Avocados are all the rage right now. And for a good reason. They’re delicious, creamy, and healthy with heart-healthy fats that your body needs. But obviously, not everything that we share with our dogs is good for them.
You might be a pet parent who’s thinking to yourself, avocado is bad for dogs, right? While avocado can be part of your dog’s diet, you need to ensure that they’re not overdoing it on anyone’s food.
You’ve probably heard how beneficial avocados are for your skin. But, just like avocado on toast can be a delicious, healthy treat for us humans, can it also be good for your beloved dog?
Your dog might enjoy a bite of your avocado toast, and that’s fine — but it’s essential to know how avocados affect your pup’s system before you let them polish off an entire fruit!
Avocados, in general, are good for you. But when it comes to your dog, how healthy are they? Should we be feeding them to our dogs?
Next time you’re holding a sharp knife and eyeing your favorite avocado at the breakfast table, you may be wondering: Can dogs have avocados? The short answer is yes — but with a few caveats.
Many people will ask you that question if you have an avocado-loving pup in your life as a dog owner. So, let’s take a quick look to see what those green things are doing to your dog internally (and the answer might surprise you)!
What Is An Avocado?
For starters, avocados are low in sugar — they have only one gram per half-cup — so they’re perfect for people on a low-carb diet, like the ketogenic diet.
The avocado is a fruit. It has a large seed and ranges from about 6 to 20 ounces. It’s usually pear-shaped but can be round or oblong. Avocados grow on trees in warm climates.
Almost 70% of an avocado’s calories come from fat, making it one of the fattiest plant foods.
Avocados are good for you because they contain monounsaturated fatty acids that can help lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while increasing your good cholesterol (HDL) levels. These healthy fats help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol levels in your body.
Avocados are high in fiber and low in carbs, making them ideal for people on a ketogenic diet. In addition, avocados have creamy flesh packed with nutrients, and they may help lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Avocados are a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. It also helps keep your skin and eyes healthy.
The nutrients in avocados may also help protect against cancer. For example, some research suggests that avocados can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and reduce the risk of leukemia.
Did you know that avocados have more potassium than bananas (and you can use them to make your banana-free smoothie)? Potassium is critical for heart health because it helps lower blood pressure by balancing sodium levels. It also keeps muscles strong and prevents bone loss with age.
The avocado’s creamy texture makes it versatile enough to use in sweet and savory dishes.
Can Dogs Have Avocado – Benefits
Avocados are often referred to as an “antioxidant-rich” food and offer some beneficial nutrients to your pup. You may want to consider providing avocado in moderation as a special treat.
There is no evidence that avocado is toxic to dogs if fed in appropriate quantities. However, if you have a large dog, it’s probably best to avoid feeding avocado as it may contain harmful compounds.
Avocado is a nutritious fruit and makes a healthy treat for your dog. The pulp of avocado contains nutrients like vitamins A, B, C, E, and K and healthy fats that are good for your dog’s skin and coat. Avocado also contains potassium and fiber to promote overall health in dogs.
The avocado fruit is often touted as a super-food because of its high nutritional value. The fleshy pulp of the plant contains hundreds of phytonutrients that have been linked to decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, and other medical problems in humans. So if you’re looking for a nutritious snack for your canine companion, the avocado may be a good choice.
Avocado pulp is high in fat, which can upset your dog’s digestive system if it overeats. If you feed avocado treats to your dog regularly, make sure that they don’t get too many calories from them relative to their regular food. Dogs that eat too many fatty foods may become overweight or obese, leading to further medical problems like joint pain or diabetes.
As always, moderation is key. Too much avocado can cause stomach upset, vomiting, and diarrhea in some dogs. To ensure your dog doesn’t suffer any adverse effects, it’s best to introduce this new food slowly and in small quantities.
The most significant health benefit of avocado is that it is an excellent source of nutrients for dogs that may have a lack appetite. The fatty acids in avocados are similar to those found in salmon, so if you have a dog that won’t eat the fish, try serving them some avocado.
