Can dogs eat Spinach?
Spinach（ほうれん草）
With care
A leafy green with iron, magnesium, and lutein. Boiling and discarding the water reduces the oxalate.
Safe to feed
These are the numbers after boiling and discarding the water to reduce the oxalate.
18 kcal per 100 g (raw)
23 kcal per 100 g (boiled & drained)
What kind of food is this?
A classic dark leafy green. Compared with the average of the vegetables in this dictionary, it has about 2x the iron, about 3x the magnesium, and about 2x the potassium. At 18 kcal per 100 g, it is a light leaf packed with minerals.
Spinach is also known as a source of lutein, a yellow pigment found in eye tissue and studied for its role in protecting tissue from light and oxidative stress.
The thing to watch is oxalate. It dissolves in water, so boiling and discarding the cooking water reduces it. It does not go to zero, though.
This is spinach—the classic dark leafy green—with the cooking water discarded. 23 kcal per 100 g. Fat-soluble nutrients such as lutein and beta-carotene do not escape into the water, so they remain largely intact after boiling.
While the oxalate leaches out into the water and drops, water-soluble nutrients such as potassium and vitamin C also decrease somewhat.
If you feed the cooking liquid along with the leaves, the 'raw' tab is closer to reality.
How to serve
To reduce oxalates, boil and discard the cooking water before using. If your dog has a history of calcium oxalate stones, talk with your vet about how to feed this.
About oxalates (in a little more detail)
Oxalic acid binds readily with calcium and is known to be a building block of the type of urinary stones called calcium oxalate stones.
For dogs with a history of urinary stones, or dogs whose urine tests have shown crystals, how to feed spinach is something to discuss with your vet. There are several types of stones, and the dietary approach differs by type.
On the other hand, oxalates can be reduced by boiling and discarding the water, and you can also switch to leafy greens lower in oxalates. Komatsuna, for example, is a leafy green low in oxalates and high in calcium (170 mg per 100 g — about 3.5 times that of spinach).
When you have these care goals
Eye care — Spinach is also known as a food containing lutein. One of the foods that comes up when thinking about eye care for senior dogs.
(As one candidate. It contains oxalates, so keep portions small.)
Nutrition
Spinach (per 100 g, raw)
Japan's Standard Tables of Food Composition (8th ed.)
| Energy | 18 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2.2 g |
| Fat | 0.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.1 g |
| Calcium | 49 mg |
| Phosphorus | 47 mg |
See more
| Fiber | 2.8 g |
|---|---|
| Moisture | 92.4 g |
| Sodium | 16 mg |
| Potassium | 690 mg |
| Magnesium | 69 mg |
| Iron | 2 mg |
| Zinc | 0.7 mg |
| Copper | 0.11 mg |
| Iodine | 3 µg |
| Selenium | 3 µg |
| Manganese | 0.32 mg |
| Vitamin A | 350 µg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg |
| Vitamin E | 2.1 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.11 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 35 mg |
| EPA | 0 mg |
| DHA | − |
| Alpha-linolenic acid | 120 mg |
"−" means the item is not listed in the source table (it does not mean zero).
Spinach (per 100 g, boiled & drained)
Japan's Standard Tables of Food Composition (8th ed.)
| Energy | 23 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 4 g |
| Calcium | 69 mg |
| Phosphorus | 43 mg |
See more
| Fiber | 3.6 g |
|---|---|
| Moisture | 91.5 g |
| Sodium | 10 mg |
| Potassium | 490 mg |
| Magnesium | 40 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg |
| Zinc | 0.7 mg |
| Copper | 0.11 mg |
| Iodine | 1 µg |
| Selenium | 3 µg |
| Manganese | 0.33 mg |
| Vitamin A | 450 µg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg |
| Vitamin E | 2.6 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.05 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 19 mg |
| EPA | 0 mg |
| DHA | − |
| Alpha-linolenic acid | 150 mg |
"−" means the item is not listed in the source table (it does not mean zero).
In food-energetics terms
In food-energetics terms it is classified as 'cooling.' It is thought to gently cool the body and is often chosen in hot weather.
(Food energetics is a long-standing idea of supporting the body through everyday meals. Treat it as one extra hint alongside the nutrition numbers.)
How much for your dog?
Get daily estimates from weight and activity level.