Can Dogs Safely Eat Tomatoes
Dog owners know that even premium quality foods does not have all the essential nutrients that will guarantee the pet's overall health. This is why dog owners would still provide the pet with supplements and vitamins. Pet parent would give the dog fruits and vegetable as these people foods are rich in vitamins and minerals. Some common people foods though have toxic effects on the dog thus owners need to know which of these people foods can cause poisoning.
Tomato, a fruit that is a member of the nightshade family is widely used by humans. Raw, cooked, used as ingredient to dishes and sauces, tomatoes are favorite human foods. People really do get lots of healthful benefits from tomatoes. Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant is present in tomatoes. This red fruit is known to prevent heart diseases, cataracts and cancer.
Due to the bond formed with the pet, dog owners develop the habit of sharing foods with the dog. Can dogs have tomatoes? Plants that belong to the nightshade family have some toxic effects when consumed thus being a member of this family, tomatoes are noted to have some toxic effects too. Tomatoes has alkaloids, a substance that is toxic even to humans. Unwanted effects of ingesting tomatoes range from being mildly irritating to fatal.
Dogs can eat tomatoes. Dogs can also gain the healthful benefits humans get from these luscious red fruits. Dogs can eat ripe tomatoes but not the green unripe ones and also not the leaves and the vines of the plant as they contain solinum alkaloid which is highly toxic to dogs. This toxic substance present in tomatoes is called tomatin.
Signs of tomato toxicity will be seen after the dog ingests unripe tomatoes. Excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation are symptoms of solinum alkaloid poisoning that occurs when dogs ingest unripe tomatoes. Stomach upset is a common result of ingesting unripe tomatoes as the dog's intestines poorly absorb the toxic substance tomatin. Large amounts of unripe tomato or tomato leaves and vines consumed by the dog can have fatal effects on the dog. The heart and the central nervous system will be affected by the toxin thus the dog will develop tremors, have breathing difficulties and suffer muscle weakness. Heart arrhythmias that can result to the death of the dog is a serious consequence of allowing the dog to eat unripe tomatoes.
The toxicity of tomatoes is dependent on the amount ingested by the dog. Severity of toxic effect would depend on the amount ingested and on the body weight of the dog. Tomato toxicity can be prevented by making sure that the pet only ingests ripe fruits.
Can dogs eat tomatoes? More on this and other food questions can be found at Sarah's Dogs. Furthermore you can learn about dog first aid.
