Can Dogs Eat Tomatoes?

Tomatoes have become an integral part of the menu in our latitudes. Many dogs also love red vegetables. But what about their health?

Can dogs eat tomatoes at all? This question can easily be answered with a yes-but.

Tomatoes for dogs?

Dogs should not eat too many tomatoes because they contain toxic solanine. Green tomatoes and green spots on tomatoes are particularly high in the toxin. Therefore, only feed tomatoes from which you have removed the stalk and all green areas.

You can also chop, puree or lightly steam the tomatoes. This makes them better tolerated by the dog.

That way, you don’t have to give up your treat completely if your four-legged friend can’t resist a tomato.

Tomatoes contain toxic solanine

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, as are eggplants, potatoes, and peppers.

This means that they are only suitable as food for dogs to a limited extent. Because very often nightshade plants contain substances such as alkaloids, steroids, and coumarins, with which the plant protects itself from predators. This also applies, for example, to nicotine as an alkaloid in tobacco plants.

What happens when dogs eat tomatoes?

Solanine is mainly found in unripe fruits and all green parts of plants. This is why dogs should only eat tomatoes when they are ripe.

Never give your four-legged friend green tomatoes. They contain a lot of solanine. Therefore, the recommendation for human consumption is only in exceptional cases.

Chemically, solanine is one of the saponins. Symptoms of solanine poisoning in dogs include diarrhea, cramps, and signs of paralysis. Solanine leads to local mucosal damage and can even lead to respiratory paralysis.

The substance is toxic, heat-resistant, and water-soluble. So it doesn’t help to boil tomatoes. You should never feed the cooking water because it also contains solanine, which is toxic to dogs.

Tomatoes as a healthy vegetable

Tomatoes would be a great vegetable. Because tomatoes are not only so popular because of their versatility. They contain important nutrients and are rich in vitamin C. Did you know that the concentration of vitamin C in the peel is three times higher than in the pulp?

Tomatoes also contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, pantothenic acid, and niacin.

Potassium is plentiful in tomatoes, which is important for nerves and muscles. The red fruits also contain sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and phosphorus.

A particularly interesting ingredient in tomatoes is lycopene. Lycopene belongs to the group of carotenoids, i.e. to the secondary plant substances. Thanks to this substance, the tomato has its typical color.

In the case of lycopene, it is suspected that the substance could protect against cancer. This remains an assumption for the time being because this connection has not yet been scientifically proven.

Where do tomatoes come from?

The tomato is a very healthy fruit, with extremely few calories. After all, the water content is around 90 percent, similar to the cucumber.

Despite all these positive properties, tomatoes are only suitable as food to a very limited extent.

Tomatoes come in many different varieties. There are said to be 2,500 different tomato varieties.

They can be smooth, round, heart-shaped, wrinkled, or oval. The most popular colors are red and yellow. The tomato fruits can also be green, purple, brown, black, or marbled and striped.

The red fruits originally come from Central America, where they were cultivated by the Mayas. To this day, the tomato is an important part of Mexican cuisine.

In this country, tomatoes are often grown in the garden so that they are always fresh on the table.

Tomatoes are more harmful than healthy

So make sure when you buy the tomato that it doesn’t have any green spots.

If your dog cannot resist the red fruit, be sure to remove the stalk.

Even if the tomatoes are ripe, dogs should only eat very small amounts of them. Nightshades are difficult to digest as vegetables for dogs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How toxic are tomatoes to dogs?

In a nutshell: Can dogs eat tomatoes? No, dogs should not eat tomatoes! Raw tomatoes in particular contain solanine, which is toxic to dogs. Nevertheless, you don’t need to panic immediately if your four-legged friend gets a piece of tomato between his teeth.

Can dogs die from tomatoes?

Eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes contain solanine, which is toxic to dogs. The proportion of poison is particularly high in green tomatoes and green or sprouting potatoes. Therefore, only feed them boiled peppers and potatoes (always without their skins).

Is tomato sauce healthy for dogs?

Tomato sauce for dogs? Your dog can eat small amounts of very ripe tomatoes. This includes tomato sauce. If you have a few spoonfuls of tomato passata, feel free to put them in the feeding bowl.

Why can’t dogs eat tomatoes?

Nightshade plants contain solanine, which is toxic to dogs, which is why dogs should not eat the fruits of these plants. However, the riper the tomato, the less solanine it contains. The following applies to every poison: the dose is crucial. Tomatoes naturally contain nicotine, and few people know that.

Can a dog eat cucumber?

Commercially available cucumbers usually have no cucurbitacins and are therefore completely harmless to dogs and humans.

Can a dog eat carrots?

Carrots are undoubtedly healthy and not harmful to dogs. There is no evidence that dogs cannot tolerate carrots. Due to their rich content of nutrients and vitamins, carrots can make a significant contribution to the health of our dogs.

Can a dog eat zucchini?

And one can say in advance: that zucchini, which is easily digestible for humans (and does not taste bitter) and can usually be bought in the supermarket, is also harmless for dogs. It only becomes dangerous if the zucchini contains too much of the bitter substance cucurbitacin.

Which is better for the dog rice or potatoes?

In addition to potatoes, you can also feed them peeled and boiled sweet potatoes. Of course, the carbohydrate sources most commonly used by humans are also suitable for dogs: rice and pasta. Rice is often used for gastrointestinal problems because it is easily digestible and therefore well tolerated.