What Fruits Are Bad For Dogs?
If you have a canine friend in your life, you probably enjoy rewarding them with a tasty treat from time to time.
Fruits are a healthy snack for us, so many offer fruits as a way to switch up their dog’s standard treat routine.
In this article we will list the fruits you should never give your pup, and help you understand why these fruits are toxic to dogs.
What Fruits Are Toxic To Dogs?
While your dog can enjoy most fruits safely, there is a list of fruits that can be dangerous for our furry friends. To help you choose the best snacks for your pup, let’s list some fruits that are toxic to dogs below.
1.) Grapes
Grapes are extremely dangerous for our canine companions. While we didn’t know the exact cause of grape and raisin toxicity until recently, we finally have an answer of why this causes so many problems for our pups.
Grapes and raisins cause acute kidney failure in some unlucky pups, often requiring aggressive treatment and hospitalization.
Grapes contain an ingredient named tartaric acid that has been found in other substances that are toxic to dogs.
After determining that grapes contain varying amounts of this substance in each bite of fruit, it’s very likely that tartaric acid is the cause of the acute kidney failure that follows.
Signs of grape toxicity include vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, and even diarrhea. These symptoms don’t often present until a dog’s kidneys have been severely impacted, making a full recovery even more challenging.
Symptoms can set in up to 72 hours after your dog ate the grape, meaning most owners don’t know their pups are sick until it’s too late.
Each grape can contain different amounts of tartaric acid, which explains why some dogs get sick while others do not.
There is no way to know how much of this dangerous substance is in each grape, making it so important to keep all grapes away from your dog.
2.) Tomatoes
Ripened tomatoes are generally safe for dogs to eat, but unripened tomatoes are not. Unripened tomatoes contain a substance called solanine, which is incredibly toxic to our furry friends.
Solanine toxicity in dogs can lead to serious GI upset, respiratory distress, and even damage to their heart.
There’s no way to know just how much solanine is present in a tomato, meaning it is always best to avoid the fruit altogether.
While your pup may enjoy ripened tomatoes, most experts believe the potential risks of eating this fruit rule out the benefits.
3.) Cherries
Cherries have the potential to deeply impact your pup’s health. While the flesh around the cherry seed can be safe when offered in moderation, the seed can be extremely toxic.
Cherry seeds contain a dangerous substance called cyanide, which affects the red blood cells within the body.
Cyanide makes it challenging for the red blood cells to absorb oxygen and transport it throughout the body, leading to respiratory distress in severe cases.
Cyanide poisoning is a medical emergency for our canine friends, and often requires aggressive hospitalization.
Not only is cyanide a dangerous factor to consider, but cherry pits can also cause intestinal obstructions when consumed in large amounts. Due to these potential complications, you should always be mindful when feeding your pup cherries.
4.) Avocado
While this is often debated in the veterinary realm, eating avocados can be extremely risky for our furry friends.
Avocados contain an ingredient called persin, which can lead to severe GI upset in some dogs. While most of the persin resides in the skin of the fruit and in the leaves, unripened avocados can contain persin within the fleshy inside of the fruit as well.
Some dogs can be more sensitive to this substance than others, and may experience acute vomiting and diarrhea.
Avocados do contain healthy fats and an array of beneficial vitamins, but there are other ways for your pup to acquire these benefits. To avoid an upset stomach in your pup, it’s best to avoid avocados.
5.) Nuts
Not all nuts are bad for dogs, but many of them are. Nuts such as macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and hickory nuts can cause an array of troubling symptoms in our pups, ranging in severity based on how much they consume.
These nuts can cause symptoms ranging from severe GI upset to neurological symptoms, making it best to avoid them at all costs.
If you ever have a specific nut in question when offering your pup a snack, it’s best to speak with your vet first.
Some nuts may be safe in moderation, but we always suggest speaking with an expert first. In my opinion, it’s best to just avoid them altogether.
6.) Lemons and Limes
While we may love adding lemon and lime notes to our favorite meals, lemons and limes can be extremely toxic to our canine friends.
Many citrus fruits contain substances such as limonene and linalool, both of which contain compounds known as psoralens. These phototoxic compounds can cause serious damage to our pups, resulting in a need for aggressive care and hospitalization.
Lemon and lime ingestion in dogs can lead to lethargy, anorexia, low blood pressure, skin sensitivity, photosensitivity, collapse, tremors, vomiting, and even liver failure.
While the chance of these symptoms occurring will vary based on how much citrus your dog consumes, it’s best to never offer these fruits to your pup.
Always Avoid Fruit Pits
Even if you are offering your pup a fruit that is deemed safe, it’s important to never give your dog a fruit pit.
Fruit pits run the risk of causing cyanide toxicity, intestinal obstructions, and can even be a choking hazard in some cases.
Not only should you never give your dog a fruit pit, but you should be as diligent as possible with throwing them away accordingly.
Dogs are known to consume fruit pits that are left around your home, or even pull them out of the trash to consume. In order to keep your pup safe, it’s best to keep all disposed fruit pits in an area your dog cannot access.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats A Fruit Pit
If your dog eats a fruit pit, it’s best to contact your vet as soon as possible. Inducing vomiting at home is not safe in this situation, as the fruit pit can be a choking hazard when it is vomited up. The best way to rid your pup’s stomach of their consumed fruit pit is by stopping by your vet’s office, and having them induce vomiting in a controlled setting.
Time is of the essence if your dog consumes a fruit pit, as it becomes more complicated to resolve the issue the longer you wait.
Obstructions can occur once the fruit pit makes its way out of your dog’s stomach, often requiring surgery in many cases. This is why we always suggest contacting your vet from the moment your pup got their paws on a fruit pit of any kind.
Final Thoughts
While our dogs can safely enjoy many of the fruits we eat, some can cause serious complications to their health. Memorize the fruits above so you will always know what fruits pose a threat to your pups health and why. Always consult your local veterinarian for further advice if your pup has consumed any of the above fruits.
My name is Amber. I am a dedicated animal lover that turned my passion into my career. I am a Licensed Vet Tech with 12 years of experience in veterinary medicine, but I recently took my career online to help spread accurate information on animal care. With how vast the online world is, I have a strong desire to ensure that the reader always walks away with helpful pet advice. With the experience I’ve gained from my time in this field, I have been able to travel the world, offering my services to as many animal rescues as I can find. If I am not at my laptop, or back home visiting family, you can find me somewhere in the world, cuddling every furry friend that I can find! More About Us