Can Dogs Eat Tangerines?
In theory, tangerines can be great for dogs as they are rich in vitamin C, folate, beta-carotene, potassium, and other beneficial nutrients. In practice, the risks and benefits tend not to be worth it and overall a treat we advise dogs to pass on.
While humans can't produce vitamin C and love to eat sweet fruits such as oranges and tangerines to get our daily dose, dogs naturally produce vitamin C on their own and ingesting too much can lead to kidney stones. While there are other vitamins in tangerines it's such a small amount it's typically not worth the sugar intake to their teeth and potential blood sugar spikes. Additionally, citric acid can upset some dogs' digestive systems causing nausea and diarrhea, in puppies this can be very severe and even cause dehydration. Dogs have a much shorter digestive tract than humans, so foods that are high in fiber like tangerines can move so quickly through their system that the nutrients aren't properly absorbed leading to little to no benefit in giving it to them in the first place.
Should you choose to feed your dog tangerines it's advised to:
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Only give a dog the juicy flesh of the tangerine. Remove the peel, pith, and seeds as they can be toxic to dogs
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In general, never feed more than two pieces of tangerine per day to larger dogs and no more than half a piece per day to a smaller dog
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Break them down into small, bite-sized pieces so your dog doesn't choke on it
