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The mild and slightly sweet taste of cooked kohlrabi is very pleasant for most dogs. Many also like the raw version, although it can have a certain sharpness. Nevertheless, cabbage vegetables are not necessarily a classic ingredient for dog food. But why?
Can dogs eat kohlrabi?
Yes, your dog is allowed to eat kohlrabi! Kohlrabi provides many useful vitamins and minerals that are good for the dog. Kohlrabi is also easy to digest when cooked.
Because it is high in fiber and low in calories, you really can’t go wrong with feeding kohlrabi.
Vitamins and minerals in kohlrabi
Apart from a high content of vitamin C, which should be completely uninteresting for dogs because they produce it themselves, kohlrabi provides vitamin A, which keeps the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes healthy. There are also some B group vitamins, which are important for the nerves and brain metabolism.
Kohlrabi is high in potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte necessary for the cells to transmit stimuli and is involved in regulating the water balance. Calcium and magnesium from kohlrabi are healthy for dogs.
Both are important for the bones and the musculoskeletal system, including all muscles. In addition, these minerals make kohlrabi extremely healthy for dogs because they can balance the acid-base ratio.
A dog fed on meat always needs alkaline additives and must keep its calcium-phosphorus ratio balanced.
Meat regularly ensures an increased phosphorus supply, which is why vegetables that provide calcium are generally seen as positive. However, it should not be overlooked that the vegetables themselves can also contain phosphorus – like kohlrabi, which contains about the same amount of both.
Although it does not worsen the balance, it cannot replace other calcium sources such as bones or dairy products.
Can a dog be allergic to kohlrabi?
Kohlrabi is one of the vegetables that are extremely inconspicuous about allergies. Nevertheless, one occasionally hears about allergy sufferers in dogs who cannot tolerate kohlrabi. This is usually less due to an allergy – and cross-allergies are also not known here.
Sensitive dogs and people with allergies are more likely to react to the histamine contained in kohlrabi. Histamine is usually released when there is an allergic reaction in the body.
Since histamine is also a metabolic product of certain ingredients usually produced when foods mature and spoil, allergic reactions may be intensified by foods.
However, dogs are extremely histamine intolerant. Otherwise, they couldn’t take carrion, which would be completely unnatural. This means that if people with other allergies do not tolerate kohlrabi poorly, this does not have to apply to your dog.
It is more likely that he will tolerate kohlrabi well, even if he has other allergies.
Is kohlrabi healthier for the dog, raw or cooked?
You often hear that kohlrabi can also be given raw to dogs because even small children can tolerate it. What is overlooked here is that canid digestion (i.e. digestion in dogs) does not work the same way as human digestion.
The dog almost completely cannot dissolve strength bonds. Therefore, it is better to give him cooked starchy fruit or vegetables; otherwise, the starch will cause flatulence because it will get into the intestines undigested – and therefore has no nutritional value.
Can the dog have the kohlrabi leaves?
Feeding the kohlrabi leaves is a good idea. Its nutrient concentration is higher than that of the tuber, so the leaves are even healthier.
If you like to eat kohlrabi yourself, leaves and stems will often be leftover – perfect for your dog. But he also has problems digesting the leaves raw, so you should give them boiled or finely chopped or pureed.
What does the dog like as good as kohlrabi?
If your dog is fond of kohlrabi, you can probably keep him happy with cauliflower or broccoli. Both are also cabbage from the cruciferous family, which tastes similar.
When cooked, they are easy to digest and healthy for your dog. If you feed cauliflower or broccoli raw, gas can again occur.
Is there ready-made dog food with kohlrabi?
This does not seem entirely understandable – but no, there are no ready-made feed preparations that contain kohlrabi.
Maybe they just don’t exist yet, because the positive aspects of kohlrabi should also prevail when feeding dogs with ready-made food. Until then, you still have to prepare kohlrabi for your dog yourself.
There’s nothing wrong with kohlrabi.
Overall, it can be said that kohlrabi can be a useful component of a healthy diet for dogs. It provides valuable nutrients without side effects such as increased calorie intake or other undesirable effects.
So if your dog likes kohlrabi and tolerates it well, you can safely pamper him with it regularly.