The Ultimate Guide to What Rottweilers Can (and Can’t) Eat

One of the most significant things that are a part of creating the perfect life for your pup is what food they eat. This post will include everything you need to know about foods your Rottweiler can and cannot eat; including suggestions for dog foods, and what human food is good and bad for your dog.

Both dog food and human food can be helpful and harmful to your Rottweiler if not considered carefully. Knowing and understanding what health benefits foods have is vital to selecting what food is best for your pup.

Best Rottweiler Diet

Rottweilers are carnivores, they love meat. Meat is a very important part of their diet and protein should be a large percent of the food that they eat. Your pup’s dog food should contain 22%-28% protein. This will help to maintain their weight. It is wise to stay away from high fat dog foods.

Often times, dog sections at stores can be misleading or confusing. I mean, we aren’t dogs so it can be a little confusing as to what foods are best to have in your pup’s diet.

When looking for the perfect food for your Rottweiler, turn the package or can around and look at the ingredients. The top ingredient should be some sort of meat. It can say things like “Turkey Meal,” “Chicken Meal,” “Herring Meal,” “Lamb Meal,” or even just “Chicken.”

Don’t stop there though, keep reading. As you get down the list of ingredients, you should be able to pronounce the ingredients. If there are a lot of names you can’t pronounce or that you don’t recognize, it probably isn’t going to be something good to put in your Rottweiler’s body.

If meat is the number one ingredient and you can pronounce most of the other ingredients, then other details such as wet or dry, bagged or can, are up to individuals preference.

A really great brand to look at when considering dry dog food is “Blue Buffalo.” Their food has natural and simple ingredients.

A good brand to look at for wet or canned food is “Taste of the Wild.” They have food for both puppy and adult Rott’s.

When trying to have the best diet for your dogs some things to remember are to always have a clean bowl of water for your dog. Watch, empty, and refill your pup’s bowl throughout the day to make sure the water is always clean and available to them.

Keeping their food bowl clean is also important. If you choose to use wet foods, spraying olive oil on the inside of the bowl is a great way to make sure the food doesn’t stick, dry up, and get stuck on the inside of the bowl.

Safe Fruits for your Rottweiler

• Cranberries
• Bananas
• Apples
• Cantaloupe
• Blueberries

Fruits contain a lot of really great vitamins and nutrients that can provide your Rottweiler energy and stomach help. While it is good to have your dog eat fruit, it is important for your Rott to eat them in moderation. Human food is and always will be meant for humans. However, that doesn’t mean that it needs to be avoided all of the time.

Cranberries: Cranberries can be really good for your Rottweiler. You can feed them to him or her in so many ways too. You can give them to them frozen or fresh. They are really high in Antioxidants and minerals that aren’t found in other foods.

They include Vitamins A, C, B1, and B2. The biggest health reason you should feed your dog cranberries is that it helps to avoid Urinary Tract Infections because it lowers the pH of the dog’s urine.

Bananas: Bananas are a fantastic source of energy for your pup, and since Rottweilers run around, and are moving a lot, bananas can be a good healthy way to get more energy. Bananas also have sugars in them that are natural and not difficult for your Rott to digest.

Bananas have essential amino acids, electrolytes, minerals, potassium, and they are high in Vitamins C and B6. These important nutrients help to maintain good blood pressure as well as help the heart in other capacities.

Apples: Apples have an ingredient called pectin in them, which is a fiber that helps to get rid of toxins in the intestinal tract. This can help to clean your pup out a little bit if he or she is sick. They, like cranberries, also have antioxidants. Apples are also another source of Vitamin A and C.

Cantaloupe: This fruit has really high water content, so it is a great way to help your Rott if he or she is dehydrated. It also has a lot of great nutrients that your dog probably isn’t going to get normally. Cantaloupe is very helpful if your dog has a sensitive stomach.

Blueberries: Blueberries do a lot of the same things that cranberries do. Like the apple and cranberry, it is high in antioxidants. Blueberries are probably one of the highest sources of antioxidants.

For all of these fruits, it’s best if the core or rinds are not consumed by the Rottweiler.

Safe Vegetables for your Rottweiler

• Pumpkin
• Corn
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Asparagus
• Peas
• Green Beans

Vegetables are another great source of minerals and nutrients for your Rottweiler. Again, make sure these don’t dominate your pup’s diet. Human food should only be about 10% of their diet.

These vegetables can be a great help with many health challenges and just making your dog a little healthier. You will notice, that many of the health benefits found in these vegetables are similar in the way they benefit humans.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin is a good food to give to your dog if he or she is having stomach and bowel problems. If your dog is having Diarrhea or is constipated, pumpkin can really come in handy.

You can feed it to them plain, you can disguise it in a peanut butter cookie treat, or any other creative way you want to feed it to them. Pumpkin has a lot of Fiber and it is also high in Antioxidants and Vitamin A.

Corn: Be careful with this one. There is nothing harmful in corn for your dog, however, it is important to make sure he or she doesn’t choke on the small pieces.

Giving your dog cob of corn can be dangerous. The cob can get stuck in your dog’s throat and make it all the way down to his or her stomach. This is bad news. Make sure you monitor your Rott when you give him or her corn to ensure that they don’t get corn stuck in their throat.

Carrots: Carrots are probably one of the best human foods for your Rottweiler to eat. You will find carrots are a main ingredient on many dog foods you will use.

The nutrients in carrots can help to improve their vision as well as their skin. Carrots have Beta Carotene, Fiber, Vitamins A, C, and K in them. They can also help to prevent cancer, which can be really good for your Rott due to their high chances of developing cancer. Make sure you give your pup carrots that are cut up so they don’t choke.

