Can Dogs Have Avocado Oil?
Most Important Information
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Is avocado oil good for your dog, or is it toxic and deadly and going to make her sick? Can your dog have some avocado oil as a health supplement?
Short answer: Yes, dogs can have some avocado oil.
BUT....
Things aren't always that simple...for people or dogs. There are a few things you want to be thinking about before you drown your dog in avocado oil.
What If My Dog Eats Avocado Oil?
Small amounts of avocado oil are harmless to your dog, according to experts. A small amount of avocado oil for dog is about 1 teaspoonful once a week, mixed in with her food as a supplement.
If your dog has eaten some avocado oil she is going to be just fine. But since avocado oil has a lot of fat you do want to limit how much you give to your dog. Avocado oil does not have any persin in it, which is the toxic compound that dogs can not have, so it is perfectly safe to give to your dog in moderation.
Most of the toxic persin that is in avocados is found in the avocado skin, seeds and the avocado pit.
Dog foods with avocado meal are also safe. Avocado meal is just the avocado flesh that has been dried and ground up and used in some pet foods, and does not contain any concentrations of the toxin persin that is unhealthy for dogs.
Avocado Oil Is NOT Recommended For Dogs With Pancreatitis!
If your dog already has problems with pancreatitis (an inflamed or swollen pancreas) do not give her avocado oil at all without checking with your vet before giving avocado oil or any other diet supplement to your dog.
Which Part of an Avocado is the Most Dangerous For My Dog to eat?
The pit is the part of an avocado that’s most likely to cause trouble for dogs. Since it has no nutritional value and can choke your dog it's best to keep the avocado pit far away from your dog.
Avocado pits are for planting, not eating!
Why do people think avocados are toxic?
Searching for information on whether or not avocado oil is toxic or safe for your dog will lead to a lot of confusion. Some "experts" say you have to be very careful. Some say your dog should not have any avocado oil.
Some experts run experiments to find out the truth.
Scientific Study Debunks Myth That Avocado Oil and Avocados are Toxic to Dogs
Researcher Maria Cattai de Godoy from the University of Illinois Animal Sciences department says “Being from Brazil, avocados grow in our backyards. They fall on the ground, and if dogs get hold of them, they eat them. Just like they do with mangoes, bananas, or any other fruits that grow natively in our country. I'd never heard of a dog dying from eating an avocado, so I was really curious why they were considered toxic here"
Maria and her team ran a study looking at using avocado meal as a source of fiber for dogs over a 2-week period. They found that the dogs in the study that were fed avocado meal over the period of the study had no adverse effects.
The study ultimately found that avocado meal is a good source of energy for dogs and also a good source of fiber that the dogs did not have any negative reactions.
Cattai de Godoy and her team noted that in avocado meal that they studied persin was not present. She goes on to say that the most likely reason for this is that “Persin is structurally similar to a polyunsaturated fatty acids...They’re not very stable; heat and light can make them break down. Processing is very likely breaking down persin, which is probably why we cannot see it in the meal."
Cattai de Godoy went on to say “When you look at the literature for avocado toxicity, all that exists are a few case studies. Dogs reported to have a fondness for avocado showed some signs of toxicity, but the case reports couldn’t prove avocados caused those symptoms. There are a lot of uncontrolled factors in these cases.”
Avocados May Not Be a Miracle Superfood For Dogs Yet
Maria Cattai de Godoy and her team determined that avocado meal appeared to be safe and healthy for dogs and found no reason for any concern.
But more research is needed to figure out what the best benefits are for dogs that eat avocado meal or oil as part of their diet. Until more is known about exactly what the effects are it's best to treat avocado oil or avocado meal like any other supplement.
Since avocado flesh does have amounts of persin it it still a good idea to limit your dog's avocado feeding to avocado meal available in dog foods and avocado oil mixed with food or applied to skin directly.
Give a little bit and make sure your dog is not having any negative effects. Due to the high fat content of avocados, your dog could develop an upset stomach and/or diarrhea if you give her too much of the fatty fruit.
Is Avocado Oil Safe for Dogs Skin?
Avocado oil works well for your dogs coat health and skin. If your dog has dry skin or coat it is ok to use a bit of avocado oil directly on the skin or coat to restore moisture and give your dog a healthy glow.
Avocados contain beta-carotene, folate, lutein, magnesium, niacin, Omega-3 fatty acids, pantothenic acid, potassium, riboflavin and vitamins C, E, K and B-6 making them a superfood for humans and possibly a superfood for dogs in moderation.
Is avocado oil safe on dogs paws?
If your dog has cracked or dry paw pads it is safe to apply avocado oil to help moisturize them.
Keep in mind that there are not any scientific studies that have been done to show exactly how much applying avocado oil to your dog's paws will help.
But since it is safe for your dog to eat avocado oil then it will not be any issue to apply some directly to dry paw pads.
Is avocado oil good for dogs with dry skin?
If your dog has areas of his or her skin that are dry it is safe to apply a bit of avocado oil to the areas. If your dog has dermatitis or is itching a lot it's best to check with a vet before applying a home remedy to your dogs skin.
A little bit of dry skin may just be from a change in the weather or some other outside factor, but if he is really scratching a lot there could be something else going on that may need a different treatment.
Can I put avocado oil on my dog’s fur?
It is generally considered safe to apply avocado oil to your dogs fur, but do not apply it without diluting it a bit. Applying pure oil to your dogs coat may make it oily and sticky.
If his coat is sticky more dust and dirt may stick to it, causing more itching to his fur.
What you can do to avoid this is to dilute the avocado oil in som water. For small dogs mix 1 drop of oil with 25 drops of water and use as a shampoo for best effects.
What If My Dog Eats Guacamole?
Guacamole usually has onions and/or garlic, which are both toxic for dogs. Guacamole is delicious for people, but is one human food that dogs can not enjoy with us.
Please do not give your dog guacamole!
