As dog parents, we often wonder about how to ensure that our dogs are happy, healthy and that we are always doing what’s best for them to live a long life. It doesn’t matter if we are seasoned pet owners, or new to the task, we all worry about making the right choices for our pets.
Understanding pet nutrition is as important as anything else when ensuring your cuddle buddy will maintain their health for a long time. For dogs, a healthy diet is essential for their energy level, healthy growth, and ward off illnesses.
A healthy dog diet can be confusing to navigate, and it is easy to get worried that your dog may not be getting everything they need. Many of us resort to making healthy treats or supplementing dog food with other food items, such as various fruits or vegetables.
Although we think fruits and vegetables are all good for our dogs, some parts of the avocado can hurt them. Knowing how great avocados are for people makes it worth asking the question.
Can My Dog Eat Avocados?
The answer may surprise you – it is both yes and no! Avocados are a dark green fruit – yes fruit – packed with essential vitamins and fats.
Typically, a common fruit for people to eat these days, there are ways that our dogs can benefit from the good parts of this food.
It is important to follow some guidelines as there are also some toxic issues with this great fruit that we need to be aware of so we do not make our dogs sick. The pros of avocados for our dogs are great, but there are risks.
Let’s take a look at some answers to the big question: Can my dog eat avocados?
Nutritional benefits
Avocados are filled with vitamins and minerals that can support our dogs’ nutritional health.
Across the nutrition board, we can find magnesium, antioxidants, amino acids along with fiber, and potassium. Vitamins C, E, A, and B3/B6.
Seeing this list of benefits, you would immediately assume that avocados would be great for feeding your dog.
Knowing that your dog will have a shiny coat, better health, and increased energy makes the avocado seem like the best choice for nutritional support, but as we said earlier, other things are part of the avocado that needs to be looked at before using his fruit to supplement your dog’s diet.
Concerns with avocado and dogs
With all of the benefits of this delicious superfood, there are some real reasons to use caution with using avocado for your dog’s health.
The biggest reason is that the plant, leaves, stems, and even the fruit are toxic to dogs.
The poisonous property is called Persin and it is important to keep all of the tree parts, along with the pit, skin, and large quantities of the fruit away from your dog.
Dogs seem to be able to tolerate some of the fruit in smaller quantities, which is how they can benefit from the avocado’s good properties.
Bottom Line
As you can see, the benefits can out way the risks of adding avocado to your dog’s diet, you just need to be sure to watch out for the parts that can hurt your dog. Avocado, in small quantities, can be a great addition for your dog, as long as you proceed with caution.
So go ahead and feed your dog this amazing green fruit, and when you friends as “Can my dog eat avocado? You can now answer that question with strong, reliable information.