Can You Give Your Puppy Carrots for Teething?

Carrots can be a fantastic solution for helping your puppy through the teething phase.

Better yet, when they’re frozen!

I offered a whole host of simple teething solutions here, which you should definitely read for the health and wellbeing of your pup, but frozen carrots are one of those magical, cheap, and simple solutions.

Here’s why:

Natural & safe

When so many teething toys are cheaply made and hazardous, and many dog treats contain additives and preservatives, frozen carrots are natural and safe. Even organic carrots are cheaper than most dog treats!

Cold, frozen carrots relieve tooth and gum pain

The cold temperature of frozen carrots will help numb your puppy’s gums, which is the root cause of teething pain.

That means chewing on a frozen carrot is not only satisfying and fun, it will be a soothing experience for your puppy. It will ease the irritation caused by emerging teeth.

Promotes healthy teeth and gums

In our world of corporations telling us their products are healthy and worth the money, we miss one major aspect of keeping our dogs healthy – maintenance of teeth and gums.

No matter what the packets say, kibble won’t do much for your dog’s teeth (do you brush your own teeth with processed food?). Wet mush is worse, and will leave plaque and tartar to attack at leisure.

What that means for your dog is early periodontal disease and nasty bacteria going through your dog’s body attacking their organs.

That’s a serious health concern which most dog owners never consider.

The act of gnawing on a frozen carrot helps promote good dental health. Chewing on the firm texture of a carrot will assist in removing plaque and tartar, contributing to the overall wellbeing of your puppy’s teeth and gums.

“Assist” is the key word though, and I highly recommend you address healthy teeth and gums with raw meaty bones or tough meaty chews – more info and suggestions can be found on the puppy teething guide as well as the treat recommendations page.

Carrots are rich in nutrients

I consider dogs carnivores, and you should too. Although some non-animal foods are fine for a dog as a facultative or scavenging carnivore, it’s much easier for us to choose a healthy diet for our dogs if we view them as essentially a meat eater.

That said, we already know carrots are a nutritious vegetable for us, and our puppies can benefit too.

Carrots contain essential vitamins and minerals. They’re also a good source of beta-carotene which converts into vitamin A, crucial for maintaining healthy skin, vision, and a strong immune system.

As a bonus, carrots are low in calories, and very likely a much healthier treat than most of the “dog treats” you’ll find in the supermarkets.

Carrots are super cheap

When you compare the price of carrots to commercial teething toys, they’re a much more cost effective solution.

Raw meaty bones are also surprisingly cheap in comparison to teething toys and commercial dog treats, yet are more natural and arguably far better for dental health and wellbeing.

Who said feeding our dogs was expensive?

Carrots are easy to get hold of, easy to freeze (assuming your freezer isn’t rammed with BARF), and it’s so easy to whip out a frozen carrot twice a day when your puppy is manically trying to chew everything in sight.

Carrots are fun!

Puppies are naturally curious and playful. Chewing on a frozen carrot not only serves a practical purpose but also gives them a way to entertainment themselves.

Giving your puppy appropriate things to chew on helps relieve boredom and anxiety as well, which makes frozen carrots a win win in preventing destructive behaviour.

By now I’m sure you’re convinced you should give your puppy frozen carrots for teething, but there is a flaw.

Only 50% of the dogs I’ve had the pleasure of living with have like carrots, so it’s definitely hit or miss. One dog will happily crunch on a tasty carrot, the other dog will look at me as if I’m offering her a durian fruit.

That said, what have you got to lose? Carrots are so cheap – much cheaper than what your teething puppy may otherwise destroy – and if you find carrots aren’t their thing, boil them for your dinner!