Can dogs eat tomatillos?

In this article, we will answer the question, “Can dogs eat tomatillos?” along with some other questions like are tomatillos safe for your dog? What can happen if your dog ate tomatillos? And what can you do if your dog ate tomatillos?

Can dogs eat tomatillos?

No, dogs cannot eat tomatillos. It is not safe for your dog to consume tomatillos. Tomatillos have a toxic compound called solanine which is unhealthy for your dog to consume. You can give other healthy vegetables to your dog as an alternative to tomatillos.

Are tomatillos safe for your dog?

No, tomatillos are not safe for your dog to consume. Tomatillos are toxic for your dog. Following are the reasons why tomatillos are toxic for your dog:

Upset digestive system

The digestive system of dogs is very sensitive. Dogs are explorers, they love to eat what is new and what is tasty for them. In this way, they are exposed to many pathogens in the environment. You have to keep your dog safe by supervising the diet of your dog.

Tomatillos upset the digestive system of the body. It causes toxicity as soon as it is absorbed in the blood. When we say a thing is toxic, it means it is lethal even at a smaller dose. If you give a small number of tomatillos to your dog, it is possible it could cause toxicity in your dog.

Tomatillos cause vomiting and nausea in your dog, which leads to dehydration due to fluid loss from the body. The fluid loss from the body can lead to hypovolemia and eventually lead to hypovolemic shock.

Solanine

The next problem with eating tomatillos is consuming solanine. Solanine is a toxic alkaloid that is unhealthy for your dog if he consumes it. Solanine is present in a variety of vegetables and it’s your duty to identify those vegetables and keep your dog away from those vegetables. 

Tomatillos are safe for human beings but it doesn’t mean it is safe for your dog to consume. The reason why solanine is dangerous for your dog is that your dog is not able to process the toxic alkaloid.

Dogs love to eat the juicy part of it, but you have to be sure that your dog doesn’t have even a small quantity of tomatillos.

No nutritional value

Tomatillos have no nutritional value. This means if it were to be safe for your dog, it is of no use to feed your dog tomatillos. There are no nutrients your dog is going to get from the tomatillos. Eating something that has no nutritional value is just a waste of time and energy to digest the content in it.

Before feeding any vegetable or fruit to your dog you should know its nutritional value because it is important to know what you are giving your dog. Dogs eat a lot of things and they would eat tomatillos too, but you have to judge whether the vegetable is safe and is healthy for your dog or not.

So far we have discussed the harmful effects of tomatillos. Now let’s dive into the details of what happens if your dog eats tomatillos?

What happens if your dog eats tomatillos?

Tomatillos are dangerous for your dog’s health. When your dog eats tomatillos, it causes alpha tomatine poisoning in your dog. It is important to know that tomatillos have only alpha tomatin and it doesn’t have any other tomatin.

Tomatine poisoning is not very common in dogs but happens if your dog ate tomatoes or its related vegetables. Tomatine poisoning can be severe if you don’t deal with it in time. Following are the clinical signs of tomatillos overload in your dog:

  • Vomiting
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Dehydration
  • Seizures
  • Coma 
  • Death 

What can you do if your dog ate tomatillos?

First, you need to be sure if your dog has eaten tomatillos. If you are sure then you have to take your dog to the vet. In case you are not sure if your dog has eaten tomatillos, you should observe your dog for 24 hours. There are two possible outcomes of this observation:

  • The first is your dog doesn’t show any clinical signs, you do not need to worry about the dog. He will be completely fine.
  • The next possible outcome is your dog shows some clinical signs. If this happens you must act swiftly and take your dog to the vet for a clinical exam.

Your vet might perform some tests like CBC and others to evaluate the level of toxins in the blood.

Other FAQs about Tomatoes that you may be interested in.

How long does a tomato plant live?

Is it safe to eat frozen tomatoes?

Can you eat canned tomatoes without cooking?

Can you cook green tomatoes

Conclusion

In this article, we answered the question, “Can dogs eat tomatillos?” We also discussed other questions like are tomatillos safe for your dog? What can happen if your dog ate tomatillos? And what can you do if your dog ate tomatillos?

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatine

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