Guidance: The author is a Scottie owner and dog diet enthusiast, but not a qualified vet or dietician. Please be sure you can identify Hawthorn berries if picking, and consult your vet about suitability of the berry flesh for your dog. LSC and the author accept no liability for how the contents of this article are relied upon by the reader. It is published for information purposes only and does not constitute any promotion.
The cheerful hawthorn berry (although not technically a berry as they contain stones) are abundant in gardens, hedgerows and parks from late summer to autumn and are little powerhouses of dynamo wrapped up in high street mien.
These little discussed “berries” have many potential health benefits and are totally safe for dogs to eat unless your dog is pregnant (1); it comes with the obvious caveat, “do not let them eat the stone”, but otherwise you are good to go.
The “berry” tastes like an over-ripe miniscule apple (palatable to most dogs); the only downside is that the stone is quite big and the surrounding flesh proportionally small. However, if you are prepared to take the time to pop out the stones and sprinkle the flesh (including skin) as a ‘topper’ mixed in/or onto your Scottie’s meal, you will be offering a variety of potential health benefits.
Although a potent antioxidant in itself, the hawthorn berry’s best-known credential is that of a cardiotonic (2); which basically means it is great for the heart and blood vessels. If you have an older dog or a dog with any heart-related issue this is a great supportive little “berry” as it makes the flow of blood around the body easier, giving the cardio system an extra little boost. If your dog is on heart medication of any sort, just check in with your vet, but thankfully this little “berry” is considered an extremely safe fruit and by picking it straight from the plant itself it has the bonus of being a very fresh and unprocessed addition to your Scottie’s meal.
Notes
(2) Tilford, G.L & Wulff, M.L. Herbs for Pets, The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life. 2nd Edition. 2009. Fox Chapel Publishing. PA 17552
Agree this is a very interesting article. Susie has agreed to write more for us, so stay tuned!
What an interesting article, I had no idea about the health benefits of hawthorn berries for our dogs. We have a hawthorn tree in our garden and I’ll look more closely at it in the morning to see if it still has fruits. If there are, Ted will have one or two with his normal food offering – minus the stones of course!