It’s only a natural feeling to be tempted to share a few spoons of this tasty dip with your adorable dog. Certainly, the little guy doesn’t know how to tell between bad and good food but trusts you to feed him right.
Your furry pal may have just succeeded in guzzling a serving of guacamole. Well, my dog once ate guacamole so, you are not alone. The question is, can dogs have guacamole, or not?
If your dog ate guacamole, it’s important to check the quantity they manage to swallow because larger quantities tend to be more harmful. Guacamole is high in fat and contains various toxins that can cause serious health problems in canines. It is always safer to call your vet regardless of the size ingested.
What Should I Do If My Dog Ate Guacamole?
Stop Fido From Eating More
If you catch your dog wolfing down a bowl of guac, the first thing to do is to stop him straight away. It is very likely that your pooch still has some remaining in his mouth. So, try removing them. This will give you a rough estimate of how much guac your dog has swallowed.
Then, take him to a secure location while you clean up that area and carry the plates or bowl to a place your dog cannot access.
Just in case you are giving your dog guacamole dips as a treat, it is absolutely a bad idea. There are many other treats that your dog can still enjoy while maintaining good health.
Evaluate The Risk
To ascertain how badly your dog has been affected you can figure out how much they have eaten. It is also worth noting that larger dogs have more capacity to effectively detoxify toxins than their smaller counterparts. So, that’s a bonus for them.
Feeding your dog small servings of guacamole over a long period of time is just as harmful as a one-time intake. When there is too much onion and garlic present in the guacamole, it becomes more toxic causing more harm to your dog.
Additionally, you can also look out for symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or pale gums.
Make sure you gather all the important information as this will help your vet give proper management.
Contact Your Vet
Though a little amount of guac is unlikely to make your dog sick, that does not mean it should be fed to them at all.
However, If you suspect that your dog has eaten a substantial amount of guacamole. This is a medical emergency and requires you to act quickly. Do not try to induce vomit or treat your dog by yourself.
You should contact your vet, but in a case where your vet is unavailable, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) with the number, (888) 426-4435. They are available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Consultation requires a little fee but, at the end of the day, seeing your dog happy and healthy is still a positive experience.
Is Guacamole Harmful To Dogs?
As a matter of fact, guacamole is toxic and unsafe for canine consumption. It contains persin and toxic sulfur compounds which can cause GI distress, pancreatitis and hemolytic anemia in dogs. For the sake of your pooch’s health, it’s best not to feed them guacamole, not even a tiny amount.
Also, just like with any other diet, dogs can be allergic to guacamole, but this is often rare. The symptoms overlap with those caused by poisoning but it is rather due to an immune reaction.
Some recipes of guacamole are more harmful than others depending on the ingredients added.
Although some of the ingredients in guacamole can poison dogs, they can turn to be of great benefit to humans. Recently, persin has been discovered to be effective in the treatment of breast cancer. So, it’s clear that we are not entirely the same as our furry counterparts.
As we probably know, guacamole is made from several fruits and veggies. The only way we can tell how harmful guacamole is, is to look at the individual ingredients it is made up of.
So, is guacamole bad for dogs? Let’s take a look at the individual ingredients:
Harmful Ingredients Contained In Guacamole
The following ingredients used in preparing guacamole are potentially harmful to your dog. Some recipes may require few more but neither is ever safe for your furry companion.
Avocado
This fruit usually takes up the largest proportion of most guacamole recipes. Avocados have gained a bad reputation in the world of canines because it contains a compound, persin, which is poisonous to dogs. The level of persin is often higher if the avocado is unripe. Whilst avocados are made up of what is known as “healthy fats”, your canine friend is exposed to the risk of having pancreatitis and gastrointestinal disturbances when they consume a lot.
Onion and Garlic
The toxic twosome does not leave much room for good health in canines, even when only little amounts are consumed. They are both members of the allium family and contain thiosulphate. When onions or garlic is eaten by dogs, thiosulphate is absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream where it elicits an oxidative reaction that causes red blood cells to rupture, resulting in hemolytic anemia. Onion also contains N-propyl disulfide, which has a similar effect as thiosulphate.
Lime Juice
Serves as a preservative added to guacamole in order to prevent them from browning. Lime juice is by no means harmful to humans. However, it can be dangerous to your pets, whether they’re puppies or kittens.
Lime juice contains essential oils, limonene and linalool and a phototoxic principle known as psoralens.
Unlike onions and garlic, it may not cause any problems if taken in a very small amount but when consumed in a large amount, it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, depression, lethargy or photosensitivity.
Salt
Salt is used in preparing almost every food humans eat and guacamole is no exception. You may think any food is tasteless without a good amount of salt but that’s not the case for dogs. Salty food tastes strong to dogs and makes them very thirsty. Also, sodium toxicity can occur when your dog eats a lot of salty food leading to dehydration, tachycardia and seizures.
Tomato
Tomato is not necessarily harmful to dogs but the problem arises when they are eaten unripe. A toxin called solanine is contained in a high level in unripe tomatoes but very little solanine in ripe tomatoes.
What Happens If A Dog Eats Guacamole?
When your dog ingests guacamole regardless of the size, he is likely to become this sick. You’ll probably notice various symptoms pointing towards intoxication. Generally, the effect of poisoning becomes more harmful when the dog in question is small in size or when the amount of toxic chemicals ingested is high.
While symptoms can give a clue about the extent of the intoxication and the progression of the illness, it is best to call your vet even before symptoms appear. Common symptoms associated with eating guacamole include diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, pale gums, bad breath, confusion and abdominal pain.
Various ingredients that make up guacamole are unsafe for dogs and can lead to severe health complications which include gastrointestinal upset, pancreatitis, hemolytic anemia, dehydration and neurological problems.
How To Prevent Your Dog From Eating Guacamole
- Store them safely in a refrigerator or any high position that’s totally out of reach for your dog.
- Replace guacamole with healthier and toxin-free treats like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, or peaches. But make sure you apply moderation in feeding these treats to your dog.
- Teaching your dog the “leave it” or “drop it” commands will help curb dietary indiscretion and make your dog stay away from any harm.
- Be sure to always keep an eye on your pooch and never leave him all alone because sometimes bad behaviors can result from separation anxiety.
- Disposing of all leftovers and garbage will prevent your curious pooch from food poisoning.
Final Thoughts: Can Dogs Eat Guacamole?
Dogs should avoid guacamole at all costs. Ingesting even a small amount of guac can become extremely toxic to them. When consumed in large quantities, it is potentially fatal. Hence, it is recommended to keep your pooch away from any possible dangers of food poisoning.
Enjoying too much guacamole can put your dog at the risk of being obese. However, the symptoms of poisoning are more likely to show up first.
The fact that you previously allowed your dog to eat guac and nothing happened, does not make this food any healthier for them. The poisonous effects can accumulate and this may cause your dog to become sick all of a sudden.
In addition, all guac recipes are not created equal. Some can contain more harmful ingredients, posing a greater risk to your dog’s health.
Also Read: My Dog Ate Brownies. What Should I Do Now?
