Can Dogs Taste Bananas?

Bananas are a sweet and creamy fruit that we can eat in a variety of ways. Not only are bananas versatile, but they are also one of the least expensive fruits you can buy at the supermarket. Although people do not typically think of bananas as a trendy health food, they do carry a bunch of different health benefits that are great for both humans and dogs alike. Bananas are a great source of vitamins and minerals for your pup and can help settle an upset stomach if your dog is experiencing any tummy troubles. 

Now, let's take a closer look at the benefits and bananas for your dog!  

There are a few different signs you can look out for to see if your dog likes to snack on bananas. You know your dog the best, so you should easily be able to tell if your dog likes a certain food or if they are not a fan of the new treat you have given them. If you give your dog a banana piece for the first time and they eat it right away and without reservation, it is safe to say your dog likes bananas. 

After they try their first piece, they will likely beg you for more by staring at you, sitting right in front of you, drooling on the floor, looking alert with their ears pointed upright and forward, and they may also lick their lips or paw at your for more as well. 

If your dog does not like bananas, they will generally try and take the banana piece from you, but then not chew it fully and spit it out. From there, they may paw at the food on the floor, try and play with it, or stomp at it with their paw. Some dogs will also completely ignore the food and act disinterested. 

Bananas got their start in East Asia or Oceania and many scientists believe that the banana was the very first fruit that ever grew on Earth. From there, bananas were brought to Europe by Portuguese sailors during the 15th century, and interestingly, bananas did not get the name "banana" until the 17th century. 

Even more curious is the fact that the sweet and yellow banana we know and love today was not the banana of thousands of years ago. Bananas used to be red and green and were not sweet. These bananas were more like plantains, which are not sweet, harder, and more potato-like than a yellow banana. 

The banana we have today is considered a mutant strain and it was first discovered in 1836 in Jamaica. After making the discovery, the sweet, yellow banana was cultivated and became very popular because this kind of banana did not need cooking to eat first. 

The sweet banana was shipped to the United States from the Carribean to New Orleans, New York, and Boston and was considered an exotic and very special kind of fruit. This new fruit was so special and elegant that people actually ate them on a plate with a knife and fork. Because the banana of the past was so fancy, it is highly unlikely that woofers in history got to sample much of it.

Bananas are extremely healthy for your dog and they are a wonderful fruit to add to their diet, especially when they are feeling under the weather. Bananas contain amino acids, electrolytes, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and manganese. 

Bananas also have a ton of fiber, which is healthy for your dog's digestive tract and will help keep them regular. If your dog is constipated, adding bananas to their diet can help get the systems flowing again. They can also help if your dog's intestines are inflamed since the fruit's natural enzymes soothe the stomach. 

Just remember that bananas have a fair amount of sugar in them, so you should exercise moderation when giving them to your doggy.  

You will probably not have to do much convincing to get your dog to eat some banana for its health benefits. The sweet and soft texture is very appealing to dogs in general. However, some dogs may not like slices or they may find the texture is too mushy and may turn their nose up to it, so you have to get a little bit creative with your feed it to them. 

You can try mashing some banana and mixing it with their meal when they eat their food. This can help hide some of the texture and flavor and your dog may be more likely to eat it. Some dogs may not take to this method very well, so you may have to move on to some other options.

Another great option is to cut the banana into slices and they put the pieces in your freezer. After a few hours, your the slices are frozen and your dog has a sweet and cold treat to crunch on. This is a great idea for the summertime when your dog gets hot from playing around outside. 

Another popular method is to mix some mashed banana with some plain peanut butter and stuff the yummy mixture into a Kong Toy. You can place the whole Kong into the freezer and freeze it for a few hours. This will slow your dog down even more and they will be entertained with their delicious Kong treat for quite a while. 

You can also try mixing mashed bananas into a homemade dog treat recipe. There are a ton of peanut butter and banana dog treat recipes on the internet to choose from that will suit your dog's dietary needs.