Are tomatoes bad for dogs?

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for an interesting question!

I have no problem with feeding tomatoes to your dog. Tomatoes are not bad for dogs.

Tomatoes contain a substance called alpha-tomatine. It is found throughout the plant, but is much more concentrated in the leaves and stem. In the fruit, the level of alpha-tomatine is present in small amounts in the green unripened tomato and in tiny amounts in a ripened red tomato.

Tomatine can be toxic to the heart. However, a dog would have to eat a massive amount of tomato before the heart was affected. Additionally, the tomatine is very poorly absorbed by the intestinal tract.

It is more of a concern when cows get into tomato patches and munch away at lots of tomato plant leaves.

Some dogs can have some mild stomach upset from eating tomatoes, but that's about it.

I don't know of a case that has ever been reported of a dog suffering toxic effects from eating tomatoes.

So, the answer to "are tomatoes bad for dogs" is no.

Dr. Marie.

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