DANGER OR HEALTH BENEFIT? CAN DOGS EAT TOMATOES, WHAT KINDS

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Last Updated on March 29, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur

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CAN DOGS EAT TOMATOES

If you are wondering can dogs eat tomatoes then my answer is yes, they can but no they shouldn’t. I personally don’t feed my dogs tomatoes for a variety of reasons which we will cover in this article.

But I definitely see dog food manufactures using tomato products in their kibble which is why you probably assume dogs can eat tomatoes in the first place.

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade or Solanaceae family. This family also include other vegetables like, eggplants, bell peppers and potatoes.

NUTRITION FACTS FOR CAN DOGS EAT TOMATOES

The following is some nutrition data on;

100 grams of Roma tomatoes.

Tomatoes actually have many different vitamins and minerals including B-Vitamins. They are highest in the amounts listed below. ¹

0.7g Protein
193mg Potassium
17.8mg Vitamin C
24mcg of Vitamin A (RAE)
2860mcg Lycopene

HEALTH BENEFITS FOR CAN DOGS EAT TOMATOES

So, you see lycopene is listed above under nutrition facts, but what is lycopene? Well, it’s a carotenoid which gives the tomato its red color.

It can also be found in other yellow, orange or red fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and papaya but it’s richest in the tomato.

“Lycopene exhibits antioxidant and anticancer properties.” ²

HEART HEALTH

Since lycopene is so abundant in the tomato, lycopene has been linked to cardiovascular health and the prevention of certain heart disorders. ³

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Lycopene exhibits anti-inflammatory qualities. In animal studies, the anti-inflammatory response was due to apoptosis in activated immune cells. ⁴

If you like the health benefits of lycopene for your furbaby but don’t want to feed tomato after learning why I don’t feed tomato .

Then check out our other article on watermelon which also contains lycopene.

CAN DOGS EAT WATERMELON? HEALTH BENEFITS AND 1 SURPRISING DANGER

ARE TOMATOES BAD FOR DOGS

Instead of “can dogs eat tomatoes ?” You should be asking yourself, “should dogs eat tomatoes ?”

Now, you may be saying what’s wrong with nightshade vegetables?

While eating these vegetables once in a while may be fine, you have to look at your dog’s diet in the long run.

You probably feed your dog a commercial diet or maybe even a home cooked diet that contains one or some of the nightshade vegetables.

The nightshade family has always been known as being a major contributor in causing inflammation and could actually worsen auto-immune diseases.

Like in the case of IBD in which potatoes were found to be known to aggravate symptoms. ⁵

ARE TOMATOES TOXIC TO DOGS

There is new evidence recently regarding grape toxicity and the component in grapes that is toxic to dogs being tartaric acid. ⁶

Tartaric acid is also found in bananas, cranberries, tomatoes and other citrus fruits. ⁷ ⁸

Grape toxicity is known to cause kidney failure and since it is thought that this stems from the tartaric acid in the grape, I personally stay away from these fruits and vegetables in my fur kids’ diets.

Tartaric acid has even been implicated in the death of a human being at 1 ounce of ingested tartaric acid. ⁹

Toxicity resulting in a lethal dose in mice was 4360mg/kg. ¹⁰

Maybe, in small moderation and occasionally you can offer your dog tomatoes with minimal adverse effects. Lucky for me my fur kid doesn’t like tomatoes, anyways.

Feeding your dog, a diet that consistently has tomato or tomato pomace listed as an ingredient. Makes me a bit leary as to the affects it will have on the dog in the long run, later in life.

I have seen commercial dog food with ingredients such as bananas and avocados in it as well.

For more information on these foods and why I named them, check out our other articles

CAN DOGS EAT BANANAS? HEALTH BENEFITS AND 1 NEW DANGER OF FEEDING YOUR DOG BANANAS

CAN DOGS EAT AVOCADOS?

MORE CAUTIONS FOR CAN DOGS EAT TOMATOES

Potatoes and tomatoes contain solanine. What is solanine?

Solanine is a glycoalkaloid and can be toxic to your furbaby. ¹¹

Tomatoes can contain solanine which has been deemed to be toxic to humans and animals. ¹²

CAN DOGS EAT UNRIPE TOMATOES, OR TOMATO STEMS OR TOMATO LEAVES

You shouldn’t let your furbaby eat the tomato stems or tomato leaves or even any unripe tomatoes or green tomatoes as the concentrations of solanine are much higher. ¹³

CAN SOLANINE BE REMOVED

It should also be noted there are actually conflicting statements regarding the removal of solanine. Some solanine can possibly be removed by boiling. ¹⁴

But other evidence suggest it can only be removed by frying and not by baking at a high temperature. ¹⁵