By DogLovely Team

Both pumpkin and sweet potato are known as ‘superfoods’ for dogs. They’re common ingredients in a lot of brands of treats and foods due to the impressive number of health benefits they have.

Sweet potato is popularly used in replace of white potato in dog food as it’s more nutritious, healthier, and less likely to trigger allergy symptoms.

You’re probably well aware of the advantages of feeding your pooch pumpkin. Alongside plain rice and boiled chicken, pumpkin is a common remedy for dogs suffering from an upset stomach. It helps calm your dog’s digestive tract and eases both diarrhea and constipation.

As you can see, pumpkin and sweet potato are excellent vegetables to feed your dog, but is one better than the other? Let’s take a quick look and compare the two!

Benefits of Sweet Potato for Dogs

Sweet potatoes are thought to be one of the best dietary sources of vitamin A, which encourages healthy eyes, nerves, muscles, and skin. They’re also rich in vitamin C, B6, protein, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, calcium, and iron, and more.

Another fantastic advantage of sweet potato is its high fiber content. Adding fiber to your dog’s diet can help them have healthy and regular bowel movements. Overweight dogs can benefit from a high-fiber diet to displace calories and create a feeling of fullness, which can aid with weight loss.

White potatoes can be problematic for some dogs, particularly those with food sensitivities or allergies. Sweet potatoes are a good alternative as they’re less likely to trigger allergy symptoms, while also being more nutritious.

Benefits of Pumpkin for Dogs

dog pumpkin
Pumpkin and sweet potato are rich in nutrients, with slight differences.

Like sweet potato, pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, iron, and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene gives pumpkin and sweet potato their bright orange color and helps prevent cancer in dogs. Pumpkin also contains zinc, which helps give your pooch a shiny and healthy coat.

However, sweet potatoes contain more protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. That’s not to say that pumpkin isn’t also healthy for your dog, though!

Pumpkin is best known as a remedy for diarrhea or constipation. As the veggie contains a lot of fiber, it can help firm up your dog’s stools. It can help slow down your dog’s digestive tract and control diarrhea by allowing for more absorption of water.

Beta-carotene in pumpkin helps prevent cancer in dogs. Pumpkin contains zinc for a shiny and healthy coat.

Additionally, in dogs with constipation, the fiber found in pumpkin can help stimulate your pooch’s colon wall and encourage contraction of the muscles responsible for transporting stool from their digestive tract.

Pumpkin seeds are just as advantageous for your dog as the flesh. They’re packed with essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which can support your dog’s skin and urinary health. If your dog suffers from urinary incontinence, then pumpkin can be particularly beneficial.

Lastly, pumpkin is made up of 90% water, so it’s an excellent veggie to include in your dog’s diet to keep them hydrated.

Which Is Healthier: Pumpkin or Sweet Potato?

hydrated dog
Sweet potato is generally considered healthier for dogs due to its higher nutritional content.

It’s no doubt that both pumpkin and sweet potato are full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are great for your dog’s health. However, you might be wondering which is healthier: pumpkin or sweet potato?

After looking at the benefits of each veggie, sweet potato comes up top as it contains a lot more vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, magnesium, protein, and calcium than pumpkin.

Can I Feed My Dog Sweet Potato Every Day?

Now that we’ve established that sweet potato is healthier for your dog than pumpkin, you’re probably eager to add it to your dog’s diet. So, your next question might be can I feed my dog sweet potato every day?

Fortunately, dogs can be fed sweet potato every day. However, make sure you don’t feed it in excessive amounts. Sweet potato shouldn’t be the main component of your dog’s daily meal.

Can You Use Sweet Potato Instead of Pumpkin?

Pumpkin is a popular ingredient in many dog foods and treats recipes, but it’s not as readily available as sweet potato unless you use it canned or frozen. If a recipe you’re following calls for pumpkin and you don’t have any on hand, you might be wondering whether you can use sweet potato as a substitute.

You can use sweet potato instead of pumpkin as these veggies are interchangeable in the majority of dog food/treat recipes.

Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potato and Pumpkin?

Dogs can eat sweet potato and pumpkin, even on the same day. However, be careful not to overload your dog with either of these veggies as they should not be the main part of their daily diet.

Conclusion

Both sweet potato and pumpkin are extremely beneficial for your dog as they contain an array of nutrients that are advantageous for skin, eye, digestive health, and more.

However, sweet potato packs more nutritional punch than pumpkin, so it’s the slightly healthier veggie out of the two. If you’ve not already done so, consider adding sweet potato and pumpkin to your pooch’s diet to keep them in tip-top shape.

Categorized in:

Dog Food,

Last Update: March 11, 2024