Fruits and veggies can be beneficial for your dog (save for those that are harmful, such as grapes, raisins, and onions). Fresh produce can make a tasty, low-calorie treat for your dog. It is also a good way to add variety and nutrition to their diet. When the product contains inedible components, like seeds, stems and pits you should remove them before giving it to your dog. Stone fruits such as peaches, cherries, nectarines, and other stone fruits are popular summer foods. However, their “stones”, or pits, can be harmful to your dog.
- Tooth: Any object as hard or more than the dog’s tooth can break it. Cherry stones, for example, are extremely hard. If you feed your dog the entire fruit, it is possible that he will bite into the stone and fracture a tooth. If the fracture reaches the gumline, the tooth will need to be removed due to the high risk of infection or even jaw disease. Fractures are often painful.
- Esophagus Some pits can cause damage to the esophagus. It is possible to cause esophagitis and esophageal Ulcers by causing physical or chemical damage to the esophagus’s very delicate lining. These conditions may make it difficult for a dog to eat. Full tears are painful and can lead to pneumonia or other serious complications. The esophagus, which is flexible, can become stuck when seeds are too large for the esophagus. This happens because the muscle layer of the organ tries to move the seed toward the stomach. The damage caused by a seed or pit can be long-lasting. The body may heal by forming scar tissue that is less elastic than the normal esophagus. It is known as an esophageal tightening, which means that tissue is less flexible in this area. Food can be difficult to swallow or even painful if there is a stricture. Among other signs, gagging and vomiting, regurgitation and lethargy are common.
- Obstacle: If a pit gets into the stomach it can get stuck. It could also be anywhere in the intestines. The foreign object becomes an obstruction. It can also happen when you swallow too many pits, such as those found in cherries. Surgery is often required to remove foreign bodies. Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, and a decreased appetite are all signs of foreign bodies. Ingestion of fruit seeds and pits is most often reported to cause this adverse reaction. Don’t assume your dog will be less susceptible to injury if it is small or large. Consult your vet if your dog eats indigestible fruit components.
- Cyanide Poisoning:According veterinary toxicologists, it takes many pits for signs to be concerning. The number of pits required to cause cyanide poisoning depends on how big the dog is and whether it chews or not. Kernel, or the actual seed in the middle of the pit, contains cyanide. To be freed, the dog must chew or swallow broken pits. In just a few moments, cyanide poisoning can lead to death. Signs of cyanide poisoning include rapid breathing or convulsions, even if only a little is consumed. When the gums become bright red it means that oxygen cannot reach the cells. This is a sign of suffocation. The toxicity of cyanide is an emergency. As you take your dog to hospital, call your vet so they have the supplies to begin treatment.
- Moulded seeds or fruits: While some types of molds are harmless, others may cause illnesses ranging from digestive upset to liver failure and tremors to seizures. Even if your fruit looks fresh, the pit could be moldy. This is another reason why you should only feed the meat to your pet.
- Fruit that has rotted: If fruit ferments. The fermentation process turns the sugars from fruit into alcohol. Wild animals have been reported to get drunk from eating fermented fruit, such as this poor moose. It is unlikely that your dog will be affected by this type of intoxication unless it gets out in the orchard.
These scenarios may be frightening, but they can easily be avoided by only giving your dog the fruit’s flesh. According to veterinarian nutritionists, treats of all kinds should not exceed 10 percent of the dog’s caloric consumption. Fruits and vegetables are a great way to let your dog eat off your plate. Prepare them correctly so that your dog is able to enjoy them.