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Can a Dog Eat Too Much Watermelon? It’s Unlikely, But Yes…

April 29, 2020 by Jason Jensen

My wife loves watermelon, and so does our dog, Morty. The other night, while the two of them were sitting on the couch as she fed him one piece of watermelon after another, she turned to me and asked, “do you think he would ever stop eating this if I just kept giving it to him?” I laughed and replied, “probably not.”

Then she asked me, “can a dog eat too much watermelon?” I pondered this for a moment and replied, “considering that a watermelon is about 90% water, it seems unlikely, but maybe there’s a limit.” She then challenged me to come up with a definitive answer, which is why I’m writing this post.

In short, a dog could technically eat too much watermelon to be good for them, but it’s unlikely to happen unless you deliberately feed them large amounts on a regular basis.

Continue reading to find out more about feeding your dog watermelon…

Did your dog eat too much watermelon?

How Much Watermelon Can a Dog Eat?

To answer this question, all we have to do is follow some basic guidelines for feeding dogs. As a general rule, dogs should eat no more than 10% of their calories from fresh fruit and vegetables, or anything else that is not a part of their normal diet – i.e., the wet or dry food you normally feed them.

To put this in perspective, a 60 lb dog, like our dog Morty, should consume between 1500 to 2000 calories per day, depending on their level of activity and the time of year – more in the winter, less in the summer. So let’s just average that number out to 1750.

A simple Google search reveals that 1 cup of diced watermelon contains approximately 45 calories, so our dog would have to eat almost 4 cups of watermelon – 175 calories – to reach his 10% max for the day, assuming it’s the only snack we feed him that day. That’s an awful lot of watermelon.

Another way you could look at it is that a typical wedge of watermelon contains about 87 calories, so we could feed our dog two wedges before he reaches his maximum intake; however, giving your dog a whole wedge of watermelon is a bad idea, and I’ll discuss that further in a bit.

To make this simple for you to figure out, here is a handy table that shows how many calories your dog should be eating in total per day. Find your dog’s weight – or the closest approximation – then apply the formula: (average calories per day / 10 / 45 = max cups of watermelon) to find out how much watermelon is safe for your dog.

Dog Weight/Average Calories Per Day
5.5 lb (2.5 kg)250 calories
11 lb (5 kg)450 calories
22 lb (10 kg)750 calories
33 lb (15 kg)1000 calories
44 lb (20 kg)1250 calories
55 lb (25 kg)1500 calories
66 lb (30 kg)1700 calories
77 lb (35 kg)1880 calories
88 lb (40 kg)2100 calories
99 lb (45 kg)2300 calories
110 lb (50 kg)2500 calories

Why Is Too Much Watermelon Bad for Dogs?

The answer to this question is somewhat ironic… Too much watermelon is bad for dogs because it literally contains too much of a good thing: vitamin A.

Even though vitamin A is essential to a dog’s diet, if they consume too much of it, there’s a slight chance they could get vitamins poisoning.

Symptoms of Vitamin A Poisoning:

  • Lameness
  • Nausea
  • Flaky skin
  • Constipation
  • General discomfort
  • Stiff joints
  • Seizures
  • Paralysis
  • Death

What to Do if Your Dog Accidentally Eats a Lot of Watermelon

Unless your dog is showing serious signs of illness, like the symptoms listed above, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Typically, when a dog gets vitamins poisoning, it’s not from eating whole foods, it’s from gobbling down a bottle of multivitamins.

If your dog is showing signs of illness, then the best thing to do is take them to a vet or an emergency animal clinic right away.

Don’t Let Them Eat the Seeds or Rind

The flesh of the watermelon is perfectly safe, but the seeds and rinds are not. Not only can the seeds be a choking hazard, they can also cause gastrointestinal problems, as well as the rind.

This is why earlier I said you shouldn’t just hand of a wedge of watermelon to your dog. They might enjoy gnawing on the rind, but it’s not good for them.

If your dog does eat a few seeds, don’t be alarmed, they’re not toxic; but too many of them can block their intestines.

References:

Wag! Vitamins Poisoning in Dogs. Retrieved from: https://wagwalking.com/condition/vitamins-poisoning

Tails. Caloric Requirements for Your Dog. Retrieved from: http://tails.co/requirements.html

Christine O’Brien (December 10, 2019). Is it Safe to Give My Dog or Cat Fruit? Retrieved from: https://www.hillspet.com/pet-care/nutrition-feeding/can-dogs-and-cats-eat-fruit

Cecily Sailer. Can My Dog Eat Watermelon Seeds. Retrieved from: https://www.rover.com/blog/can-dog-eat-watermelon-seeds/

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Jason Jensen
Jason Jensen
Jason Jensen is the founder of idreamofdoggies.com. He is a professional writer, experienced doggy-daddy, and longtime animal rights advocate.
Jason Jensen
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