Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potato?

Sweet potato is the model student of dog treats

Sweet potato is rich in dietary fiber, which helps improve stool quality, and it contains beta-carotene and vitamins while being almost fat-free. Allergic reactions to it are also fairly rare, which is why it's a regular ingredient in store-bought dog treats. The rule is to boil, steam, or bake it and serve it with no seasoning at all.

Three things to watch out for

• No raw sweet potato — it's hard to digest and can cause an upset stomach. Always cook it first
• Peel off the skin — it doesn't digest well, and charred skin is even worse
• Careful when hot — the inside of a freshly cooked sweet potato is very hot and can burn your dog's mouth. Let it cool before serving

How much can I give?

Sweet potato has about 130 kcal per 100 g, quite a bit higher in calories than fruits like watermelon. The rule is to keep total treats within 10% of the day's calorie needs, so roughly speaking a small dog (5 kg) can have about 20–30 g a day (two or three pieces), a medium dog (10–15 kg) about 40–60 g, and a large dog about 80–100 g. You can check your dog's daily calorie needs with the dog food portion calculator.

If your dog is on a diet

"Sweet potato is healthy, so it should be fine" is a classic reason diets fail. Since it's on the higher-calorie side, low-calorie vegetables like cucumber or carrot are a better choice for a dog that's losing weight. On days you give sweet potato, don't forget to cut back that much from the regular food.