Key Takeaways
Is Avocado A Toxic Fruit To Your Dogs?
A Brief History on Avocado
Interesting facts: An avocado yields 60% more potassium than a banana and is also called an alligator pear and butter fruit in other parts of the world.
An avocado—rich in potassium, fiber and the “good” fat — is native to Central Mexico but can be cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates. A single avocado tree can produce more than 500 avocados each year.
Known as the “fertility fruit” by Aztecs, an avocado dating back to 10,000 B.C. was discovered in a Coxcatlan, Puebla, Mexico cave. Clearly, this fruit was popular long before it became a staple at Super Bowl games and summer barbecues.
Is It Toxic to Dogs and Cats?
This a lot is true: Most parts of the avocado plant contain an oil soluble compound called persin, which happens to be regarded as the primary toxin. Persin is very focused in the foliage of the avocado tree but also contained in the soft fruit (edible portion) the fruit’s seed, and also some other areas and parts of the plant. Ingestion of persin is able to lead to damage the heart and mammary glands. Intoxication is seen more frequently in livestock ingesting the leaves of the avocado tree. Some pet bird species are now at high risk.
But is persin poisonous to our small dogs and cats?
Thankfully, avocado doesn’t seem to be extremely poisonous to dogs and cats says Dr. Ahna Brutlag, a board certified veterinary director and toxicologist of veterinary services at Pet Poison Helpline.
Generally, dogs and cats eating small quantities of fresh fruit aren’t likely to be poisoned, explains Brutlag. “The bigger risk to dogs is the foreign body obstruction that can occur when the avocado seed is swalled – it’s a large seed and can get stuck in the esophagus, stomach, or intestinal tract. Because of the high fat content, it’s also possible for dogs or cats to develop pancreatitis (painful inflammation of the pancreas).”
So how much Avocado is good for Dogs?
So How Much Avocado Is Good For Dogs?
Thus, while avocado is pretty safe for our small dogs and cats to eat, the best choice is to restrict the access of theirs to small amounts of the fruit itself. This could prevent accidental choking and unexpected emergency surgery to remove the golf ball sized pit from within your pet’s body.
Most veterinarians will recommend we make use of the “better be safe than sorry” approach with regards to feeding the pets table scraps of ours and foods usually reserved for the dinner plates of ours.
In case you’ve concerns about fruits, other food and veggies that you might considering feeding the pet of yours, ensure to talk about first with your veterinarian to stay away from any accidental poisoning or perhaps gastrointestinal issues. There are many foods that have found to be poisonous to the pets of ours.
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