Can Dogs Eat Avacados

If you’re a dog owner that often has avocados in your kitchen, you may have been told to keep them away from your pup. While avocados do have a potentially harmful ingredient, it doesn’t mean you should write them off completely.

Persin in the main ingredient behind the cause of concern, as it can cause vomiting and diarrhea in animals. While it does have the potential to give your dog an upset stomach, it is only dangerous in large amounts. As long as your pup is consuming small amounts, there is little to worry about.

So can dogs eat avocado? Yes, they definitely can in moderation. As long as you monitor how much they consume, avocados can have great benefits for your furry friend. Some reasons of why avocados aren’t as dangerous as you may have previously thought include:

• When an avocado has ripened, the levels of persin drop to almost undetectable levels. Because of this, small amounts of ripe avocado can be a safe and tasty treat for your pup. When only fed ripened fruit, the risks of persin toxicity are extremely low.
• While dogs can experience gastrointestinal upset from large amounts of persin, cattle and birds are much more sensitive to this ingredient. The severe warnings of persin toxicity stem mostly from the severe effects on livestock and birds.
• Much like humans, dogs are fairly resistant to persin, making it much less of a threat. As long as you make sure to serve when ripe, and avoid serving the skin and pit, your pup should be just fine.

It’s a shame that so much negative stigma surrounds avocado in a canine’s diet, as it can have some incredibly health benefits for your beloved companion. A few of the numerous ways avocados can improve your pup’s health include:

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A is essential in supporting normal eye health in dogs. This is the reason why we were always told to consume carrots for eye health as a child, as they also include Vitamin A. Aside from the ocular benefits are it’s potential to promote reproductive health, immune health, and cell production.
• Vitamin B6:This vitamin is vital in several ways for our furry friends. It’s responsible for red blood cell function, nervous system function, hormone regulation, and glucose production. This vitamin is also an incredible source of energy.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant for our furry friends. It constantly searches for potentially harmful free radicals in the body, which helps to limit inflammation.
• Vitamin E:Much like Vitamin C, Vitamin E is also an antioxidant that helps to fight off harmful free radicals. It also serves as a joint and skin supplement.
• Beneficial fats:In addition to the array of essential vitamins that avocados include, are the omega fatty acids that they also serve. Fatty acids works to reduce inflammation in the body, and soothe areas that need it most. Omega fatty acids are a main ingredient in many supplements for this reason, as they work incredibly well to soothe joint pain and skin irritation.

While research has found several ways in which avocados aren’t as much of a threat as we previously thought, you should still be diligent with monitoring consumption.

• Offer in small amounts: Though levels of persin are extremely low in ripe avocados, it does not mean that it’s non-existent. Offering avocados in large amounts can expose your pup to more persin than they would receive in a small serving. This increases the risk of gastrointestinal upset.

• Do not offer the pit, skin, or stem: When feeding your dog avocado, make sure to only serve them the soft inner portion. The skin, pit, and stem have the potential to cause intestinal blockage, as they can be quite difficult for your pup to pass. Intestinal obstructions are a serious emergency.
• Monitor for GI upset: While we discussed the low levels of person in ripened avocado, some pups can have an increased sensitivity to the ingredient. If your dog has vomiting or diarrhea when eating small amounts of avocado, then you should no longer offer them this treat.
• Allergic reaction: As with all food, some dogs can have allergic reactions to new additions to their diet. Make sure to monitor them closely, and consult your veterinarian if you have any concerns.

When you’re giving your dog this tasty treat, it’s important to know the safest ways for your pup to consume avocados.

• Make sure that the avocado you are giving your pup is organic, and free of any chemicals or additives. By only offering organic fruits and veggies, you can help to limit their exposure to harmful chemicals.
• Make sure to only serve them pure avocado, and not guacamole or other avocado mixtures. Guacamole often includes other ingredients that can be harmful to dogs.
• Only offer this treat in thin slices of the inner portion of the avocado, and never include the pit or skin.

Once you know the safest ways to implement this healthy addition to your pup’s diet, you can begin to discover ways in which your dog enjoys it best! You can mix avocado into their regular food with the addition of water, you can make tasty homemade avocado treats, or simply cut it into thin slices to serve your pup directly. You can get as creative as you'd like, as long as you make sure to never mix avocado with other harmful ingredients.

While there are some rules with avocado consumption for dogs, it is an incredibly beneficial addition to their diet when used correctly. Make sure to research the risks before offering your pup this new snack, and always monitor them closely when trying a new food!