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Some pups like to help you clean your plate of tasty leftovers. But sometimes, what you’re eating could make your dog sick. You probably already know that chocolate is bad, and grapes and onions are a no-go. But what about tomatoes? The short answer is it's complicated. Tomatoes contain a substance that can be toxic to dogs called tomatine. If consumed in large quantities, tomatine can make your dog sick. The good news is that most ripe tomatoes don’t contain enough of this substance to do your pets harm.
In most cases, if your dog sinks their teeth into the heart of a tomato, they will likely be fine. Take special care with dogs under 15 pounds as smaller dogs are more likely to be affected by the toxins in tomatoes.
While tomatoes are not a top threat for dogs and their diet, there are some best practices to help keep your pet well. You should also consult your veterinarian before feeding your dog any new foods if they know of a reason not to let your dog eat tomatoes. If your pet has an adverse reaction to eating tomatoes, contact your veterinarian or pet poison control.
Like humans, dogs may benefit from some of the natural nutrients of raw tomato. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They can also be a good source of fiber. In fact, tomato pomace—another name for the skin and seeds—is often used as an ingredient in dog food.
» MORE: Learn about fruits and vegetables that dogs can and cannot eat.
While the body of a tomato is generally fine for canines, other parts of the tomato are not recommended. For instance—can dogs eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine? It’s usually a bad idea. This is because anything green on a tomato can be toxic to your pup.
In addition to tomatine, tomatoes contain something called solanine. The green parts of tomatoes often contain the highest concentration of this toxin. If your dog eats the stem, vine or leaves of tomato, they are more likely to have a negative reaction than if they eat the fruit itself. Similarly, if a tomato is so unripe that it is still green, you’ll want to assume it has more solanine—in addition to having more tomatine and should be avoided.
Can dogs eat tomato off the vine? Unripe tomatoes contain slightly more tomatine, so you should not let your dogs eat tomatoes directly from the vines in your garden. Still, even unripe tomatoes are unlikely to cause major issues.
Most dogs can eat tomatoes as long as they are not fed unripe or green tomatoes. Please, always contact your veterinarian before feeding your pups new foods just in case there’s something in their medical history that signals you shouldn’t let your dogs eat tomatoes.
If your dog does get into a small number of unripe tomatoes, leaves, vines or a bunch of ripe tomatoes, you might want to monitor them for a few hours. A few common signs will indicate that they are having an adverse reaction to the fruit—sometimes called tomato poisoning.
These symptoms are unlikely unless your dog ingests a lot of unripe tomatoes or tomato leaves. If you notice a problem, call your vet as soon as possible.
IIf your dog does experience any distress after eating an unripe tomato, leaf or vine of a plant, you should immediately contact your veterinarian or call pet poison control.
Tomatoes are usually alright for your pet, but can dogs eat tomato sauce? Can dogs eat tomato puree? Can dogs eat tomato paste? Since these tomato products can have ingredients other than tomatoes, and many of them can be harmful to pets, you should avoid feeding your pet these tomato products.
UUnsafe ingredients can include onions, chives, large amounts of garlic and various spices. Similarly, ketchup may contain xylitol—a sweetener that is fine for humans but toxic to dogs. Flavored ketchup that has peppers or hot sauce is especially tough for dogs to digest safely.
Petco’s ACE team is a passionate group of experienced pet care experts dedicated to supporting the overall health & wellness of pets. The ACE team works to develop animal care operations and standards across the organization and promote proper animal care and education for Pet Care Center partners and pet parents, while also ensuring regulatory compliance.
