Cherries are Harmful To Dogs – Know the Effects
Can dogs eat cherries? The simple and straight answer is NO! your dog shouldn’t eat cherries and you should also stop giving it to them. Many fruits are considered as healthy for dogs while cherries do contain some beneficial nutrients in it but the harmful side takes off the point.
There are plenty of human foods, your dogs love but not every human food are right for your pooches. Here’s what you should know while you give cherries to your furry pet.
Why Are Cherries Bad For Dogs?
The pits, stems, and leaves of cherries contain harmful substances like cyanide which is toxic and may cause cherry poisoning in dogs if consumed in large quantities.
The cherry pits can also cause a serious intestinal obstruction. Even if the pit is not consumed, cherries can still lead to a gastrointestinal problem in dogs.
What About A Single Cherry A Day?
If your dogs eat single cherries a day, it may not harm your pet. But not letting your dog eat a cherry would be best. If you give them cherries with seeds removed, it would be much safer for your pooches.
Your dogs cannot eat cherries with seeds and leaves or stems. Even if the pits, leaves, and stems are removed the cherry flesh could cause intestinal upset in dogs. As being said with that, it is safe not to feed cherry to your furry pooches.
What About Maraschino Cherries Or Cherries Without Pits?
Maraschino cherries are sweet fruit loaded with sugar. The Maraschino cherries do not have pits and sometimes the stems are also removed. The problem is, that it contains lots of sugar which may lead your dog to diabetes or obesity.
Cherries that have been de-pitted and stems removed can be quite better for dogs. It contains Vitamin A and C, fiber, antioxidants, and melatonin.
What About Cherry Flavored Foods?
Cherry Flavored foods are very harmful to your pooches. Since it contains lots of artificial sugar, chemicals, and flavorings. Not only artificials, foods that are naturally flavored with cherries are also very sugary which may lead dogs to gastrointestinal upset.
What If The Dog Swallows A Whole Cherry?
If your dog eats the whole cherry, don’t panic. A single cherry pit will not cause any cherry poisoning. But it may have symptoms like an intestinal blockage, vomiting, decreased appetite, constipation, and decreased fecal production.
Keep in mind, that smaller dogs are more likely to have these kinds of symptoms. If your dog eats multiple cherries, then it can be dangerous. You should look out for symptoms like bright red gums, labored breathing, and dilated pupils. You should immediately call a vet since cyanide poisoning can be life-threatening.
What Is Cherry Poisoning?
Cherry are the member of Prunus species, which include the peach, chokecherry, apricot and the cherry laurel. The toxins of cherry tree are not found in the fruit itself but in leaves and the seeds. The leaves and seeds contains cyanide and can cause gastrointestinal obstruction.
Cyanide is a deadly chemical that can be found in the form of gas and salt crystals, and both forms are highly toxic. Cherry poisoning occurs in dogs when they eat various types of cherries, leaves, and stems. The cherry seeds and leaves contain cyanide that is highly toxic to dogs.
Symptoms of Cherry Poisoning In Dogs
They cherry poisoning is very dangerous for dogs, it may lead your dogs to death. The following symptoms are to be considered if your dog eats cherries with leaves, stems or pits.
- Bright red mucous membranes
- Seizures
- Convulsions
- Abnormal heart rate
- Hyperventilation
- Tremors
- Collapse
- Death
Treatment of Cherry Poisoning In Dogs
Detoxification
Thiocyanate and Rhodanese could help to detoxify the cherry poison in the dogs.
Inhalation of Nitrates
Sodium nitrate and Amyl nitrate are one of the effective antidotes of cyanide poisoning. This is also one of the first method the veterinarian apply in terms of cyanide consumption.
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium Thiosulfate is effective in effective in assisting the cells to convert the cyanide to a specific type that the body will release the poison by the way of urination.
Some Safer Alternatives
There are plenty of safe alternatives your dog can eat without the above risks. Blueberries, apples without seeds, peeled and pitted mangoes can be the best choice.
If you want to give your pet tasty human foods but are worried if they are safe or not, then we recommend you checking out these related guides to find out which foods are safe for your pooches or not.
- Feeding Peaches to dogs.
- Dogs eating ham.
- Can dogs eat watermelons?
- Your dogs can eat bananas but what about banana peels?
- Vegan foods for dogs.
- Dogs eating coconuts and coconut water.
To conclude, you can give your dogs cherries but make sure you do not give them in a daily basis or a bunch of cherries at a time. Remove the stems, leaves and pits for safe feeding.
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