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Do
you love avocados? I sure do. But should I eat
them? Well that question has had me searching
for a definitive answer for quite some time! I
did not know that this was a “hot” question.
Just because dogs like to eat something
doesn’t always mean we should. It seems that
avocados may be one of those things.
According to Dana Farbman, CVT of ASPCA Animal
Poison Control, “Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds
and bark contain a toxic principle known as
persin. The Guatemalan variety, which is the
most common variety found in stores, appears to
be the most problematic.”
Different species of animals can have different
reactions to persin. Birds, horses, rabbits and
goats can experience respiratory distress, fluid
around the heart and other cardiac problems. It
is unclear if, and how much, persin may exist in
the actual fruit. Reported side effects in dogs
have come from ingesting large quantities of
avocados. These side effects are generally GI
upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) and GI
blockage if the pit is consumed.
The
ASPCA finds it difficult to make an assessment
on the safety of dog foods containing avocados.
They state they don’t know specifically how the
avocados are processed, what types are used, and
what minimum dose of the toxin results in
clinical effects. Avocados are included on the
ASPCA Toxic Food List.
One dog (and cat) food
that has been on the market for a long time is
Avoderm (www.avoderm.com).
They state they do not use pits, leaves, stems
or bark of ANY avocado and they do NOT use any
Guatemalan varieties.
UC
Davis, UC Santa Barbara and the US Forest
Service are conducting research on ranch dogs to
study the effects of eating high quantities of
avocados. California avocado ranchers report
very healthy dogs that live to a normal life
span. They report that their dogs have great
energy, beautiful skin and coat and don’t suffer
from allergies. The research is looking into
the importance of avocado orchards to sustain
carnivore populations (such as bears, coyotes,
mountain lions and small cats ) during periods
of drought. So, could there really be health
benefits from the “good oils” in avocados? It
may be true!
So,
did I answer the question? Not really. You
must do your own research and decide what is
right for your pet. Until there is more
research, my mom says I won’t get any avocado.
She says there are plenty of known safe human
food choices out there for me. Want to share an
apple?
Bone-Appetit!
Chef
Nola “Child”
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