If your dog does not have any digestive problems, you can feel free to give them small bits of avocado flesh as a treat or add it to their meal as an ingredient. However, if your dog has digestive problems, get support before feeding your dog avocado.
Can Dogs Have Avocado – Risks
Dogs most at risk from avocado consumption already have heart problems. Just because food is healthy for humans doesn’t mean it’s safe for dogs. Avocados, for example, are packed with vitamins and minerals that are great for us — but you can’t say the same for our canine companions.
The toxic part is persin, a fungicidal toxin found in the fruit’s leaves, seed, and bark. Persin is also found in high concentrations in the actual flesh of the avocado fruit.
Dogs who eat avocado generally don’t experience any symptoms at all. But if they ingest enough persin, they could develop vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, it can even result in difficulty breathing or fluid accumulation around the heart (cardiac tamponade).
In most instances, eating a small amount of avocado isn’t dangerous to your dog. But if you frequently bring avocados into your home, make sure the members of your household are educated about the dangers of feeding them and other human foods to your pets. You may even want to print out a list of fruits and vegetables dogs can and can’t have to keep on your fridge.
In general, persin can make their hearts work harder. Also at risk are puppies who haven’t fully developed their systems yet and pregnant dogs, particularly those carrying multiple pups.
Some dogs may experience mild stomach upset after eating avocado, but this is mainly limited to stomach discomfort (vomiting and diarrhea). However, animals with extreme allergic reactions may suffer from fever and fluid buildup around the heart.
The most significant risk with avocado comes from the pit. The pit is large and can be a choking hazard. It also contains persin, which is toxic to dogs and cats. If the large seed is swallowed whole, it can cause an obstruction in the stomach that will require surgery to remove.
If your pet does eat an avocado, watch for signs of illness and get support if you have any concerns about their health.
The leaves, fruit, seeds, and bark of avocados contain persin. Some dogs may have an allergy to avocados. Signs may include hives, swelling of the skin, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring fungus found on corn and other grains used as ingredients in some commercial pet foods. Aflatoxin can cause liver failure. Some studies suggest avocado may contain aflatoxins at levels that could be dangerous for dogs. Still, there are no reliable statistics about how much avocado is too much for your dog.
Can Dogs Have Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is frequently used in beauty products, pharmaceuticals, and cooking. Avocados are green fruit rich in healthy fats and oils. The oil extracted from avocados is high in oleic acid and monounsaturated fat. It also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E, and Beta-carotene.
But can dogs have avocado oil?
If your dog gets a hold of avocado and eats the fruit, it’s likely to upset its stomach. This is because avocados contain Persin, which is toxic to dogs. However, if you’ve got some avocado oil in the house, there’s no reason to panic about your dog eating it.
Like avocados, avocado oil is high in healthy fats. However, unlike avocados, avocado oil does not contain the toxin persin (a fatty acid derivative), which is toxic to dogs.
Avocado oil is also beneficial for dogs with inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and hip dysplasia. It contains oleic acid (the same fatty acid in olive oil), which has anti-inflammatory properties, and omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce joint pain.
Since avocado oil contains more than 50 percent monounsaturated fat and 20 percent saturated fat, it’s best to give your dog only small quantities of avocado oil.
Dogs that are obese or have pancreatitis should avoid eating avocado oil. However, many people consider it an excellent treatment for their dogs because of its many health benefits.
Many dogs are allergic to avocados and react when they eat any part of an avocado, including the oil.
The benefits of avocado oil for dogs are numerous.
It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, essential for your dog’s immune system and organ function.
Antioxidants help prevent free radicals from attacking your dog’s cells, which helps prevent illness and disease.
It promotes healthy blood sugar levels, which can help prevent diabetes and cardiovascular health issues such as heart disease or stroke.
