Tigger Club News
By Animals - For Animals
news@tigger.club

 


Pumpkins

Animal Safety: Dogs: Yes Cats: With care Rabbits: with care
Free Grazing: see below

Lifespan: Annual

Sow: March to June
Plant out: May to June
Prune: June to October

Soil Type: Well composted/manured soil
Position: Sheltered and sunny
Growth: Spreads around the ground.

Varieties: 45 varieties with a variety of colours from green, yellow, red, white, blue and brown.

Growing information:
Sow pumpkin and squash seeds indoors in spring. Sew a seed into a pot and place in a warm light place.
Once the risk of frost has passed, plant outside.
Choose a sheltered, sunny spot and dig in with lots of compost or well-rotted manure. Plant at least 90cm apart depending on the variety. Cover the surrounding soil with a mulch of garden compost to retain moisture.
Remember to mark where each plant has been placed, so that it will be easier to water when they are growing around the area.

Pumpkins and squashes have separate male and female flowers. You can tell them apart as the female has a swelling behind it, which is the immature pumpkin or fruit. In cold or wet summers you may need to aid pollination.

As each pumpkin starts to develop, raise them off the floor onto a bed of straw or a brick. Pumpkins are usually ready to harvest when the stem starts to crack.

How to use:
Pumpkins are a good source of fibre and can help rebalance problems with digestion and poop bag consistency.
Pumpkins are a good as a source of weight loss as they are high in moisture and fibre which can be used to help with weight loss.

The seeds are high in fatty acids and an antioxidant which is good for overall health and fur. Pumpkin seeds are an extremely effective deworming agent because they contain an amino acid called cucurbitacin.
This paralyzes the worms making them easier to be passed through the system.

For dogs:
Both the pumpkin and the seeds can be fed raw and cooked to dogs. The seeds can be crushed and added to meals.

You need to make sure you do not feed too much at once. Pumpkin and the seeds are both high in fibre, so excessive feeding will give a rather unpleasant and very frequent poop patrol for the human, not to mention making the dog feel quite unwell.
Feeding pumpkin to dogs has a rough guide of 1 seed or 1 teaspoon per 10lbs (4.5kg) per day.
- This does not say you can feed pumpkin every day.

For Cats:
Cats need to have their pumpkins cooked and chopped or pureed to avoid choking.

As with dogs, too much pumpkin and seeds will have a rather unpleasant effect on the cat and poop clearing duties for the human.

Feeding pumpkin to cats has a rough guide of 1 teaspoon of ground seed or pumpkin per adult cat per day. 1/2 teaspoon for kittns or small cats.
- This does not say you can feed pumpkin every day.

For Rabbits:
Pumpkin can be too acidic and starchy for rabbits. So use as an occasional treat rather than a main component.
It is not recommended to use pumpkin as a cure to digestive problems as pumpkin can cause an imbalance in the digestion system.

Do not feed seeds as they are a choking hazard.

Feeding pumpkin to rabbits has a rough guide of 2oz per 6lb per day.
Definitely as a rare treat and not daily.

Further Notes:
Ensure you check with your vet if you have any digestion or allergies before adding pumpkin to your diet.
Always check with a professional before using pumpkin as a natural wormer.
It is not safe to feed animals a pumpkin that was carved for Howloween. When a pumpkin is carved it starts attracting harmful bacteria.
So feeding animals pumpkin that was carved then has sat for hours will have a higher risk of making an animal sick.