Why dogs can not eat tomato

Most dog owners have ever heard of the dreaded foods toxic to them, such as chocolate, onions and tomatoes. But do we know why they are so harmful? The organism of the dog works differently from ours and it is not surprising that there are a series of foods suitable for human consumption that are not able to tolerate. So you can continue to maintain the safety of your pet and also understand why you should do it, in this article we tell you why dogs can not eat tomato .

Steps to follow:

one

The best way to feed our dog is through a diet based on dry feed . When choosing it, you should keep in mind that it contains all the nutrients and proteins that you need to stay healthy and strong. To know them, we encourage you to consult our article on how to choose my dog's food.

two

Although dogs do not need to eat their own food because their feed already covers all their nutritional needs, it is true that we can supplement it with small doses of certain foods. To provide an extra supply of fiber, vitamins and essential minerals, we have the possibility of giving them fruits and vegetables in small quantities and from time to time. Yes, in the same way that there are allowed foods, there are also toxic that can cause serious consequences, as is the case of tomatoes.

3

So, why can not dogs eat tomato ? The plant that produces tomatoes, the tomato plant, is composed mainly of solanine, a highly poisonous alkaloid for both human and canine consumption, glucoalkaloid tomatine and glycoproteins, which are also very toxic. These substances are found both in the leaves of the plant, as in the green fruits. As the tomatoes mature, the levels of these compounds decrease until they leave a minimum amount in them. Although for us that small percentage of solanine and tomatine is not toxic, it is for the dog's organism, because it is much more sensitive and intolerant to digest compounds like these.

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4

In this way, if our dog ingests a very small amount of tomato probably will hardly notice the consequences. The problem is when you take one or more whole tomatoes, as it can damage both the digestive system and the nervous and kidneys of our dog. When this occurs, the main symptoms of tomato poisoning in dogs are usually vomiting or diarrhea, tremors, convulsions, stomach pain, respiratory problems and, in some cases, they may have dilated pupils and cardiac arrhythmias. Of course, the severity of the symptoms will depend on how many tomatoes you have eaten.

5

If you suffer from serious poisoning, you should take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. If your dog, instead of eating the fruit, ingests the leaves of the tomato plant, the poisoning can become lethal since that is where the greatest amount of compounds toxic to dogs is concentrated. In this way, keep the tomatoes out of reach of your dog and do not give them to take, even in small amounts as a reward, because although it does not have to trigger serious symptoms, it will cause a slight stomach upset.