Can dogs eat tomatoes and cucumbers?

Crazy though it seems, there are a whole host of foods that are toxic for your pet dog to eat.

They include chocolate, onions, macadamias, bones, corn on the cob, milk, blue cheese and anything containing booze or caffeine.

That said, it seems unlikely that a healthy, water-based vegetable could cause any harm to your pooch….. could it? Surely it’s alright for a dog to eat a cucumber, or a tomato, once in a while? Well, it’s not so straightforward.

Can dogs eat tomatoes?

Are tomatoes safe for dogs to eat? Sort of — and be careful. Large quantities of tomato should not be fed to dogs; ingested in great enough volumes, naturally occurring chemicals in the fruit can cause heart and nervous system problems.

However, this may cause some consternation, but in small quantities, the tomato fruit is okay for dogs. There has long been debate on dogs and tomatoes, but the worst a little bit of ripe tomato will do to a dog is cause some stomach upset.

The green parts of the tomato plant — the vine, leaves, stems, and unripe fruit — are another matter altogether. Solanine is a chemical found in high concentrations in these parts. One of the tomato’s natural defenses, solanine is found throughout the nightshade family, including the tomato and potato. If you have tomatoes in your garden, you’re better off keeping the dog out.

Can dogs eat cucumbers?

Cucumbers (NOT the pickled variety, the raw type) are perfectly safe for your dog to eat. They’re healthy, low in sodium, fat and calories.

They’re crunchy too, meaning most dogs love them. However, you must make sure you cut the cucumber into manageable chunks to ensure the dog doesn’t choke on it.

Also do not feed them a lot of cucumber at a time as this could increase the animal’s chances of getting gastrointestinal (GI) upset. Always make sure the amount of cucumber (or any snack) is proportionate to the full amount of food the dog gets in a day, based on its size and age of course.