Can Dogs Eat Pumpkin? Plain Canned, Pie, Rind and Seeds

People ask us can dogs eat pumpkin as soon as the first pie comes out of the oven, and the answer is yes: plain cooked pumpkin or plain canned pumpkin, in small amounts. Pumpkin pie is a different matter. The pie, the filling and the spiced mix in the can all stay on your plate.

Most of this page is about telling those cans and dishes apart, because that is where people get stuck. After that come the rind and seeds, how much to give, and how to start. We also make a freeze-dried pumpkin and apple treat for dogs, and it gets a short section near the end.

Two cans that look the same

Walk down the baking aisle and you will find two kinds of canned pumpkin side by side. One is pumpkin puree, and the ingredient list is a single line: pumpkin. The other is pumpkin pie filling or pie mix, which is pumpkin plus sugar and spices, and sometimes salt. The labels are close in color and close in size, and people grab the wrong one every year.

Read the ingredient list, not the front of the can. Plain puree is the one that works for a dog. Anything that says pie, spice, filling or mix goes back on the shelf, or into the pie.

Cooked plain, from the can or the oven

From the can, spoon out what you need and put the rest in a covered container in the refrigerator. From a whole pumpkin, cut it open, scoop out the strings and seeds, and roast or steam the pieces with nothing on them until they are soft. Scrape the flesh away from the skin and mash it. Let it cool to room temperature before it goes in a bowl.

Plain means no butter, no sugar, no cinnamon and no salt. The easiest way to serve it is a spoonful on top of the dog's regular food, or off a spoon as a treat.

Pumpkin pie is a skip

The American Kennel Club says: "Keep the slab of pumpkin pie on your plate." We keep to that. A pie is a crust made with butter or shortening, a filling of sugar, eggs and evaporated milk, and a spice mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, often with whipped cream on top. The pumpkin is the smallest part of it.

The same goes for pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes and anything else that carries the name. A plain scoop of puree is the dog's version. Everything with a crust, a glaze or a frosting is yours.

Raw pumpkin, rind and seeds

Raw pumpkin is hard and fibrous, and it is awkward for any dog to chew. Cook it first. The rind is tougher than the flesh and does not soften much even when cooked, so we skip the rind. Cut it off and keep it out of the bowl.

Seeds are the one people ask about after carving. The ones in a fresh pumpkin are wet, stringy and wrapped in pulp, and the ones from a roasting tray are usually tossed in oil and salt. A seed is also a small hard piece that a dog tends to swallow without chewing. Our habit is to skip them. A carved jack-o-lantern that has sat on the porch for a few days belongs in the compost, not in the dog's reach.

How much pumpkin

Think of pumpkin as a spoonful, not a serving. These amounts are our own starting point at the table, not a figure from anyone else:

• Small dogs under 20 pounds: about a teaspoon.
• Medium dogs, 20 to 50 pounds: about a tablespoon.
• Large dogs over 50 pounds: a tablespoon or two.

Give it a few times a week at most, on top of the regular meal rather than in place of it. A spoonful goes a long way, since puree is dense, and a can holds far more than any one dog will use before it spoils. Freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray and you have single portions ready to thaw.

The first time

Offer a half teaspoon of plain puree, once, on a day when nothing else is new. Wait a day, then offer a little more. Pumpkin comes up in a lot of dog advice for upset stomachs. That is a question for your veterinarian, not for a food blog, and it is also the right call if your dog is on a special diet or has had trouble with new foods.

Something pumpkin shaped for the dog

If you want to hand the dog a pumpkin treat while the pie goes around, ours is Pup-Ornaut Pumpkin & Apple freeze-dried dog ice cream. We freeze-dry it in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The full ingredient list is apples, pumpkin puree and nonfat Greek yogurt. It contains dairy, so it is not one of our single ingredient treats.

The pieces are shaped like pumpkins and ghosts. They are light and crunchy, and because they are freeze-dried rather than frozen they do not melt, so a bag rides in a coat pocket or a glovebox. It comes in one bag. The label says to feed it as a seasonal treat or reward, not a complete diet, with fresh water available and a supervised dog. Reseal the bag after opening and store it in a cool, dry place. More of the table is covered on our Thanksgiving page and in the guide to Thanksgiving foods dogs can eat, and the sweet potato guide follows many of the same rules.

Pumpkin questions

Is canned pumpkin okay for a dog?

Yes, if the can is plain pumpkin puree and the ingredient list is one line long. Pie filling and pie mix are a different product with sugar and spices added, and they stay out of the bowl.

What about pumpkin pie?

No. Keep it on your plate. The crust, sugar, spice and whipped cream are the pie, and the pumpkin is a small part of it.

Is raw pumpkin okay?

Cook it first. Raw pumpkin is hard and fibrous, so roast or steam it until soft and let it cool before serving a spoonful.

Can dogs eat pumpkin seeds or the rind?

We skip both. The rind is tough even after cooking, and seeds are small, hard and usually salted or oiled once they have been roasted.

How often can a dog have pumpkin?

A few times a week, in spoonful amounts, on top of the regular meal. Begin with half a teaspoon the first time and build from there.

Can puppies have pumpkin?

Handle it like any new food. One small taste of plain puree, then wait a day. Once the puppy has had that, a spoonful on regular food is the same plain approach as for an adult.