If you want to give your dog avocado oil as part of their daily diet, you can use it as a garnish over foods like chicken or salmon or add it to homemade dog food recipes. You can even use the oil as a moisturizer on your dog’s fur or skin when they are dry or itching!
Can Dogs Have Avocado Flesh
Happily, avocado flesh (or mesocarp) is not a problem for most dogs. The fruit has a mild, buttery taste and can be appealing to humans and dogs.
But, while the flesh of an avocado is okay for dogs to eat, the skin and pit are not safe for your dog, so please don’t feed those.
While most dogs will avoid eating the avocado leaves and seeds on their own, the fruit (which contains the lowest levels of persin) isn’t always avoided. Get support if your dog has eaten part of avocado fruit and you notice diarrhea or vomiting within a few hours of ingestion. While there are no official reports of this happening in dogs after eating avocado flesh, your dog may have a personal sensitivity to it. For example, if a dog ate only the pit and skin of an avocado, this would be more concerning because these parts have higher persin levels than the fruit.
In general, you should avoid feeding your dog anything that isn’t intended to be food (avocado or otherwise).
Avocados are as healthy for dogs as humans and should be an occasional treat. Like any fatty food, you should give avocados in moderation, usually only for your dog’s enjoyment. Because of the fat content of this food, you should only give small pieces once or twice a week.
If you have an overweight dog, you may wish to avoid feeding fatty foods such as avocados. However, if you have a very active dog, who gets plenty of exercise, avocado may not be a problem.
Can Dogs Have Avocado Pits
You may have heard rumors that avocado pits are toxic to dogs. While this is technically true, the amount of persin in the pit is so minimal that your dog would have to eat an entire pit to get sick. Therefore, it’s more likely that your dog would choke on one than ingest enough to cause harm.
While the avocado fruit is not toxic, the pit contains a more concentrated persin than the flesh does. Persin is a fungicidal toxin that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach upset in dogs.
The pit poses a choking hazard and can cause intestinal obstructions. If your dog manages to swallow an avocado pit, keep an eye out for signs of gastrointestinal distress and get support if you see any symptoms.
There’s still no reason to feed your dog an avocado pit, even if you’re sure they’ll be fine. Because the pit is not easily digested, it can be a choking hazard and, if swallowed, can cause intestinal blockage.
The AKC says you should also keep your dog away from avocado leaves, skin, and the actual fruit. If your dog does eat an avocado, look out for symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, depression, and a lack of appetite. Get support immediately if you suspect your dog has eaten part of an avocado pit or fruit.
The truth is that all animals metabolize foods differently, so while some canines may tolerate avocado just fine, others might not. If you find your dog is sensitive to avocado after giving him a few slices of it as a treat as a part of their dinner, don’t continue to feed it.
Can Dogs Eat Guacamole?
Guacamole is a tasty treat that many people enjoy. Some people can’t get enough of it. But what about dogs? Can dogs eat guacamole? The answer is no — guacamole is not safe for dogs to eat.
There are many things that dogs can eat that humans consume daily. But there are also many foods that people enjoy eating every day that can be dangerous for our pups.
While a small amount of guacamole may not cause your dog any severe harm, it’s not recommended that you give it to your dog.
Guacamole is a Mexican-style avocado dip made with avocados, onions, tomatoes, and lime or lemon juice. Avocados are known to be toxic to dogs, so this is one food you should avoid feeding your dog.
Dogs can eat plain avocado, but only in small amounts.
If your dog gets into the guacamole, you may have a messy pup and potentially a very sick one. While dogs can eat avocados, it’s important to avoid feeding them guacamole.
Dogs should not eat guacamole because it often contains onions or garlic. Both garlic and onions are toxic for dogs when consumed in large quantities because they have disulfides and sulfoxides, which can damage their internal organs.
So, even if you were to carefully remove the avocado from guacamole, the remaining ingredients are still harmful to your dog.
If your dog does eat some guacamole, they may experience stomach upset or vomiting. If they start vomiting frequently or have diarrhea, get support.