Should dogs eat avocado? Not really. Avocados contain persin, which is a fungicidal toxin. It is a poison for horses and birds. Avocados hold the highest concentrations of persin in their leaves, thick skin, and pits, making those parts of the fruit toxic to dogs as well.
The avocado flesh, which is what most of us eat, contains lower levels of persin, so a few thin slices of fresh avocado may be fine for your dog, depending on the dog’s size, of course, and whether he has a food allergy to it. But, why do you want to take the chance? Limit your dog’s consumption of avocado to a slice or two, but that’s it. Too much avocado can cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs (and people), including vomiting and/or diarrhea, and you could wind up with a big veterinary bill.
Whole Avocados Are Extra Risky
Never give your dog a whole avocado. If there are avocado trees in your area, don’t let your avocado-eating dog scarf them down unsupervised. In addition to the persin, avocado pits present a serious choking hazard to dogs, and some dogs do try to chew or swallow them.
Is Avocado Healthy for Dogs?
One medium-sized avocado contains roughly 320 calories and 29 grams of fat. That’s a lot of calories for a dog and, because of the fat content – yes, even the “good” fat – too much could trigger pancreatitis.
Commercial Dog Foods
A few pet foods contain avocado oil and/or avocado meal. Neither avocado oil nor avocado meal (dried and ground avocado) contain persin, and both are safe for dogs, if your dog tolerates it. As with any new food, watch your dog’s response over a few days or weeks to determine if an avocado-based dog food is right for your dog. If you see diarrhea, vomiting, itching, or any other adverse response, switch back to a food he has previously tolerated well.
Are you now looking for healthier treats for your dog? Great! Try our homemade dog treat recipes.
I started adding about a tablespoons of avocado oil to the dry kibble food of my 25 pound mixed breed dog. He was so itchy at the time, fleas out of control, and his underbelly skin was gray instead of pink. That was about 3 years ago, and have not seen a flea since. His skin is healthy pink, and he rarely scratches.
I have one dog who does not care for avocados. My older dog loves them. I eat 1/2-1 avocado daily and give him a healthy part of it.
Another problem with dropped avocados in hot weather is that they ferment, and if your dog eats a bunch, it’s basically like feeding them a beer in their water bowl.
Thank you for this article! My dog love love loves avocados! He only eats the flesh and is quite adept at scraping every bit from the skin
love these thank you, and love the serving size too, many of my favorite ingredients in one half of an avocado!
I have avocado trees at home and two mixed breed male dogs (medium size), they eat avocados that fall to the ground and they completely love them!. When i told the vet he was really mad at me because he told me they were toxic for dogs , long story short my dogs are 14 years old now and my vet has never seen healthier dogs at their age. I never was able to fully control their avocado intake since they are just there on the ground and when i wasn’t there or stoped looking they just disapeared.
This question of avocado toxicity has always puzzled me. I have a friend who lives on an avocado orchard. For decades she has allowed her dogs to romp among the 200 trees, eating the fallen avocados. Probably dozens of dogs over the years, maybe more. None of them ever had a problem and all had beautiful coats. I see several comments here saying the same, and none reporting any adverse effects. And now here’s yet another article saying how bad they are. I just don’t get it.