Can dogs eat turnips?

Yes — dogs can eat turnips. They are a good source of dietary fibre, vitamins C and K, antioxidants and various minerals. They should be cooked or steamed and fed in moderation, but they are certainly a dog-safe vegetable suitable for feeding to your dog.

Canine nutritionist Gerald Pepin, experienced dog nutritionist and author of the book From Table to Bowl, a book designed to take the mystery out of feeding dogs fresh food, explains the benefits and safe serving tips for feeding dogs turnips.

About turnips

A root vegetable and a member of the brassica family, the turnip has been known since Roman times. It’s believed to have originated in India where it was grown for its oil bearing seeds. Just one of many vegetables originally grown for a purpose other than the purpose for which we grow them today. Okay, so we all know that humans can eat turnips, but what about dogs. Can dogs eat turnips too?

Pliny the Elder (yes, that man again), regarded the turnip or neep as it’s known to some, as one of the most important of all the vegetables.

A well-respected ancient Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder knew a thing or two about the natural world. He regarded turnips as highly important for their usefulness for feeding both human beings and animals. I’m not sure that he singled out turnips for dogs in particular, but I’m sure he would have done if he hadn’t been such a busy man.

A friend of emperor Vespasian, as well as being an author, naturalist and philosopher, Pliny was also a military commander of the early Roman Empire. I’ve no idea how he found time to write the Naturalis Historia, creating the model for encyclopedias we still use to this day!

Nutrients in turnips

Highly nutritious turnips are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B6. They’re also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and fibre.

And don’t forget the tops either. With turnips, as with many root vegetables, the most nutrient-rich part are the tops. These are known as turnip greens. Whatever you do, don’t waste them. Chop them up, boil, steam or purée them to make them more readily bioavailable. And add them to whatever you happen to be cooking for your dog at the time.

Turnip greens are a particularly rich source of vitamins A, B9, C and especially vitamin K. They are also a good source of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and E together with calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

Benefits of feeding dogs turnips

Turnips have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and diuretic properties. As well as being highly nutritious, they can help improve a dog’s kidney function and enhance its immune system. They can also help protect against cancer, and their anti-inflammatory properties make them ideal for protection against arthritis.

How to feed your dog turnips

Finely dice and boil your dog’s turnips with his or her other vegetable ingredients. Or steam or boil them whole and mash or purée them. You can even grate and sprinkle them raw on top of your dog’s meal before serving. Or you can combine boiled or steamed turnip with other ingredients and apportion or serve. And don’t peel your dog’s turnips by the way. Save time and goodness. As with so many vegetables, most of the nutrients are close to the surface.

A human food that dogs can eat too

Scientists have proven that not only have dogs and human beings shared the same diet for at least 12,000 years, they have demonstrated that the digestive systems of both species simultaneously evolved to process and benefit from that shared diet. From those same foods. At the time of the First Agricultural Revolution, when man became less reliant on foraging and more dependent on farmed produce, the digestive tract of both species underwent exactly the same genetic adaptation to allow us and our dogs to process that more limited farmed diet. In other words, we know that without any shadow of a doubt, long before the beginning of recorded time, dogs and human beings were sharing exactly the same diet. Eating the same food.

So even if you prefer to call the food that we humans eat “human food” and the food that dogs eat “dog food”, the fact is that human beings and dogs began to form their enduring relationship at exactly the same time as the First Agricultural Revolution, and likely largely because of our shared ability to benefit from the same foodstuffs. Back then, the food that humans ate was not considered human food, any more than the food dogs ate (exactly the same food remember), was considered dog food. The food that dogs and humans shared, the food that helped cement the bond we continue to enjoy to this day, was simply known as “food.”

So while many today speak of turnips as being human food, the fact is, when they were first cultivated thousands of years ago, turnips would have been eaten by both human beings and their dogs. Along with all the other foodstuffs they would have shared, turnips would simply have been considered “food”, food that both dogs and human beings could each eat, enjoy and benefit from.

So when you ask yourself, can dogs eat turnips, can I feed my dog turnips, are turnips one of the safe human foods you can share with your dog, the answer is an unequivocal, yes. Dogs can eat turnips because, just as is the case with we humans, they’re something they have always eaten!

So if ever you have asked yourself, can dogs eat turnips, now you have the answer!

Advisory

Turnips should be avoided if your dog suffers from a thyroid condition as the naturally-occuring goitrogens contained within turnips can suppress normal thyroid function.