Cherries have always been the most popular fruit, widely loved and eaten by the majority of the people around. Its deliciousness and low-calorie factor make it an exceptional addition to the people’s diet chart. Just like other healthy fruits, this fruit is also packed with several essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibers, and to some extent, potassium, magnesium, and calcium too.

Cherries somewhat act like a power-booster for humans, by helping them to improve the energy recovery rate of their body, improve traits of arthritis and gout, contain anti-inflammatory compounds, and also give good sleep. But when considering your canine friends, can you share this nutritious piece of fruit with them too? The question may appear to be very simple but since the dog’s digestive system has a different way of functioning, you need to have extra seriousness when you are feeding them new food.

Can Dogs Eat Cherries? Image source@loveyourdog.com

So, let us read out to find whether cherries are good for your dogs or not. This article will answer all your questions and, in the end, you will get to know if this nutritious fruit can make it to the food chart of your dogs or not. Also, read Can Dogs Eat Avocado?

Can Dogs Eat Cherries? 

This answer will have many complications but if you want to have a basic answer before reading further, the answer is “NO”. Keep reading to know more about it!

How Cherries are bad for your dog’s health? 

Besides having so many healthy elements and vital nutrients, cherries contain toxic elements too as their pits, stems, and leaves contain cyanide, which can cause food poisoning in your dogs if eaten in large amounts. Even though one or two cherries won’t cause serious damage, it is highly recommended by qualified vets that it is better to feed some alternatives that have a similar percentage of healthy composition like that in cherries. 

Cherry pits are another reason why cherries are unhealthy for dogs. Cherry pits can cause intestinal obstruction in your dogs, which is really serious damage to the digestive system. This is one of the most common issues that the dogs have to face after they have eaten the pits mistakenly, and it can lead to some fatal complications too.

Even if you feed your dogs with cherries keeping in mind all the safety and preventive measures, there is still a high chance that your dog can have an upset stomach. 

This fruit also contains a high sugar composition which is not suitable for overweight or diabetic dogs. Also, read Can Dogs Eat Peaches?

In any case, if your dogs eat cherries, how can you identify the signs of cyanide poisoning in them? Some symptoms to keep in mind: 

• Vomiting (Most common symptom) 
• Dilated Pupils 
• Irregular sleep cycles 
• Convulsions or seizures 
• Collapse 

If you notice any of the above-written symptoms, then you should take your dog to the vet immediately for treatment to avoid any future health complications. 

What about the other forms of cherries? 

There are a variety of cherries available in the market like bing, black, processed, maraschino, and rainier cherries. Let us see if dogs can have any of these. 

• Maraschino Cherries: The only good thing about these types of cherry is that they do not have pits in them, hence there is no chance of intestinal blockage in your dog. But even then, they are harmful to some extent as they are loaded with sugar. Therefore it can cause tummy aches. It is advisable not to feed them this cherry. 
• Processed Cherries: These cherries contain too many food additives and preservatives along with artificial sugar that is not at all suitable for your dog’s health. 
• Rainier Cherries: These types of cherries are very expensive and therefore can disturb your monthly budget for your dog’s food. Besides its high price, it is highly sweet, which again makes it an unfit option for your dog. Since these cherries are very juicy and have thin skin, so it is highly loved and eaten in a huge amount by humans but never ever feed this to your canine friend. It can be very fatal!

From the above points, you might have got an idea of not trying to feed any new or premium species of cherries to your dog. Just stick to some natural and commonly available cherries or else nothing. 

Safe ways to offer your dog cherries: 

Dogs like sweet fruits and it is needless to say that your dog too will ask for some cherries whenever you will have them. Hence it is advisable to speak to your vet before starting to feed your dog with cherries. Vets are highly knowledgeable and therefore they can provide the best solutions after analyzing your dog’s attributes, health, functioning of the body, and internal organs. 

Still, if you want to offer your dogs cherries, start feeding them with fresh and organic cherries after rinsing them well in running water and after removing the pit, stem, and leaves. 

You can mix a few cherries in the milk and blend it to make a tasty smoothie or mix them into plain yogurt with other healthy fruits edible by them like apples. Make sure not you make cherries as your main ingredient in the mixture, it should just act as a flavoring agent. 

If you still want to learn some more methods of feeding your dogs cherries, then you should visit your vet or can watch some wonderful appetizing recipes that do not include cherries as their main product and suits well for your dog’s digestive system. 

Conclusion: 

So far you have read, the answer might have been very clear that it is not a good idea to feed your dogs cherries. Even with its great health benefits and presence of nutritious elements, it can not make it to the food chart of your dog at any cost. Your dogs can suffer from several kinds of health hazards if they eat cherries in inappropriate amounts. Hence, it is better to go for other healthy fruits that your dogs can safely eat.