Sweet Potatoes: This is another food that you will find in many dog foods you will look at. Sweet potatoes include Vitamins A, C, B5, and B6. They make a great starch substitute, while still providing similar nutrients.

This is another food that helps when your pup is having stomach issues. You can bake sweet potatoes into treats or biscuits for your Rott as well. They would really enjoy that especially if it was mixed with peanut butter.

Asparagus: Asparagus is just flat out good for your dog. There are so many vitamins and minerals in asparagus. It contains Folate, copper, and iron, as well as Vitamins A, C, K, B1, and B2.

Peas: Peas are another vegetable that is just great for your dog. Of course make sure to not feed your dog too much, but this is a great source of nutrients. Typically greener veggies have a high amount of nutrients and are really beneficial for your pup to eat.

Green Beans: Green beans are a food that have manganese in them. They are very low in calories so they are really good to help if your dog is overweight. They also contain Vitamins A, K, and C.

Other Safe Human Foods

• Bread
• Cashews
• Cheese
• Coconut
• Eggs
• Fish
• Honey
• Pork and Chicken
• Peanut Butter

Fruits and vegetables aren’t the only human foods that your Rott can eat. There are lots of other human foods that provide a lot of great nutrients and are really good for your Rottweiler to eat, in moderation. These foods should also be a part of the maximum of 10% in your pups daily diet.

Bread: Plain pieces of bread are definitely okay for your pup to eat. Make sure it is plain though. Some kinds of bread have nuts, seeds, or raisins in them that you should try to avoid. Make sure you give him or her bread in small doses because too much can cause unwanted weight gain.

Cashews: These nuts are okay for your dog. They aren’t the best because, like all nuts they are very high in fat. If your pup eats too many of these, it can cause him or her to gain weight. Cashews shouldn’t be an everyday treat, but every once in a while they are okay.

Cheese: Cheese can be a good part of your dogs diet. It can also cause stomach issues from the dairy. Monitor your Rott if you choose to feed him or her cheese. If they respond badly or it upsets their stomach, maybe stay away from cheese, or give them less next time.

Coconut: Coconut is really good for your pup. The oil in the meat of a coconut can help their skin and fur to be softer and healthier. This is another food that has fat in it, so limit intake to a small amount each day, perhaps 1 to 2 teaspoons.

Eggs: Eggs are a great source of protein for you Rott. It can also help when your dog is having stomach issues. Dogs won’t get sick from bacteria such as salmonella from eggs. Eggs have many important nutrients in them that your dog might not receive in other places.

Fish: Fish such as salmon and shrimp are really good for your Rott. Salmon has Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Make sure when you give your dog any kind of fish, that you cook it all the way through. Raw fish can contain different bacteria or parasites that could make him or her sick.

Honey: Honey is okay for your dog to eat. It has a lot of sugar, so it isn’t the best treat, but it is okay. It is a natural sweetener, which makes it better than just plain sugar. A good way to use honey would be to bake it into a cookie or treat for your dog. Only give honey to your Rott in small doses.

Pork and Chicken: Plain cooked meats are a very healthy thing for your pup. Chicken is found in many dog foods as one of the main ingredients. If you are going to give your pup these meats don’t season them and make sure they are cooked all the way through.

If they are under-cooked, it can cause bacteria or cause your dog to get sick. Stay away from meats that have high salt content.

Peanut Butter: Rottweilers absolutely love peanut butter. It is a healthy substitute for many other treats. It does have a high-fat content, so too much isn’t good. However, peanut butter is a great source of protein, which as stated earlier needs to be a major part of your Rott’s diet. Peanut butter can be used in many ways, as a part of your pup’s diet.

Human Foods to Keep Your Rottweiler Away From

• Almonds
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Garlic and Onions
• Grapes and Raisins
• Bread Dough
• Alcohol

While it is very fun for your dog to be able to live like humans by experiencing new foods, it is crucial that you stay away from foods that will cause harm to your Rottweiler.

Almonds: Almonds are really hard for your Rott to digest. Eating them can often lead to diarrhea and other bowel problems.

Chocolate: Chocolate is very dangerous for your dog. It has high levels of caffeine and Theobromine. The darker the chocolate the worse it is for your dog. White chocolate isn’t as bad as plain coco powder, but both aren’t good for your dog.

Stay away from chocolate at all times. Chocolate can cause your Rott to experience increased thirst, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, abdominal discomfort, muscle tremors, seizures, elevated body temperatures, and even death.

Cinnamon: Just as consuming plain cinnamon isn’t good for humans, it can have similar effects in dogs. Consuming any amount of cinnamon in any form can be dangerous for your Rott. It can cause dry mouth, may clog up their throat, and lead to coughing or gagging.

Garlic and Onions: Garlic and onions damage red blood cells in your dog. They both contain separate ingredients that can increase your dog’s risk of becoming anemic. Onions have N-propyl Disulfide and Garlic contains Thiosulfates. Avoid these two ingredients always when feeding your pup.

Grapes and Raisins: Grapes and Raisins have an effect on the dog’s kidneys. If they eat either of these things it can lead to kidney failure.

Some short-term symptoms you might see if your dog ate raisins or grapes are vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, increased urination, which eventually leads to no urination. Long term effects can include kidney disease. Your dog could die from eating grapes or raisins, so stay away from them.

Bread Dough and Alcohol: Like mentioned earlier, bread is okay for your Rott to eat. However, bread dough has live yeast in it, which can be very harmful to your dog. The yeast will expand in his or her stomach causing a lot of problems. Yeast also turns into alcohol inside of your dog and then your dog becomes “drunk,” or intoxicated which can lead to a seizures or a heart attack.

Your dog’s diet is an important part of their life. Make sure that you are keeping your Rottweiler safe as you choose which foods to include or to not include in his or her diet.