“Eh, what’s up, doc?” Bugs Bunny enjoyed the heck out of this orange veggie. He munched on carrots in almost every scene of his cartoon. You know that bunnies like Bugs are able to enjoy some carrots, but you wonder if your dog can too. Can dogs have carrots?

It’s a simple question. And lucky for you, I’ve got the answer. (Spoiler Alert: the answer is yes)

Why Can Dogs Have Carrots?

Dogs can have carrots for the same reasons Bugs Bunny can: carrots are good for them, and they make for a great snack to munch on. Also, carrots contain zero harmful substances to hurt your pup, and a ton of healthy nutrients to benefit your beloved friend.

In fact, carrots provide the perfect, healthy alternative to regular dog treats. Naturally sturdy, carrots make for an excellent chew treat. Like I talked about in my strawberry article, I encourage dog owners to avoid highly processed dog treats and to opt for healthier, more natural options.

And the carrot just happens to be one of those options. What makes the carrot such a great treat is its versatility.

Feed your pup a cold carrot to give them a temporary chew toy. Feed your pup warm, steamed carrots to reward them for being a good doggo. Or, bake your pup a delicious doggy carrot cake. That’ll definitely earn you some serious love points!

Why Give Your Pup Carrots?

So, you know the answer to the question, “can dogs have carrots?” is yes. But why give your pup carrots? Well, let me tell you. Carrots offer a huge variety of healthy benefits for your pooch. You don’t want your pup to miss out.

First of all, there are some rumors about the carrot. You know, the ones about carrots making your vision better. I’d like to clear these rumors up. Here’s the truth: carrots won’t make your pup have 20/10 vision, but carrots will certainly help maintain their good vision.

This is what carrots do. They don’t necessarily improve vision, they protect vision. The carrot contains high amounts of beta carotene, a nutrient that protects your pup’s vision. Beta carotene keeps your dog’s retina functioning at high levels.

Here, allow me to drop some science (don’t worry I’ll keep it simple). The retina plays a critical role in eyesight and is what allows our pups (and us) to see what we see everyday.

Within the retina, there are millions of little cells called rods and cones that are receptive to light and allow us to see. The rod cells are more receptive to low light, while the cone cells are receptive to bright light and allow us to see colors.

Our furry friends have a much higher number of rods than cones, which is why they cannot see color as well as us (we have a high concentration of cone cells in our retinas).

What’s important is that rod cells are especially sensitive to beta carotene, which means that our dogs depend on beta carotene to have highly functioning rod cells. High functioning rod cells make for a high functioning retina.

Maintaining a high functioning retina lowers your pup’s risk for loss of vision.

That’s All, Folks!

There you have it. Can dogs have carrots? Of course!

A cold, hard carrot makes for an excellent chew treat. A warm, steamed carrot makes for delicious, nutritious reward. Oh, and don’t forget about that yummy carrot cake recipe.

Go ahead, give your pup some carrots as a healthy alternative to those highly processed, yucky dog treats from the store. You’ll earn some serious love points with your pup if you do!