Avocado is toxic for dogs
Persea americana 
The avocado is an evergreen tree that grows up to 15 metres high and originally comes from Mexico. Its dark green, elliptically shaped leaves can grow up to 40 cm long.
The avocado flowers grow in panicles with several hundred small yellowish flowers. The avocado fruit (also called (or avocado pear or alligator pear), which is popular with us humans, is botanically a berry. It is shaped like a pear and also about the same size, and is surrounded by a green-black skin. The flesh is dark green on the outside and turns light yellow on the inside. The light brown stone is about the size of a golf ball.
Avocado plants are not cultivated in Europe, but it is quite possible to successfully grow a houseplant from the avocado stone.
For dogs, however, all parts of the avocado plant are poisonous and avocado fruits should never be fed to them. Especially the leaves, but also the bark and the avocado fruit are poisonous. Avocados contain persin, which leads to symptoms of poisoning in dogs. The avocado stone contains the highest concentration of persin, but it is also present in the flesh of the avocado fruit. In case of poisoning, the prognosis depends on the dose and the constitution of the dog. Unfortunately, it is often not very good.
What should I do if my dog ate Avocado?
How toxic is Avocado?
| Toxicity: | (toxic) |
| Toxic parts: | For animals, the leaves are particularly poisonous, but also the tree bark and the avocado fruit itself. Also be careful with the stone, which can also lead to health problems if swallowed. |
| Toxic time: | winter, spring, summer, autumn |
| Antidote: | Unknown |
If your dog shows symptoms of poisoning, it is always an emergency! Time is critical for your dog's life. You should immediately call your vet or the animal emergency services and make sure that a vet is on site and then go there immediately. For the treatment, it helps the vet a lot to know what your dog has ingested.
Occurrence Avocado
| Plant species: | tree, vegetable |
| Occurrence: | Fields and farmland, Unbuilt land, Gardens, Indoor |
| Areas: | - |
| Flowering time: | - |
| Fruit ripening: | - |
Symptoms
The following symptoms can occur in the case of avocado poisoning:
- shortness of breath
- tachycardia
- cardiac arrhythmia
- oedema
- sudden death is possible
Treatment
The vet will always try to remove the ingested poison from the body and alleviate the specific symptoms of poisoning.
There are different methods to remove the poison from the body:
1. ACTIVATED CHARCOAL: Activated charcoal can absorb toxins. If possible, it should be administered within 2 hours after ingestion of the poison, so that the toxin does not enter the bloodstream.
2. LAXATIVES: The vet may combine the administration of activated charcoal with a laxative.
3. VOMITING: The vet can also induce vomiting using medication to remove the toxin from the body.
If the symptoms of poisoning are very severe, infusions and pain-relieving medication can also be given.
More information on dog poisonings can be found here:
Preventing, identifying and treating poisoning in dogs
Further poisonous plants from A to Z
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