chunks, then serve
Cut small chunks of watermelon and place them in the freezer in a zip lock bag
Cut up small pieces of watermelon then stuff a KONG dog toy with it and freeze it.
Place some pieces of watermelon in a blender to create a liquid. Then pour into ice tray.

There are many ways to go about feeding your dog watermelon so get creative and I’m sure your dachshund will love you for it.

Just remember to stay within the 90/10 rule. They should only get 10% of their daily intake in the form of treats.

Fun fact: There are over 1000 varieties of watermelons!

Other posts you may find interesting:

Can Dachshunds Eat Cucumbers? 9 Benefits + 2 Dangers

Can Dachshunds Eat Tomatoes? 8 Benefits + 5 Dangers