Can dogs eat tomatoes?
Can dogs eat tomatoes? As you come to this article, you are most likely wondering if tomatoes are a good dog food. Well, yes, tomatoes are healthy for our daily meals and the dogs’ diet as well. That said, not all kinds of tomatoes your dog can eat. Read on as you will find out more.
Can dogs eat tomatoes?
Dogs can take the tomatoes safely. We have reason to believe that they also love tomatoes – because they taste so delicious! But many suggest you give a minor number of tomatoes to your loyal friends.
You might be curious about the fact as you know that they are harmless. Why can’t we feed dogs with some bowls? We can’t for one cause. Because they can make a dog’s stomach unhappy.
Just to be sure when offering some new food to your dog, make them take a small bite to see how they are.
How are tomatoes good for your dogs?
Tomatoes have lycopene, this nutrient has the benefit of heart health and supports strong bones. The second nutrient is beta-carotene, which can be found in many rich colored fruits and can be good for awareness ability. The third nutrient is vitamin C, a necessary help for the skin. And last but not least, vitamin A, which is important for good vision.
We should also take potassium and folate into account here, they are needed to contract muscles and support blood pressure, respectively.
Tomatoes are the food of nutrients. They are a good helper for dogs if we serve them with the correct amount.
Can dogs eat unripe tomatoes?
A heap of unripe (green) tomatoes can be harmful since they have a poisonous outside cover.
Dogs and squirrels are always curious and want to try a new thing – sneak in the yard of hardworking gardeners and eat some green tomatoes. The situation can be worse, our squirrel friends have stomach aches somewhere in the forest, but our dog friend can go to the vet.
If you want to give a ripe tomato snack for your dogs, not the green one, we should follow the safe way. First, we rinse them well because some of them might have skin full of pesticides. Second, we remove their peel.
A good practice for daily meals is “do not eat the green fruit”. Some green vegetables may be safe to eat like lettuce but the crucial point is that we should wait until a green tomato turns red.
Can dogs eat tomato sauce and tomato ketchup?
All red sauces (tomato and pasta sauce, tomato soup) should not be put on the menu for your dogs. It is not about the tomato itself, but all ingredients inside the sauce. They are chives, garlic, and onions in large amounts which is a negative for dogs.
And what about plain ketchup? Well, it doesn’t include much nutrition so you should not try a test on your dog.
We also need to consider the chili flavors of sriracha and jalapeño as they are not a green light for a “fun food test project” on your dogs. But if you want to give them a try with your hot dog, go ahead.
When you check the outside of a ketchup bottle, you can find out all the information about the ingredients. Almost all bottles will have an enormous amount of sugar, but some bottles may have xylitol, a chemical compound that is classified as a deadly goodbye to your dog.
Be aware of tomatine poison
Nightshade plants such as tomato, potato, and aubergine can irritate your pet’s stomach. If your four-legged friend eats some of the green leaves, stem, fruit of a tomato, there is a list of symptoms to check whether your dog consumes poisonous plant or not:
- Hypersalivation (it mean your dog drools a lot)
- Don’t want to eat
- Weakness
- Lack of will to coordinate and confuse to understand
- Lethargy
- Dilated pupils
- Vomiting
Treatment for tomatine poison in dogs
Fluid therapy
The first treatment is called fluid therapy. If your dog has diarrhea symptoms, your veterinary surgeon will consider the treatment. In the treatment, to push the toxin substances out, fluids and electrolytes will be injected into the pet’s body.
The practice will handle the dehydration and it can be controlled through the abdominal wall, the veins, or under the skin. If your dogs are vomiting as well, they will need a check at the vet.
Gastric lavage
Veterinarians also have another treatment, gastric lavage (it means “pumping the stomach”). To carry out the treatment, a tube will be placed through the dog’s stomach, it will help to wash out the poisons.
The treatment is effective especially when you can’t bring about vomiting for your dog. In case of difficulties in breathing, a backup airway can be used to prevent asphyxiation.
Precaution practices
We have a solution to avoid the above treatments, it is called “precaution practices”.
If you have tomato plants in your house, you should have some pots for them. And you should place the pots high above the ground so the dogs can’t reach them.
You should check your garden too, make sure to fence off the tomato plants. At least we have two best ways, and surely, we should put them into practice to avoid seeing our best pooches with tubes inside their body.
How should you feed your dog tomatoes?
Remember to remove the leaves, vines, and stems of the red tomatoes when your vet thinks that they are good for your dog.
Don’t add salt or other additives to the fresh tomatoes, because such practice may be dangerous for dogs. Herbicides or pesticides are factors that you need to check, make sure that you pick the right organic tomatoes when feeding dogs.
The best tomatoes for your dogs should be fresh, ideally, homegrown by yourself. If you buy any tomato canned product, check everything, information about ingredients, are there any dangerous substances? If so, don’t give it to your dog.
Conclusion
Now you know that your dogs can eat tomatoes but with a small amount. We should take care of our tomato plants and more importantly, our dogs. If you see your dog is eating a tomato plant outside, you should examine him carefully on your way to the vet. Don’t forget the symptoms in this article since they may be a good help. If you have any questions or doubts, you can go to Thanesix.com to find out more useful information related to your pet dog.
