Can Golden Retriever Eat Durian?

It is a frequently asked question by the dog owners whether their Golden Retriever can eat fruit or not? The answer to this question, most of the time is yes. But it does not mean that dogs should be given fruits in a large proportion. 

The best mixture for the proper growth of dogs includes both types of meat as well as plants and fruits. The plants and fruits provide necessary carbohydrates and dietary fibers. 

However, this article is based on the question of whether your Golden Retriever can eat Durian or not? The answer is, yes, Golden Retrievers can eat Durian, and however there are some cautions to be followed while giving this treat to your little friend.

What is Durian?

First of all, it is necessary to have a piece of information about Durian. If you are from the Asian continent, or by any chance have visited Asia, then you may have come across the world’s smelliest fruit named Durian. This fruit is also termed as to be the “King of Fruits” in Asia. It is said to be native fruit in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Indonesia. 

The size of Durian is large, whose dimension in width can reach up to six inches and the length can be of one foot. The physical features of this Durian fruit are such that it has a hard and spiky exterior with either red or yellow interior flesh. 

How to feed Durian to your Golden Retriever?

As it has been discussed above that you can give your Golden Retriever the Durian fruit to eat. However, it should be kept in mind that he should not be given the seeds of the fruit. Like most fruit seeds, the Durian seeds can prove to be very dangerous for your dog’s health. This condition occurs due to the high availability of cyanide in those seeds. 

The cyanide chemical compound is known to be very potent. Due to high potency, it can ultimately cause harm to your dog’s heart as well as the brain. The damage to the heart as well the brain due to cyanide can lead to serious consequences, like the death of your dog. 

The other symptoms to be marked due to cyanide are rapid and weighty breathing, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, and cardiac arrhythmia. The Durian fruit without seeds is not harmful at all. 

However, it should be kept in mind that you cut the fruit wide open, take all of the seeds out of it, and then remove the soft but fleshy part and serve it to your dog. This fleshy part of the fruit has no adverse on the health of your Golden Retriever, and will not cause any sort of allergic reaction. 

Signs to look for whether your Golden Retriever is reacting well to the Durian Fruit or not

Even though it has been discussed that Durian fruit is not toxic or poisonous for your dog, yet it is possible that he may be unable to digest it properly. This fruit can cause a disturbance to your Golden’s normal routine. 

However, if you have decided to give the Durian fruit to your Golden, then you should be vigilant enough to look for the reactions shown by him. 

1. Increase in Energy Level

If you notice that your Golden Retriever has got super-charged energy after having the Durian fruit, then it indicates that you have fed him, Durian, too much. Due to this, his sugar level has risen and he is trying to calm him down by doing an extra amount of activities. 

If this scenario happens again and again right after feeding him Durian, then you must really figure out the correct amount of the fruit which may not get him super-excited. 

2. Digestive System Issue

If you have given your Golden Retriever some amount of the durian fruit, and you come to notice that it does not agree with his stomach, then you may notice some signs of that. The signs include vomiting, laziness, tiredness, constipation, or diarrhea. 

Then, it is recommended that you do not give the Durian fruit to your dog at all. Otherwise, this condition can affect his overall health badly. The symptoms of digestive system issue are as follow:

• Shock
• Sugar crash
• Bursts of sugar-infused energy
• Lethargy and Fatigue

3. More than Normal Intake of Durian

If you spot that your dog has eaten the Durian fruit too much, then he may suffer the problem due to high intake in the form of cramps, weakness, fatigue, lethargy, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and also some other digestive problems. Therefore, it is better to take your Golden Retriever to the vet for the necessary treatment. The symptoms of taking too much Durian are as follow:

• Panting
• Weakness
• Whimpering
• Dilated Pupils
• Ears up
• Whale eye
• Sleepiness
• Whining

Nutritious nature of the Durian Fruit

The Durian fruit has many vitamins and minerals which prove to be beneficial for the health of your Golden Retriever. It has Vitamin C, Thiamin, Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin A, and B6. It has important minerals which include iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. These nutrients are as important as they are for a human being. So, it can be said that the Durian fruits are rich in terms of nutrients. 

However, it is always a better approach to discuss the amount of intake of Durian fruit with your vet so that abundance of intake can be avoided.

Training your Golden Retriever to eat Durian fruit the proper way

From the routine, it would be evident that your dog really loves Durian fruit. However, the related warnings have been discussed earlier in this article. 

However, you should keep in mind that you just can’t give the Durian fruit by taking it out of the fridge. It should be made sure that your dog has a strong grasp on how to eat Durian fruit. In this way, your Golden Retriever would understand that Durians are not just a daily diet but a treat. 

First, it should be made sure that your Golden has a strong grasp on basic commands like “drop it”, “no”, or “leave it”. Once your dog is accustomed to these commands, it would make sure that your dog would not steal any piece of durian and run all around the house. This would make sure that you do not tire yourself out while chasing behind the dog. 

It can be said that if you keep on giving your little friend Durian a treat each time, then it would make him picky. So, instead of giving durian fruit each time, it is better to establish durian fruit as a strict treat choice. 

It should also be made sure that the durian fruit and other treats are far from the reach of your Golden Retriever so that he does not steal them away. Even though you are pretty sure that your dog is well trained, there is always a wide chance that he will steal the treat away whenever he will smell it. In this case, the last thing you want will be the eating of an unwanted or wrong portion of durian fruits. 

Suitable steps to do if your Golden Retriever eat a lot of Durian

There are some suitable steps to follow if your Golden Retriever eats a lot of Durian or eats the seed part of the durian fruit. They have been listed as below:

• Go for the vet, if found anything suspicious in the overall behavior of your Golden Retriever
• If your vet instructs you about the vomiting, then induce it at the spot
• Always place the durian fruit at that spot that is inaccessible for your Golden Retriever
• Adjust the amount of Durian 
• Take your dog out for a walk if you think that Durian is upsetting his stomach

Is your Dog allergic to Durian? 

Whenever you feed your Golden Retriever the Durian fruit for the first time, there is a probability that he will show some kind of allergy to Durian. The signs of allergic reactions include infection of paws and ears, itching, hives, swelling of the face, or even indigestion. 

Once these signs appear, it is recommended that you visit your vet for the necessary instructions. 

However, if your dog shows these signs each time after the consumption of the Durian fruit, then it is better to stop giving this fruit to your little friend. 

Conclusion

It can be concluded that Durian is not harmful to your Golden Retriever. However, it is evident that excess of everything is bad. Therefore, it is better to keep the intake of Durian at a moderate level, so that your Golden Retriever gets used to the fruit.