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Collies can eat the flesh of fresh apples, but should not eat the seeds or cores. Apples are not especially nutritious for collies, but they can eat them as a treat if they like them. Apples are also a good way to help keep your collie’s teeth clean.
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In this article we’ll look at when collies should and shouldn’t eat apples, and the benefits of including apple in your collie’s diet.
Can Collies Have Apples?
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Collies can have apples, as long as the core has been removed. Collies can’t have apple seeds, or apple stems, but the flesh is perfectly fine for them and helps keep their teeth clean.
Are apples safe for collies?
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Fresh apples are safe for collies, however it’s important to remove the core to avoid accidentally feeding your collie apple seeds, since the seeds can be unsafe in large quantities.
In addition to apple seeds, some apple-derived products including apple pies and apple sauce often contain additional ingredients which are not good for dogs.
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Are apples good for collies?
Apples don’t provide much nutritional value for dogs, but apples are good for collies because they add fiber to their diet and they can help keep their teeth clean.
Like other fruits, apples are not particularly useful for your collie in terms of nutrition. Apples contain vitamin C which is useful for humans, but which collies get from their regular food.
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When are apples bad for collies
Plain, fresh apples are fine for collies, and although they don’t provide much nutritional value they do serve a purpose, helping to keep your collie’s teeth clean and adding fiber to their diet.
There are a few circumstances when you should avoid giving your collie apple:
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If they are overweight
Apples contain natural sugars which are converted to fat if not burned up by exercise. Usually this isn’t a problem for collies since they are so active, but if they are overweight it’s best to keep sweet treats to a minimum.
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If the apples are too ripe
If the apples are too ripe for you, they are too ripe for your collie. As apples rot they begin to ferment, creating ethanol which is toxic to both dogs and humans in large doses, and your collie has a much lower tolerance for toxins than you do.
Apple Seeds
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Avoid giving your collie apple seeds, since those contain potentially dangerous chemicals in high doses. Although a handful of seeds won’t cause any harm, in large doses they can be unsafe.
Apple Derived Products
Apple products like apple pies or apple sauce often contain other ingredients such as preservatives or artificial colors, which can be harmful for dogs. One example is xylitol, which is a common preservative.
Xylitol is harmless for humans but can be harmful for dogs, so it’s important to check the ingredients.
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Unwashed Apples
Apples are sometimes sprayed with pesticides while they are growing. While Monsanto will tell you they are perfectly safe, the $10 billion they had to pay to people affected by their pesticides say otherwise.
For this reason, it’s extremely important to wash or peel any apple before giving it to your collie.
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How should you feed apples to your collie
You can feed fresh apples to your dog by washing or peeling the apple first, removing the core, and cutting it in to bite sized slices or chunks.
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Not all dogs love the taste of apples, so if they don’t like it, don’t force it. The main benefit of feeding your collie apples is the teeth-cleaning properties, not the nutrition, and there are other teeth-cleaning treats like Pedigree Dentastix which even the most fussy eaters will love.
Can Collies Eat Apple Cores?
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Collies should not eat apple cores, since the seeds contained within them can be dangerous in high quantities, and the hard flesh in the cores can present a choking hazard to some dogs.
In addition to the core, you should also remove the stem, as it could become lodged in your collie’s throat if they eat it without chewing.
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Can Collies eat Apple Seeds?
In small quantities, apple seeds are perfectly safe for all dogs, including collies. If your pooch has scoffed a single apple core, seeds and all – there’s really nothing to worry about.
In large quantities, apple core seeds are toxic for both dogs and humans, but the numbers needed are so great that realistically it would never be an issue unless your collie lives in an orchard.
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Although apple seeds are fine in small quantities, I still prefer to core the apples before I give them to my collie, because the cores are not as easy for them to eat and may present a choking hazard, and even if the seeds are safe you can never be too careful.
Can Collies eat apple sauce?
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Collies should not eat apple sauce or other sweetened apple products, since the excess sugar can cause dental and digestion problems, and there are often additional ingredients for preservatives or coloring which can be harmful to collies.
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Can Collies Puppies eat Apples?
Collie puppies should not eat apples or other fruits until they are at least 18 months old. Instead, puppies should be fed on a diet of puppy food which is specially formulated for puppies to help them grow.
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After 12 months you can start mixing a little adult dog food with their puppy food, and after 18 months they are able to eat a diet of strictly adult food.
Check out the Collie Feeding Guide for more info on what to feed your puppy.
