Can dogs eat bell peppers?

Green peppers are simply unripe peppers and taste slightly bitter. Yellow and orange peppers are sweeter, and red peppers are the ripest and sweetest of all. Many dogs prefer red for that reason. All colors have around 20 to 30 calories per 100 g, making them a light treat.

Mini sweet peppers are a handy size, but cut them open to remove the seeds first.

Wash the pepper, cut away the stem and scrape out the seeds and pale ribs. Slice the flesh into strips about 1 cm wide, then cut those into shorter pieces for small dogs. Raw pepper is crunchy; lightly steamed pepper is softer and easier on sensitive stomachs.

About a quarter of a pepper, cut into a few strips, is enough for a medium dog of 15 kg (33 lb). Small dogs need only one or two pieces.

Stuffed peppers usually contain onion, garlic, seasoned mince or cheese. Roasted peppers in jars are often packed in oil with garlic and vinegar. Fajita and stir-fry peppers are cooked with onion and spice mixes. Plain raw or plain steamed pepper is the version to share.

Pepper-based dips such as muhammara and red pepper hummus also contain garlic, so they are off the list.

Jalapeños, chilies and other hot peppers contain capsaicin, which irritates a dog's mouth and gut. Sweet bell peppers contain essentially none. If you grow both in the same garden bed, make sure your dog cannot sample the hot ones.