Here’s something you should keep on hand if you own a dog: canned pure pumpkin.

Cooked or canned pumpkin can do wonders for dogs’ digestive health.

It’s a miracle food – solving both constipation AND diarrhea. It contains magnesium, potassium and iron as well as beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A.  And, if your Morkie is overweight, it can even help him lose weight!

What makes pumpkin such a miracle food?

Pumpkin is high in fiber.

So that means it can help bulk up loose stools by absorbing that excess liquid, or soften hard stools so your dog isn’t constipated any more.  Digestive upsets are among the most common ailments dogs have, and can be very frustrating to deal with.  But pumpkin can solve both extremes, diarrhea and constipation.

Weight Loss

Because pumpkin is high in dietary fiber, it can fill your dog up with fewer calories, helping him lose weight slowly and safely.

Tasty AND good for your dog too

Pumpkin is low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol.  Most dogs seem to love the taste, so it’s easy to feed or put in treat recipes.

How much to give?

It’s key that you buy pure pumpkin puree – not pie filling.  It must be unsweetened.  Cooked fresh pumpkin has the same benefits – but that old jack-o’-lantern that’s been sitting outside for days is probably full of bacteria and starting to rot, so it’s not a good choice.

For medium and large dogs, two or three tablespoons of  pure canned or cooked pumpkin a day can bring real benefits.

For small dogs like Morkies, one or two teaspoons a day is perfect.  And if you’re using pure pumpkin to help your dog lose weight, replace that same amount of food with pumpkin for best results (up to 1/3 of the dog food replaced with pumpkin)

Great in dog treat recipes

allrecipes.com offers this great recipe for dogs:

Peanut butter and pumpkin dog treats

Makes 25 treats
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff. Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Bake in preheated oven until hard, about 40 minutes.

For  more tips on raising a happy healthy Morkie, check out the Morkie MegaGuide. Over 300 pages of Morkie care – everything the Morkie owner needs to know.  Instant download e-book.  Read more.